Healthy Fats: The Foods That Supply Them, and Why Olive Oil Leads the List
Healthy fats are the unsaturated fats — monounsaturated and polyunsaturated — and the useful question is not whether a food contains them but in what proportion to saturated fat. Almost every fat is a mixture. On USDA FoodData Central, extra virgin olive oil's fatty acids are about 74% monounsaturated, 10% polyunsaturated and 16% saturated; butter's are about 68% saturated, and coconut oil's about 91%. This article sets the main healthy-fat foods side by side using those USDA figures, which we read entry by entry on 12 October 2026, quotes word for word what EU and UK law lets a label say about unsaturated fat, and explains why extra virgin olive oil makes the most useful everyday base — and where other foods genuinely do better.
For our own oil, see our Cold-Pressed Single-Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Marrakech (500ml).
The Short Answer
- Healthy fats means unsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats (mainly oleic acid) and polyunsaturated fats (omega-6 and omega-3) are the fats UK government guidance asks us to eat in place of some saturated fat.
- The main sources are plant oils, nuts, seeds, avocados and oily fish. The NHS lists olive oil, rapeseed oil, avocados, nuts such as almonds and walnuts, flaxseed (linseed) oil and oily fish such as salmon and mackerel.
- Proportion matters more than the label "healthy". On USDA FoodData Central, unsaturated fat makes up about 84% of extra virgin olive oil's fatty acids, 92% of rapeseed oil's and almonds', 32% of butter's and 9% of coconut oil's.
- The permitted claim is about the swap. EU and UK law allows foods high in unsaturated fat to say: "Replacing saturated fats in the diet with unsaturated fats contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels. Oleic acid is an unsaturated fat."
- Olive oil leads as the everyday base. It is the fat most kitchens cook with, it is about 74% monounsaturated, and extra virgin oil adds polyphenols, which carry a permitted EU claim written specifically for olive oil — one that requires a measured level.
- It does not win every column. Rapeseed oil has less saturated fat and far more omega-3, walnuts and flaxseed supply plant omega-3, and oily fish is the only food here with EPA and DHA.
- All fats carry 9 kcal per gram. Healthy fats help when they replace saturated fat, not when they are simply added on top.
What Counts as a Healthy Fat? Saturated and Unsaturated, Plainly
A healthy fat, in the sense UK and EU guidance uses, is an unsaturated fat: a monounsaturated fat such as the oleic acid in olive oil, or a polyunsaturated fat such as the omega-6 linoleic acid in rapeseed oil and the omega-3s in walnuts and oily fish. Guidance asks us to eat these in place of some saturated fat, not in addition to it.
The NHS puts the basics plainly. A small amount of fat is an essential part of a balanced diet: it supplies essential fatty acids the body cannot make, and it helps the body absorb vitamins A, D and E. Every fat, saturated or unsaturated, provides 9 kcal per gram, against 4 kcal for carbohydrate and protein. And most fats and oils contain both saturated and unsaturated fats, in different proportions — which is why a food is better judged by its balance than by a single word on the label.
The government's limits are on the other side of that balance: men should not eat more than 30 g of saturated fat a day and women no more than 20 g, with adults keeping trans fats to about 5 g. Saturated fat comes mostly from animal foods — fatty meat, butter, ghee, lard, cheese and cream — and from a few plant fats, notably palm oil and coconut oil.
Healthy Fat Foods Compared: The USDA Numbers
The table below takes each food's fat breakdown per 100 g straight from its USDA FoodData Central entry. The final column divides monounsaturated plus polyunsaturated fat by the three totals added together, so it shows the unsaturated share of the fatty acids rather than of the whole food. Butter and coconut oil are included as the saturated-fat comparison.
