We all know too much fat is bad for us. But we don’t always know where it’s lurking. It seems to be in so many of the things we like, so it’s sometimes difficult to know how to cut down.

Fortunately, there are plenty of simple ways to go easy on the fat; simple things like comparing food labels, swapping certain foods for others and changes to the way we prepare and cook food.

For example, grilled fish fingers have much less fat than fried fish fingers and trimming the fat off bacon can reduce its fat by about a half.

You can find out more by visiting change4life on the web of by phoning 0300 1234567.

Here are a few simple ways you can start going easy on the fat right away.

1. Cut down

• Many snack foods are high in fat and should be seen as a treat. Try to limit the amount of crisps, buns, cakes, pastries, and biscuits your kids eat.

2. Look for lower

• Compare food labels and choose low fat spreads, and lower fat varieties of dairy foods such as semi skimmed milk, low fat yoghurts and reduced fat cheese. Sausages and burgers are generally high in fat, so try looking for lower fat meat such as skinless chicken or lean mince and it doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive –try turkey (without the skin on) or turkey mince.

3. Change your cooking

• Cutting off any visible fat from meat and skin from poultry before cooking, and draining off fat after cooking are easy ways to cut down on fat. Grilling meat instead of frying it is a great idea too.

4. Make a swap

• Making a swap is easy to do and means you don’t have to miss out. Try switching to oven chips rather than deep frying them, or having a dollop of yoghurt (frozen or fresh) or sorbet instead of having cream or ice cream

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