What if I told you that eating fat was part of a balanced diet? You might think this dietitian is crazy considering it’s been drilled in our heads ever since grade school that we need to avoid fat like the plaque. Remember the old school food pyramid with grains on the bottom encouraging us to incorporate more of them, and fat on the top meaning we should have less of it? Unfortunately, these recommendations are from the 1970’s and are outdated.

Since the low-fat movement started, we’ve removed a highly nutrient-dense macronutrient out of our diet and replaced it with… dun dun dun… sugar! Guess what has happened? The rates of obesity, heart disease and cancer have all gone up.

Thankfully, more and more research is coming out with the benefits of reducing our intake of carbohydrates and adding in more healthy fats (1,2).

Remember that not all fat is created equal though. The fats to embrace include avocados, olive oil, nuts, seeds, fatty fish like salmon, coconut oil, olives, nut butters, egg yolks, coconut butter, avocado oil, grass-fed butter or ghee.

Fats that are refined and can lead to inflammation include canola, soybean, corn, peanut, and hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils (also known as trans fats). These fats are problematic for our health.

So now that you know that not all fat is the devil, let’s talk about why you should be incorporating them into your diet. Below are five reasons to start lovin’ on healthy fats:

1. They don’t make us fat: Remember the whole calories in, calories out theory? Well, our bodies don’t actually work that simply. Not all calories are created equal and get used in our bodies the same way. For example, 100 calories from an avocado is not equivalent to a 100 calories from a can of Pepsi. I’ve seen many clients lose weight when adding in more healthy fats into their diet because they feel much more satisfied and full after eating and aren’t eating as often as they used to.

2. We need them for brain power: About 70% of our brain is made up of fat, so when we don’t incorporate good fats into our diet we’re starving our brain of the vital nutrients it needs. If you’ve ever been on a low-fat diet you might have noticed more brain fog, irritability and trouble concentrating. That’s happening because your brain needs healthy fat to work properly. Healthy fats are especially important for children to help with brain development, concentration and behavior.

3. They help keep us full: Fat contains more calories per gram than protein or carbohydrates (9 grams compared to 4 grams). This means it will help us stay full for a lot longer. When we consume good fats we also get a signal to our brain from a hormone called Cholecystokinin (CCK) that tells us when we’ve had enough to eat. On the other hand, when we just eat carbohydrates we don’t get that same signal. This is often why carbohydrates are so easy to over-indulge in.

4. They protect our heart: One reason why we’ve been told to avoid fat for so long is that it was believed to be damaging for our heart. This is true when we consume processed fats (listed above) but when we consume healthy fats (also listed above) we can actually improve our heart health. For example, the popular Mediterranean diet which is high in good fats such as olive oil, fatty fish, nuts and seeds is highly studied and has been shown to reduce the risk for heart disease and stroke (3).

So what about eggs? A recent study found that daily consumption of eggs significantly reduced the risk for stroke and cardiovascular disease. So say bye-bye to those liquid egg whites (yuck) and hello to the entire egg (including the yolk!) (4)

5. Fat taste delicious: I remember the days of buying fat-free products and thinking that it all tasted disgusting (fat-free ranch anyone?) Fat gives a product flavor, so when it’s removed, the product tastes like cardboard. And who wants to eat food that tastes like that? Food is meant to be enjoyable – not a necessity you feel you need to eat in order to shed those extra pounds. So throw out your fat-free or low-fat versions and opt for the full fat version instead. Not only will it taste better, it will also keep you feeling much more satisfied.

Please keep in mind that portion sizes do matter and I’m not recommending you eat a pound of butter in one sitting (I mean, would you even want to do that?) What I am saying is that incorporating one to two tablespoons at meals and snacks is a good place to start, and to switch the focus from solely on calories to the quality of your food instead. Healthy fats play an important role in our health in so many ways, and a balanced diet includes protein, carbohydrates AND healthy fats.

So try topping your salads with avocado slices, dipping an apple in almond butter, or adding butter or ghee to vegetables and see how much better you feel.

As always, if you’re interested in learning more about ways to improve your eating habits don’t hesitate to contact me today!