| Food (USDA FDC entry) | Total fat per 100 g | Saturated | Monounsaturated | Polyunsaturated | Unsaturated share of fatty acids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extra virgin olive oil (Foundation, 748608; 36 samples) | 93.7 g | 15.4 g | 69.2 g | 9.07 g | 83.6% |
| Rapeseed (canola) oil (SR Legacy, 172336) | 100 g | 7.36 g | 63.3 g | 28.1 g | 92.5% |
| Avocado, raw (SR Legacy, 171705) | 14.7 g | 2.13 g | 9.8 g | 1.82 g | 84.5% |
| Almonds (SR Legacy, 170567) | 49.9 g | 3.8 g | 31.6 g | 12.3 g | 92.0% |
| Walnuts, English (SR Legacy, 170187) | 65.2 g | 6.13 g | 8.93 g | 47.2 g | 90.2% |
| Flaxseed (SR Legacy, 169414) | 42.2 g | 3.66 g | 7.53 g | 28.7 g | 90.8% |
| Atlantic salmon, farmed, raw (SR Legacy, 175167) | 13.4 g | 3.05 g | 3.77 g | 3.89 g | 71.5% |
| Butter, salted (SR Legacy, 173410) | 81.1 g | 51.4 g | 21 g | 3.04 g | 31.9% |
| Coconut oil (SR Legacy, 171412) | 99.1 g | 82.5 g | 6.33 g | 1.7 g | 8.9% |
Three things stand out. First, every food in the top seven rows is mainly unsaturated, but they are unsaturated in different ways: olive oil, rapeseed oil, avocado and almonds are led by monounsaturated fat, while walnuts and flaxseed are led by polyunsaturated fat. Second, olive oil is not the most unsaturated food on the list — rapeseed oil, almonds, walnuts and flaxseed all score higher. Third, the gap between the plant oils and butter or coconut oil is enormous: per 100 g, coconut oil carries more than five times the saturated fat of extra virgin olive oil.
The Healthy Fats List: Seven Foods and What Each Brings
If you want a short list to shop from, these seven foods cover the main types of healthy fat between them. Each one earns its place for a different reason, drawn from the USDA entries above.
- Extra virgin olive oil — 69.2 g of monounsaturated fat per 100 g, almost all oleic acid, plus polyphenols in genuine extra virgin oil.
- Rapeseed (canola) oil — the lowest saturated fat of any food in the table at 7.36 g per 100 g, with 9.14 g of plant omega-3.
- Avocado — a whole food whose fat is about 71% monounsaturated, with fibre and water around it.
- Almonds — 31.6 g of monounsaturated fat per 100 g and only 3.8 g saturated.
- Walnuts — mostly polyunsaturated, with 9.08 g of omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) per 100 g.
- Flaxseed (linseed) — the richest plant source of ALA here, at 22.8 g per 100 g.
- Oily fish such as salmon — the only food on the list with the long-chain omega-3s EPA and DHA (0.862 g and 1.1 g per 100 g of farmed Atlantic salmon).
The omega-3 picture shows why no single food covers everything. USDA lists 0.651 g of ALA per 100 g of extra virgin olive oil against 9.14 g for rapeseed oil and 22.8 g for flaxseed — and USDA records zero EPA and DHA for avocado, almonds and walnuts, while its extra virgin olive oil entry lists none. Our article on olive oil's omega-3, 6 and 9 profile works through those numbers in full.
| Food (per 100 g, USDA FDC) | Plant omega-3 (ALA) | EPA | DHA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flaxseed | 22.8 g | — | — |
| Rapeseed (canola) oil | 9.14 g | — | — |
| Walnuts, English | 9.08 g | 0 g | 0 g |
| Extra virgin olive oil | 0.651 g | — | — |
| Atlantic salmon, farmed, raw | 0.167 g | 0.862 g | 1.1 g |
| Avocado, raw | 0.125 g | 0 g | 0 g |
A dash means the entry gives no figure for that fatty acid.
Why Olive Oil Leads the List
If olive oil is not the most unsaturated food in the table, why put it first? Because a healthy-fat list is only useful if it changes what you actually eat, and olive oil is the one food on it that most kitchens use every day as their main cooking and dressing fat. That is where the swap away from saturated fat happens.
