Diet expert reveals saturated fat can actually be good for you – here’s how to burn off the excess calories

DECADES of dietary advice from the Government warning us to avoid saturated fat is WRONG, a new study claims.

Here, one of the experts behind the controversial report explains why foods such as butter and cheese can actually be good for you. And in the below chart we reveal the easiest ways to work off excess calories.

NOW there is an excuse to drink full-fat milk, spread butter on your toast and drizzle olive oil over your dinner.

It turns out saturated fat is GOOD for you.

Contrary to what we have been told since the Eighties, eating a diet rich in it could boost your heart health.

Found in cheese, milk and butter, saturated fat consumption can help stave off heart disease which kills 160,000 Brits every year.

The Government issued a health warning three decades ago to slash our intake of ­saturated fat — seeing more of us swap butter for margarine and full-fat milk for the skimmed version.

But many low-fat products are stuffed full of sugar — which pushes up blood ­pressure and, in turn, is linked to heart disease, stroke and premature death.

Obesity rates have risen ­dramatically since the Eighties when the low-fat advice was introduced. We are also now seeing more cases of Type 2 diabetes than ever before.

Now our diets are packed with unsatisfying low-fat products and refined carbohydrates such as bread and pasta which the public believes are better for them.

But the reality is that ­saturated fat in butter, full-fat yoghurts and milk can actually protect the heart.

Research I had published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine this week revealed the best thing you can do for your health is to eat home-cooked food. That also means eating full-fat ­products, but with a little exercise, too.

You don’t have to spend hours slaving away in the gym.

Walking briskly for 30 minutes five times per week can add at least three and a half years to your ­lifespan.

If you cannot fit that in every day, get up from your desk every 45 minutes and walk around. Do a few squats as well if you feel like it.

Action between the sheets counts, too. Sex raises the heart rate and gets the blood pumping.

But you cannot outrun a bad diet.

There is no point snacking on crisps and chocolate and living off high-sugar, high-salt ­convenience foods such as fish and chips, even if you treat exercise like a full-time job.

If your diet is stuffed with junk then your health is bound to suffer. Cook from scratch using real ingredients and eat plenty of fruit and veg, aiming for at least five portions a day.

Eat oily fish, such as salmon and mackerel, three times per week and snack on nuts.

Doctors spend too much time focusing on fat reduction when all you really have to do is enjoy whole foods and get your blood pumping. Saturated fat is not the enemy — the ­Government’s advice on it is.

And it is to be enjoyed as part of a sensible yet satisfying diet.