The average western diet derives about 40 percent of its calories from fat. The American Heart Association recommends that less than 30 percent of ones calories come from fat.

Experts believe that today's high fat diet is causing many health problems, and advise that we not only reduce fat, but also stop eating the wrong kind of fat. Saturated fats like those in butter, meat, dairy products, shortening and lard are solid at room temperature and are a major cause of clogged arteries and heart disease.

According to Dr. Linda Page, author of Healthy Healing, saturated fats tend to thicken the blood, causing blood pressure to rise and increasing the work load on your heart.

As an alternative to saturated fats like butter, margarine has become popular. However, evidence suggests that many margarines are more unhealthy than butter.

To produce vegetable oils which stay solid at room temperature, they are hydrogenated, a process whereby hydrogen gas is bubbled through the oil, "saturating" it with hydrogen. But as a result of this process dangerous trans fats are created.

While originally only used for foods like shortening and margarine, today trans fats are part of most snack foods, pastries and deserts.

There is mounting evidence that trans fats are a culprit in many health problems from cancer to heart disease.

Unfortunately there is no way to tell if trans fats are in the food you buy because at present they are not labelled - except in parts of Europe.

Foods with "partially hydrogenated oil" in their ingredients lists do contain trans fats, but without labelling there is no way to tell the amount.

These foods may say cholesterol free because they contain no animal fats, but may be loaded with artery clogging trans fats.

Until labelling becomes law, it's better to use margarines that are more liquid, sold in squeeze tubes or soft tub forms, as they probably contain less trans fats.

The best option is to use a liquid oil. Olive oil makes a healthy and flavourful choice. Mediterranean cultures have used olive oil for centuries.

The Bible makes over 140 references to the olive tree and olive oil. The Ancient Greeks, Jews and Egyptians used olive oil in lamps to read parchments, anoint their kings and religious leaders, cure a myriad of ailments, both internally and externally, and to slick down athletes.

According to Henry B. Lin, author of Chinese Health Care Secrets, olives are considered a "longevity fruit" in China.

"Therapeutically, they are used to relieve indigestion, hypertension, obesity, toothaches, jaded appetite, premature aging, constipation, kidney stones and high cholesterol levels.

Olive oil is the healthiest kind of all edible fats (besides omega-3)," says Lin. Omega 3's are found in fish and sea green oils.

Olive oil has also shown to be a better fat for helping reduce breast cancer risk. A study published in The Archives of Internal Medicine finds that the consumption of olive oil - and other oils high in monounsaturated fat - helps reduce a woman's chance of developing breast cancer.

Research Director Dr. Alicja Wolk at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm suggested that women can easily increase their mono-unsaturated fat intake by replacing oils that are high in poly-unsaturated fat with oils that are rich in mono-unsaturated fat, such as olive oil.

Olive oil also contains antioxidants, which help protect the body from harmful molecules called "free radicals" which may accelerate the aging process and contribute to the onset of several diseases, such as heart disease and cancer.

Drizzle or spray olive oil on your next piece of toast as a healthy alternative to butter and margarine.

All oils become less healthy when heated to high temperatures, and some can become carcinogenic.

Dr. Andrew Weil, author of Natural Health, Natural Medicine cautions us never to reuse oils that have been heated to a high temperature.

According to Weil, economics dictates that restaurants will use oils over and over until the taste of oxidised compounds build up to unacceptable levels.

"Have you ever looked at the fat in a restaurant fryer? If you are lucky it will be brown; often its closer to black, a carcinogenic soup," says Dr. Weil.

It is better to add oil after the food is cooked or stir fry in water. Another plus for olive oil is that unlike most oils in supermarkets, virgin olive oil has not been extracted with heat or chemical solvents.

You can also use olive oil for massage by adding your favourite aromatherapy essence.