It is the fat that does the swap
Nuts, seeds and avocado add healthy fat to a meal; the cooking fat replaces butter, ghee or coconut oil in it. Using the USDA figures, 20 g of salted butter carries about 10.3 g of saturated fat, while 20 g of extra virgin olive oil carries about 3.1 g — a saving of roughly 7 g, a third of the government's 20 g daily limit for women. That arithmetic is exactly what the permitted oleic acid claim describes.
It is mainly oleic acid
At 69.2 g per 100 g, extra virgin olive oil has the highest monounsaturated content in the table, and USDA lists 67.8 g of that as oleic acid. Its low polyunsaturated share — about 10% of its fatty acids — also helps in the pan, because monounsaturated fats are less prone to oxidation than polyunsaturated ones. Our guide to the health benefits of olive oil covers what the wider research has looked at.
Extra virgin oil adds polyphenols
This is where extra virgin olive oil stands apart: its polyphenols are the only ones on this list with a permitted EU health claim of their own. In the EUROLIVE trial (Covas and colleagues, 2006, Annals of Internal Medicine), 200 healthy men took 25 mL a day of three olive oils that differed only in polyphenol content, for three weeks each; HDL cholesterol rose and oxidised LDL fell as polyphenol content increased, though the authors note the short periods and self-reported diets. It was a study of men only and of blood markers, not of health outcomes.
What a Label May Say About Healthy Fats
EU law, and UK law through its assimilated version of the same regulations, controls exactly what a food label may claim. We read the current texts of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 and Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 on legislation.gov.uk on 12 October 2026 before quoting them.
| Claim | Exact wording or condition | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| High monounsaturated fat | At least 45% of the fatty acids from monounsaturated fat, providing more than 20% of the product's energy | Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, Annex |
| High unsaturated fat | At least 70% of the fatty acids from unsaturated fat, providing more than 20% of the product's energy | Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, Annex |
| Oleic acid | "Replacing saturated fats in the diet with unsaturated fats contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels. Oleic acid is an unsaturated fat." Only for foods that meet "high unsaturated fat" | Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, Annex |
| Olive oil polyphenols | "Olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress." Only for olive oil with at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives per 20 g, with the consumer told the effect is obtained with 20 g a day | Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, Annex |
On USDA's figures, extra virgin olive oil clears both fat-composition thresholds comfortably: about 74% of its fatty acids are monounsaturated and about 84% unsaturated. Butter, at about 32% unsaturated, does not. Notice that the oleic acid claim is about replacing saturated fat, and that the polyphenol claim depends on a laboratory result, not on the words "extra virgin". Our article on olive oil and cholesterol looks at the trials behind those claims in more detail.
The Honest Limits: Where Olive Oil Does Not Win
A careful reader will have three objections, and each one is fair.
"Rapeseed oil looks better on paper." On several columns it does. USDA lists 7.36 g of saturated fat per 100 g for rapeseed oil against 15.4 g for extra virgin olive oil, and 9.14 g of omega-3 against 0.651 g. The NHS names both oils together as healthier choices. Olive oil's case rests on oleic acid, polyphenols in extra virgin oil and the way people actually use it — not on beating rapeseed oil at everything.
"Coconut oil did as well as olive oil in a trial." In one respect, yes. In a four-week randomised trial in Cambridgeshire (Khaw and colleagues, 2018, BMJ Open), 94 adults aged 50–75 ate 50 g a day of extra virgin coconut oil, butter or extra virgin olive oil. LDL cholesterol rose on butter compared with olive oil (by 0.38 mmol/L) and with coconut oil, but did not differ between coconut and olive oil. It was a short trial of one blood marker, and the authors themselves concluded that it does not change the general advice to reduce saturated fat — which coconut oil is 91% of.
"Fat is fattening, healthy or not." Every fat carries 9 kcal per gram, so adding olive oil, nuts or avocado to an unchanged diet adds energy. The benefit described in the permitted claim comes from replacing saturated fat, not from eating more fat overall.
