How can I eat less fat?
Go back to our information on beginning to eat less fat.
Pulling your plan together
See how you can divide your fat allowance up throughout the day and make meal plans that work for you.
Dividing your fat allowance up
Once you know how much fat you can eat and the amount of fats in different foods, you can think about how you can divide this up over the day. This can help you plan your meals.
Splitting your fat allowance up throughout the day makes it easier for your body to absorb nutrients too.
If your allowance of fat is around 20% of your energy intake, so around 44g per day if you’re eating 2,000kcals, try splitting it up like this:
| Breakfast: 9g | Lunch: 13g | Dinner: 13g | Snacks: 9g |
| 20% of your daily allowance | 30% of your daily allowance | 30% of your daily allowance | 20% of your daily allowance |
Planning your meals and snacks
Make a plan for the week
Now that you know which foods are suitable for you and you've got an idea of how to spread your fat allowance over the day, it's useful to put together a meal plan that works for you. You will soon get the hang of it and learn as you go. These tips can help and have a look at the example meal plan below.
Write a list of meals you like
Think about the different things you can eat for breakfast, lunch, evening meals and snacks. Write a list, so you can always refer to it and add to it so you don’t always have to think of things you can eat or get stuck in a rut.
Now that you have a list of meals and snacks you like, you can make a plan for all your meals for the week.
Make a shopping list
From your meal plan, make a shopping list. If you are in a rush or feeling hungry it’s easy to lose sight of all your good intentions, so doing a weekly shop helps keep you on track and takes the stress out of shopping.
Check the labels online before you shop
You can check food labels on many supermarket websites. This means you can find out individual foods that are suitable before you go.
Cook your meals for the week
You might find it useful to cook a few meals on one day. Store them in the fridge and freezer so you’re set for the week.
Have healthy snacks ready for emergencies
Keep a stash of snacks at home, work and even in your car or bag. So that whenever you get hungry, you know you’ve got something healthy to hand.
Breakfast
- Whole wheat biscuits (such as Shredded Wheat, Weetabix or Oatibix) with skimmed or 1% milk.
- Porridge made with skimmed or 1% milk and topped with a spoon of honey and a handful of raisins.
- Fruit smoothie – 1 ripe banana, cranberry juice, and frozen red fruit blended together and served with an English muffin toasted and spread with a “light” spread or marmite (just check it’s within your fat allowance).
- Lean bacon butty – lean back bacon, trimmed of all fat and grilled. Served in a toasted bun with tomato ketchup.
- Home-made muesli, made with rolled oats, and a variety of dried fruits served with fat free yoghurt.
- Kedgeree made from poached smoked haddock, boiled rice and curry paste topped with hard-boiled egg quarters.
- Deliciously light pancakes
Lunch
- Jacket potato served with cottage cheese, a side salad with a low fat dressing.
- Chunky vegetable soup and a wedge of crusty wholegrain bread.
- Sandwiches made with lean ham, mustard and watercress, or tinned tuna and cucumber.
- Baked beans on toast or, for something different, try mashed banana on toast.
- Pasta with tomato sauce.
- Chicken pasta salad.
Evening Meal
- Poached or grilled fish served with boiled new potatoes and peas.
- Fish cakes served with salad and a sweet chilli sauce.
- Cottage pie made with Quorn or very low fat minced beef.
- Stir fried pork with vegetables and noodles.
- Spicy vegetable burgers.
- Vegetable risotto.
- Hearty chicken casserole.
- Tandoori chicken.
- Fish curry.
- Mung dhal.
Snacks
- Fresh, dried, canned and frozen fruits.
- Fresh vegetables with tomato salsa or cottage cheese.
- Popcorn – microwaved or cooked with the minimum of added fat or oil, or 'air-popped' without oil.
- Rice cakes
- Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals.
- Fat free yogurt.
- English muffins toasted and spread with jam, marmalade, honey or yeast extract.
- A glass of skimmed or 1% milk.
- Crispbread spread with cottage cheese.
