I am guilty of cutting out fats during a few phases in my life. In the 1990's and early 2000's everything was "low-fat" and I fell into the belief that "Eating Fat Would Make Me Fat". To some extent this is TRUE, but only with the "unhealthy" fats. That's why I think many people are still confused about eating fats. The Keto Craze has definitely proved our old school of thought to be wrong for weight loss, but does it teach people anything about health?
First let's distinguish between a bad fat and a good fat. Fats that have been hydrogenated are considered rancid fats. They go through a process (adding hydrogen) that makes a liquid oil into a hard fat, which can be very damaging and inflammatory in the body. The other fats we want to avoid are trans fat (sometimes hydrogenated) which basically come from an animal product (meat or dairy) and are added to processed and fast foods. The tricky one is saturated (solid at room temperature) and unsaturated fats (liquid). It used to be that saturated was bad and unsaturated was good, but that's not always the case. So let's simplify it, if it comes from a plant in its natural state, it has some benefits. Think avocado, coconut, nuts, seeds or extra virgin olive oil. The other good fats are found in fish which is where most of our omega 3 fats come from. Many other healthy fats have a combination of omega 6 and 3 fatty acids.
Without going into great scientific detail, we need fats to decrease triglyceride levels in the body (bad cholesterol), raise good HDL cholesterol, balance hormone levels, manage blood sugar levels, cushion vital organs and maintain body temperature. BUT it is easy to go overboard with eating too much fat which can lead to weight gain and an imbalance of omega 6 to omega 3 fats which can also be inflammatory.
So where do we go from here?
Personally from my past eating habits, I have to make an effort to incorporate healthy fats into my diet because I was used to not getting enough. I eat 2-3 servings of fish a week (salmon), daily I consume nut milk, eggs, sunflower butter, avocado, pumpkin seeds and/or flax seeds etc. Eating more healthy fats for me has improved my skin, hormones and feeling of fullness.
I aim to eat at least 3-5 servings of healthy fats per day or 1 serving per meal or snack. Servings for fats are much smaller (denser than other foods) which is the most important thing to remember when it comes to incorporating more fats into our diets. There are many resources online to figure out servings for different fats.
I will finish this by saying , most people undereat the healthy fats and overeat the unhealthy fats. That is one of the biggest problems when it comes to our diets for weight management and disease prevention. To be healthier and increase longevity as well as manage our weight, we NEED fats but the right amount and the right kind. They cannot replace other food groups like carbohydrates which are our preferred source of energy. And fats are in foods with other nutrients, so they are not just a "fat," but found in protein and carbohydrate foods as well.
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