How to Eat More Healthy Fats Without Eating More Fat
The practical rule is to swap, not add. A few changes do most of the work:
- Make olive oil the default cooking and dressing fat in place of butter, ghee, lard or coconut oil.
- Keep rapeseed oil in the cupboard too for its lower saturated fat and its omega-3.
- Swap a biscuit or pastry for a small handful of nuts — almonds for monounsaturated fat, walnuts for omega-3.
- Add ground flaxseed or walnuts to porridge or salads if you eat little or no fish.
- Eat oily fish if you eat fish: the NHS recommends at least two portions of fish a week, one of them oily.
- Use avocado as a spread in place of butter on toast.
- Read the saturates line on labels: the NHS treats more than 5 g per 100 g as high.
If you have a medical condition, are managing your cholesterol or follow a prescribed diet, talk to your GP or a registered dietitian before making changes. For a ready-made list of what to buy, our Mediterranean diet shopping list groups these foods by aisle.
Choosing an Olive Oil That Earns Its Place
All olive oils share a similar fatty-acid profile, but not all of them carry polyphenols. Refined and "light" olive oils lose most of them in processing, which is why the grade on the label matters if olive oil is your main healthy fat. Look for "extra virgin", a dark bottle or tin that protects the oil from light, a harvest or best-before date you can read, and a named origin rather than a blend of several countries.
Taste is a useful check too: a fresh extra virgin oil is usually fruity, with some bitterness and a peppery catch at the back of the throat. Our guide to choosing a quality olive oil walks through every label check in order.
Why Sidr & Stone
The USDA figures in this article describe olive oil in general, not our bottle, and we will not borrow them as if they were our own results. Sidr & Stone does not yet publish a laboratory certificate for its oil's polyphenol content, so we do not use the EU polyphenol claim. What we can tell you is how the oil is grown and made.
- Single-estate — Sidr & Stone's extra virgin olive oil comes from our own family-owned farm on the plains outside Marrakech, Morocco, and we control every step from tree to bottle.
- Rain-fed — the trees are not irrigated; they take what the season gives.
- Organically grown — no synthetic fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides are used (not yet certified; certification is in progress).
- Single harvest — a small, limited single-harvest batch, picked when the fruit is ready; once it is gone, it is gone until the next harvest.
- Cold-pressed — to protect the flavour, aroma and natural polyphenols.
- Unfiltered extra virgin — minimally processed, so a little natural sediment is normal.
- 100% natural — a single ingredient, olive oil, with nothing added.
- 500ml dark glass with a gold label — packaging that shields the oil from light.
- 10% of profits to charity — a brand-wide commitment.
- Fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
We will not tell you Sidr & Stone is the best olive oil — that would be the very kind of claim this article warns against. What we will say is that our oil is single-estate Moroccan, rain-fed, organically grown and cold-pressed, which is how an extra virgin olive oil keeps the qualities that put it at the top of a healthy-fat list.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are healthy fats?
Healthy fats are unsaturated fats: monounsaturated fats such as the oleic acid in olive oil, and polyunsaturated fats such as omega-6 and omega-3. UK guidance recommends eating them in place of some saturated fat.
Which foods have the most healthy fat?
Plant oils, nuts and seeds. On USDA figures per 100 g, rapeseed oil carries 91.4 g of unsaturated fat, extra virgin olive oil 78.3 g, walnuts 56.1 g and almonds 43.9 g. Avocado and oily fish carry less per 100 g because most of their weight is not fat.
Is olive oil a healthy fat?
Yes. About 84% of extra virgin olive oil's fatty acids are unsaturated, mostly oleic acid, on USDA's 36-sample data, and genuine extra virgin oil also contains polyphenols.
Are healthy fats good for weight loss?
Not on their own. Every fat carries 9 kcal per gram, so healthy fats help most when they replace saturated fats rather than being added on top. For a weight-loss plan, a GP or registered dietitian can advise.
