Why you need to be eating more FAT!

A low-fat diet is not the way to go!  Low-fat diets have NOT been shown to be more effective for weight loss than other dietary strategy.  In fact, there are some potential risks with this style of eating long-term. While diet is something that should always be individualized to suit your needs, especially when trying to manage weight, avoiding fat is just not beneficial!  Fats keep us full and satiated, helping to manage appetite, and they have many important functions in the body. The key is choosing the right sources and amounts of fat to benefit your body and health.

In general, plant sources of fat are what you want to stick to, and animal sources are what you want to avoid.  Plant sources are higher in poly/monounsaturated fats and omega 3 fatty acids.  We know individuals who consume more poly/monounsaturated and omega 3 fatty acids have better overall health and a lower risk of things of heart disease.  Animal sources are higher in saturated and trans fatty acids, which are associated with an increased risk of heart disease.  However, there are couple of exceptions to this:

- Fish are a great source of the anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids so can also be considered a healthy source of fat.  Choosing to include fish such as wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, etc about 2 times a week is a great way to meet your body’s need for omega 3 fatty acids.  Your health and brain will thank you!

- The other food that creates some confusion is coconut.  Coconut oil provides mainly saturated fat, which we usually consider to be more harmful and inflammatory.  However, the research doesn’t show a clear link between consuming coconut oil and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.  When consumed in moderation this isn’t something to be concerned about.  In addition, the form of fat found in coconut is one of our brains preferred source of energy (medium-chain triglycerides), and it contains some other compounds that can be beneficial for overall health.   

Another concern many have is which oils and fats to cook with.  When we heat oils, this causes mono and polyunsaturated fats to become saturated – losing their health-promoting properties.  Coconut oil can stand up to much higher heats because it is already saturated, so some consider this a good option to cook with.  Other good options are still the mono/polyunsaturated fats - avocado, olive and grapeseed oils.  The key here is to never fry or cook at high heats, keeping your burners on low-medium, to minimize the process of saturation.  This helps preserve the integrity and benefits of these oils.  

Appropriate serving sizes are also important to note.  An excess of calories in any form, not just from fat, is what can lead to weight gain.  It’s usually recommended to have 2-3 servings of fats a day.  An individual serving would be a small handful of nuts or seeds, ¼ - ½ an avocado, 1-2 tbsp of oil or nut/seed butter, or a palm-sized serving of fish.  Of course, this can vary based on your individual needs and health concerns.

All in all, don’t fear fat!  Choosing a variety of health-promoting fats (such as chia seeds, flaxseed, nuts, avocado, fish) and minimizing your consumption of the more harmful fats – especially trans fats found in fried and processed foods – is essential to having a healthy diet. 

Feel free to leave a comment or question you may have about fats!