Fats are not to be feared! Hear me out, I get it, there’s so much conflicting advice out there but I’m going to simply this as much as I can. There are many types of fats that work within the body providing us with a whole host of benefits outside of being a source of energy.
To put simply, eating the right fats will help:
Keep your skin glowing
Reduce inflammation
Support immune system
Optimise gut health and digestion (specific bacteria strains actually “feed” off our unabsorbed lipids in the colon)
Improve sleep quality
Support brain growth & development (therefore being essential for babies, children, pregnant & breast feeding women)
Allow for the absorption of certain vitamins (known as your ‘fat soluble vitamins’) these are vitamins A, D, E and K
Maintain heart health; reduce risk of heart disease and metabolic syndrome
Keep bones strong through calcium absorption
Synthesise hormones, cholesterol & vitamin D
Support cell structure
Provide insulation and protection
Keep you feeling full and reducing unwanted cravings
Support healthy weight loss – (the right fats will NOT make you fat) urban myth
AND, fat adds flavour to foods. Trust me.
A basic breakdown of fats
Saturated: These are solid at room temp, theyre stable and not effected by oxidative damage causing free radicals. This makes them great for cooking at higher temps. Animal fats, full fat dairy, coconut oils, butter and lard all fall into this category.
Unsaturated fats: These include your monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Polyunsaturated fats are more unstable and can be oxidised, creating an inflammatory oil. These are liquid at room temp and include vegetable oils, canola oils and margarine.
Monounsaturated fats: include things like olive oil and flaxseed oil. These are anti-inflammatory, containing high amounts of your omega 3 fats (these fats are essential fatty acids as they cannot be made in the body and therefore needed to be consumed through foods).
Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids: are these essential fats we need through diet. However, we need these in a correct ratio (3:1). The standard westernised diet is loaded with omega 6 fats, and while these are still required in the body for many processes, when consumed in excess they can create more inflammation. Reducing omega 6 intakes (from grains and grain-fed animal meats) and increasing omega 3’s from oily fish (salmon, sardines), chia seeds, walnuts, olive oils, avocado, flaxseeds, organic eggs and grass-fed meat can help to get our ratio right.
I’ll always encourage you to source grass-fed meats, if you choose to consume meat at all. When sourced from organic and sustainable providers the animals aren’t living in such a stressed state, are free from hormones & antibiotics as well as being raised on their correct diets, and not force fed these fattening, inflammatory grains (creating more omega 6 fats). Its better quality for you, better living conditions for them, and supporting small local businesses is a beautiful thing.
Unsaturated fats from vegetable oils, canola oil or margarine should be reduced in the diet as much as possible. These are processed, bleached, hydrogenised, inflammatory and artificial to the body. Trans fats cannot be metabolised by our bodies, they are foreign, man-made products that are rancid and increase free radical production when heated. Swapping back to butter is where it’s at.
How to get your fats right
As a rule of thumb: eat wholefoods, in their natural state. Using unsaturated fats at cool/low/room temps, cooking with saturated fats; using butter or coconut oil to flavour your vegetables, making fresh foods more flavoursome. Snacking on raw nuts and seeds, or sprinkling them over foods. By avoiding processed foods and packaged ‘convenience’ foods you will drastically reduce your exposure and intake to inflammatory fats and oils and will see a massive improvement in overall health, with increased omega 3s.
Think ‘SLOW foods’
Sustainable
Local
Organic
Whole
Please note this is for educational purposes only. For dietary advice specific to your needs, you can book a 1:1 consultation or seek advice from an alternative qualified health professional.