Is Sidr & Stone olive oil better than other healthy fats?
No single fat does everything. Our extra virgin olive oil is a strong everyday base, but rapeseed oil has more omega-3 and oily fish is the main source of EPA and DHA. We publish how our oil is grown and made; we don't yet publish lab figures.
Is coconut oil a healthy fat?
Coconut oil is about 91% saturated fat on USDA figures, and the NHS lists it among foods high in saturated fat. It is best used occasionally rather than as an everyday fat.
Where can I buy Sidr & Stone olive oil?
Our Cold-Pressed Single-Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Marrakech (500ml) is available to pre-order as a limited single-harvest batch from our website, with fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
Is olive oil a medicine?
No. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine. It has a long traditional history — including being honoured in the Prophetic Sunnah — and a substantial body of modern research, particularly around polyphenols, cardiovascular health, and the Mediterranean diet pattern. It can be a worthwhile part of a healthy routine, but it does not cure diseases and is not a substitute for medical care. Be cautious of any olive oil marketed with specific disease-cure claims.
Final Thoughts
"Healthy fats" is a useful phrase as long as it is read correctly: it describes the balance of a food's fat, and its value lies in what it replaces. On USDA's own figures, extra virgin olive oil, rapeseed oil, avocado, nuts, seeds and oily fish are all mainly unsaturated, while butter and coconut oil are mainly saturated. The law that governs food labels says the same thing in its own words — replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats is the point.
Olive oil leads the list not because it beats every other food on every column, but because it is the fat most of us cook with every day, it is mainly oleic acid, and in its extra virgin form it brings polyphenols with a permitted EU claim of their own. Pair it with nuts, seeds and, if you eat it, oily fish, and the healthy-fat side of a diet largely takes care of itself.
Our Cold-Pressed Single-Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Marrakech (500ml) — single-estate, rain-fed and cold-pressed — is available to pre-order now, with fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
Our extra virgin olive oil is grown organically on our own single-estate farm on the plains outside Marrakech: we control every step from tree to bottle, and no synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilisers are used. It is not yet certified organic — certification is in progress, and we will publish it as soon as it comes through.
References
1. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central entries 748608 (Oil, olive, extra virgin; Foundation), 172336 (Oil, canola), 171705 (Avocados, raw, all commercial varieties), 170567 (Nuts, almonds), 170187 (Nuts, walnuts, english), 169414 (Seeds, flaxseed), 175167 (Fish, salmon, Atlantic, farmed, raw), 173410 (Butter, salted) and 171412 (Oil, coconut); SR Legacy unless stated. Accessed 12 October 2026.
2. NHS. Facts about fat. nhs.uk, accessed 12 October 2026.
3. Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods, Annex; Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, Annex (oleic acid and olive oil polyphenols entries). legislation.gov.uk, accessed 12 October 2026.
4. Covas MI, Nyyssönen K, Poulsen HE, Kaikkonen J, Zunft HJ, Kiesewetter H, et al.; EUROLIVE Study Group. (2006). The effect of polyphenols in olive oil on heart disease risk factors: a randomized trial. Annals of Internal Medicine, 145(5), 333–341. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-145-5-200609050-00006. PMID 16954359.
5. Khaw KT, Sharp SJ, Finikarides L, Afzal I, Lentjes M, Luben R, Forouhi NG. (2018). Randomised trial of coconut oil, olive oil or butter on blood lipids and other cardiovascular risk factors in healthy men and women. BMJ Open, 8(3), e020167. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020167. PMID 29511019.
Disclaimer: This article describes the fat composition of foods using USDA FoodData Central, UK government guidance, EU and UK labelling rules and published research at the time of writing; database values, guidance and regulations may change, and composition varies between foods and harvests, so readers should check current sources. It is general nutritional information, not personalised dietary advice. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine, and is not a substitute for medical treatment of any condition. For any health concern, consult a qualified medical professional.