(Oct 24) Q The topic on trans fats, saturated fats, and cholesterol is pretty confusing. Please elaborate on their differences, and advise which kind of fats are healthier. To find a meal without fats in fast-food outlets or hawker centres could be a challenge.

A Cholesterol is manufactured naturally in our bodies by our liver, as well as found in certain foods like eggs, seafood, meats, organ meats and animal products.

A high intake of dietary cholesterol has been shown to be linked with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. As for fats, there are generally four different kinds, namely mono-unsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated and trans fats.

The unsaturated fats are healthier than saturated and trans fats because they do increase our HDL (high density lipoproteins - the 'good' cholesterol) and decrease our LDL (low density lipoproteins - the 'bad' cholesterol). Saturated and trans fats do the opposite, especially trans fats, which increase LDL and decrease HDL. Saturated fats contain single bonds and are found in foods like animal fat, animal skin, animal products such as butter, coconut milk and dairy products.

Trans fats are formed by putting a vegetable oil through a process called hydrogenation, so all products that state 'partially hydrogenated' or 'hydrogenated' vegetable oil in their ingredient list do contain trans fats. Saturated fats and trans fats should take up only 10 per cent of your daily caloric intake.

Finding a meal without fats in fast-food outlets or hawker centres is not easy. Most meals require the use of oil or fat in their preparation. Anyway, our bodies do need a certain amount of fats for absorption of vitamins as well as other daily functions. However, do take note that our meals should comprise most unsaturated kinds of fat as mentioned above.

Some sources of unsaturated fats are vegetable oils like olive oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, and foods like nuts, avocados and oily fish.

JAMIE LIOW IS A NUTRITIONIST AND A FULL MEMBER OF THE SINGAPORE NUTRITION AND DIETETICS ASSOCIATION