Learn How Eating More Fats will Save Your Life

Does it surprise to know that you can eat a LOT of fats and still lose weight? You’ve probably always been taught that there are good fats and bad fats. 

Healthy fats are fats that have healthy benefits such as protecting your heart and reducing LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol that clogs arteries. Healthy fats can benefit blood sugar and insulin levels, that can decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes!

So, let’s chat about what fats to incorporate into your lifestyle to both stay healthy and lose weight if you’re up for that. And which fats to stay away from.

1. Avocado - it’s like the perfect food! High in monounsaturated fat, with an average of 23 grams in a medium avocado. Guess what’s also in there? Fiber! One avocado can have 40% of your daily fiber needs! Avocados are cholesterol-free and also contain lutein, which is a powerful antioxidant that may protect your vision!

Some favorite ways to incorporate avocados into your daily meals:

  • add avocado slices to your eggs
  • sprinkle flavored salt onto an avocado half and eat straight from the peel
  • blend avocado in your smoothie to make it super smooth
  • use it in the place of mayo on your sandwich

2. Walnuts – an amazing source of omega-3 fatty acids and can lower cholesterol. Toast walnuts over medium heat, with a little bit of olive or avocado oil, & add your favorite spices and salt for a great on-the-go snack.

3. Almonds – are full of healthy fats, fiber, protein, magnesium & vitamin E. Even simply lightly salted are a great filling snack!

4. Almond butter – a wonderful swap out for peanut butter. Peanuts contain omega-6 fatty acids which are actually not recommended due to their inflammatory properties. Also, be sure to look at the labels of any nut butters, as many manufacturers sneak in sugar or sweeteners! We don’t want that!

5. Olives – Olive oil has been touted for its health benefits for years! A great way to incorporate these heart healthy snacks into your life is through their source…the olive! haha!

  • Olives contain nutrients that have been linked to the prevention of cancer, such as hydroxytyrosol.
  • Olives are high in sodium, so unless you are following a Keto way of life, you’ll need to limit your intake. (When eating Keto, we need extra sodium in our diets to make sure we avoid dehydration, so we are allowed to have extra salt! Yes!)

6. Flaxseed – great source of omega-3 fatty acids. Also contains plant estrogens and antioxidants that may help prevent certain types of cancer. They also contain soluble and insoluble fiber, which will help keep you feeling full longer. Flaxseed is great for vegetarian diets and can be used to replace eggs in recipes. Add it to your smoothie or sprinkle it on your yogurt or hot cereal.

7. Salmon and Tuna – full of omega-3 fatty acids and support healthy hearts. You can make a grilled or seared salmon for dinner and then add it to the top of a salad with an avocado for lunch the next day! (recipe link)

8. Dark chocolate – Did you think dark chocolate would be on this list? Well, dark chocolate is full of not only healthy fats, but also

  • vitamins A, B, and E,
  • plus calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium
  • & antioxidants.
  • one serving of dark chocolate contains 3 grams of fiber!!

Now, you can’t just grab any chocolate. You want 70% dark or higher AND these days it’s not too difficult to get a chocolate sweetened with a non-insulin-spiking sweetener. My favorites are Lily’s and Phi.

9. Chia seeds – You may be seeing chia seeds everywhere these days, especially in puddings all over your Instagram feed! They are an amazing superfood and full of omega-3s, fiber, protein, minerals, and antioxidants. 

10. Eggs – while a great source of protein, eggs contain important nutrients and fat in the yolk. Eggs contain choline, which helps regulate the brain, and the nervous and cardiovascular systems. 

11. Grass-fed meats, such as beef and pork – lean beef is a great way to get important nutrients in your lifestyle, like protein, iron, and zinc. Pork can contain good-for-you fats as well. And if you’re Keto, bacon can be eaten quite frequently, as long as you choose nitrate-free. (nitrates may increase the risk of cancer).

Cheese – a great source of both fats and calcium. When you’re following a Keto lifestyle, cheese is a definite go-to! Just be mindful of buying pre-grated cheese, as they add starches to keep it from clumping. Buy a log of cheese and grate it yourself so you can be sure what’s in it!

My favorite cooking oils:

Olive oil – full of monounsaturated fats, great for cooking and baking

Avocado oil – all the benefits of the fruit, and also high smoking point; I also use this for both cooking & baking

Coconut oil – full of healthy Medium Chain Trigycerides (MCT); great for both cooking & baking

Okay, now for the list of bad fats/fats to stay away from:

  • Hydrogenated and Partially-hydrogenated oils
  • Margarine
  • Vegetable Shortening
  • Polyunsaturated fatty acids that are easily oxidated

While it is important to have some Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in our diet (omega-3s and omega-6s), we need to be mindful of how many and in what ratio.

Omega-3s are anti-inflammatory, while Omega-6’s are inflammatory.

We should be mindful to eat Omega-3 and -6 at a 1-1 ratio and to not heat them, which is what quickly causes them to be oxidated.

 

Samara Elledge