Healthy Fats by Anna Byrnes, MS, RDN, LDN
What deems a “good” fat from a “bad” fat? and why exactly is healthy fat so dang good for us?
Let’s start unpacking these questions with Dietary Fats 101:
What are dietary fats
Dietary fats are chains of lipids linked together and categorized by any food containing fat. They are a vital nutrient to support total body function form your, brain, to your joints, to your mood. More on that below! Not all fats are created equal, some are more supportive to heart health, while others can be more beneficial of hormone health.
While they can naturally occur in some dairy and meat products, in general, the only fats you want to completely avoid in your diet are trans fats. There have been many studies done to observe the role of trans fat in the human body and the data shows diets containing trans fats may lower HDL (the ‘good’ cholesterol) and increase LDL (the “bad” cholesterol), as well as increase your chances of experiencing conditions related to blocked arteries and inflammation. (1)
Where can you find dietary fats
Nourishing sources: These are foods that we know and love as superfoods nuts, seeds, fatty fish, olive oil, and avocados are all nourishing sources of fats. These types of fats are linked to increasing your HDL and improving heart health. They are know for supporting brain health …..
Fun sources: These are foods that some may label as “bad” foods, including fried foods, fatty animal meats, and processed foods. But these fats have just as much of a right to belong in your diet as fats with more researched health benefits. The biggest concerns with these fats come with cooking them too hot for too long and knowing what your health goals are. These fats will fuel your body in similar ways as nourishing fats, but may be less nutrient dense. If you’re questioning how many fun fats you can include into your meals, come back to an 80/20 rule. 80% nourishing, 20% fun. This ratio can be looked at as a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly total.
What do nourishing fats do for your body?
Supports brain health: If you took a look at the matter consisting of your brain, you would find that 50% of it is make up of fats (2) , or rather lipids. Although this leaves brain matter a grey and squishy mess, it also ensurers that every detail is happy and ready to handle all the big stuff like working, thinking, learning, processing, and growing. Lipids are also a vital coating around all the neurons running through your body, this sheath of fat keeps all the radio signals from your nerves on track to journey to and from the brain, clearly dictating your next move.
Builds cell structures: If you remember back in biology 101, our cells consistent of things like the nucleus, ribosomes, and of course the mitochondria (let’s say it together THE POWERHOUSE OF THE CELL). Well, one of the key features of the cell is this cool casing that keeps all the good stuff inside the cell and all the not so good stuff out. Did you know that this cool casing is made up of mostly fats? SO, ensuring that your body is regularly nourished with fats in your diet will keep your cell structure strong and support the continuous process of your body making new cells.
Involved in healthy hormone production: Dietary fats are a vital player in the way your body creates and notices hormones. Fatty acids are essential building blocks for every hormone your body creates. They also help synthesizing (your body’s fancy term of rereading) each hormone to do their job at the right time. If your nerves are sending radio signals to and from your brain, your hormones are the language they are speaking.
Provides compact energy: There are fear monger-ers that will label fats as the “enemy.” Claiming that fats will make you “fat” when in reality that is simply not the case. I am here to tell you the science and that is that fats are an incredibly dense source of energy. This makes it a perfect macronutrient to add as a little pizzaz to your diet, a handful of nuts, a schmear of cream cheese, a coating of olive oil before cooking, Not only does this add nutrients to your day, but it also adds the bits of extra energy you need to keep your body fueled and sustained to crush your day. Fats are also incredible if you are struggling to gain or maintain weight. They can take some of the stress out of eating by decreasing protein sizes while providing the necessary calories to keep you going, if that means stress or anxiety is keeping you from feeling hungry or you’re working a busy day and don’t have time to spend all day on a big lunch, fats will save the day and ensure you are getting everything you need while you keep keeping-on the most pressing thing at hand.
Nutrient absorption: Some vitamins can only be absorbed and utilized in your body when tagged along with fats. These vitamins include A, D, E, and K. Which explains why combos like salad are perfectly paired together…vitamin A (carrots), vitamin E (bell peppers), vitamin K (cucumbers/green leafy vegetables) all tossed together with a tangy or creamy salad dressing. If you are questioning what vitamins are specifically in each food, start with making sure you pair every brightly colored fruit/vegetable with a nourishing fat and you’re already ahead of the game.
Keeps you full: Fats are very important for making meals and snacks sustain a happy and satisfied belly afterwards. This is partially due to the nourishing energy fats provide, but also because fats slow down digestion and support hormones (like I mentioned above) like leptin which is specifically responsible for helping your stomach tell your brain that you are nourished and it isn't time to eat again, yet.
How to add nourishing fats to your diet
There are many ways to add nourishing fats into your diet. Here are a few ways to boost your nourishing fat intake:
Sprinkle pecans and/or pumpkin seeds on top of yogurt.
Stir nut butter into your oatmeal.
Add any nuts or seeds to your smoothies.
Make your own granola (recipe).
Switch to extra virgin olive oil for salad dressings and low heat cooking.
Try full fat greek yogurt.
Dip vegetables or cut fruit into peanut or sun butter.
Replace the mayo on your sandwich with hummus.
Whip up olive oil based pesto to top your next pasta dish.
If you have a Ninja Ice-Cream maker…avocado ice cream is the stuff of dreams (recipe).
Add guacamole to your dip rotations.
Try flavored nuts like these spicy cashews from Trader Joe’s or Diamond Blue chocolaty almonds.
Of course, chia seed pudding!
Or try this recipe for a walnut based scramble perfect for a lazy Sunday morning and paired with eggs, whole grain toast, and your favorite fruit.
Always remember that your body deserves to be nourished and none of your foods, calories or otherwise need to be “earned” in order for you to eat them.
I’d love to hear some of your favorite ways to add fats into your diet!
If you or someone you know is feeling overwhelmed or confused on the importance of fats and adding them to your diet, we’re here for you, and open to dive deeper to help you start nourishing your entire self, today. Just reach out!
Warmly,
Anna
1. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000786.htm
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6120115/
