How to cut back on “bad” fats

Firstly, choose low-fat products rather than standard. Low-fat versions may lack some of the flavour you're used to, but you'll eventually get used to it. Here's where to start cutting out bad fats.

You needn't jump all the way to skimmed; use two per cent as a stepping stone from whole milk, but don't stop there – 35 per cent of the calories still come from fat in two per cent milk.

Most "light" versions taste as rich and creamy as the full-fat versions.

Given that most people eat their yogurt flavoured, it's hard to notice the difference between standard and low-fat or fat-free versions.

• Don't think that buying fatty ground beef and pouring off the grease makes it healthy.
• Much of the fat is bound in with the meat.
• Buy extra-lean ground – but keep in mind, even that can contain up to 10 per cent fat, so keep portions modest and bulk it out with vegetables or beans.

• Choose reduced-fat or low-fat, particularly with mozzarella cheese for pizza.
• Low-fat versions still have all the taste and texture you could want.

Follow a simple rule: if you can plainly see fat on your food, remove it.

• If there's fat on the meat, trim it off.
• If there's skin on the chicken, remove it.
• If there's oil pooling on the top of the pizza, soak it up with a paper towel.
• If there's leftover dressing at the bottom of your salad, pour it off.
• If there's a pool of fatty juice under a piece of cooked meat, drain it.
• If there's fat at the top of a bowl of stew or soup, skim it off.

• Buy a pretty bottle, fill it with olive oil, then top it with a pourer.
• Now keep it in plain view and use it for everything except frying (as olive oil burns at lower temperatures than other oils; for frying, canola oil is a healthy alternative).
• Olive oil is the best oil to use because it contains high amounts of monounsaturated fats and low amounts of saturated fats (all oils contain a mixture of the three: mono, poly and saturated; the key is the ratio).
• Buy the deepest green, extra virgin olive oil you can find – the darker the colour, the greater the amount of phytonutrients, potent little plant-based cancer fighters.