Fat. In the nutrition and fitness world, it may as well be renamed the Devil. But is this hatred towards fat deserved? Let’s a closer look at fat and find out!

First, let’s break down the different types of fats and their purpose. There is Trans Fats, Saturated Fats, Polyunsaturated Fats and Monounsaturated Fats.

Trans Fats

Trans fats are completely manufactured, not found anywhere in nature and are horribly unhealthy. These are generally found in processed foods. Consuming trans fats can lead to increased risk of heart disease by raising your LDL cholesterol and lower the good cholesterol HDL. If you see any amount of trans fats on the label, don’t eat it. Know that manufacturers are only required to list trans fats if there is 0.5 grams or more in a serving. This means if there is 0.4 grams per serving in a food, they can legally claim there is 0 trans fats. If that item has .4 grams per serving, and there are 2 servings per package, you just consumed .8 grams of trans fats without even knowing it! Let’s hope you didn’t binge on this food and eat 6 servings!

Saturated Fats

This one is tricky.  There is a lot of debate on saturated fats over the years; most have all but considered it the devil.  However, a 2010 study in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition compiled an analysis that followed  347,747 subjects for up to 23 years concluded that,

There is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD (coronary heart disease) or CVD (cardiovascular disease).

While not everyone is on board with saying that saturated fats are healthy, that is some pretty good evidence that it’s not bad for you.  Here is something unique about saturated fats; since they are from animal products, one saturated fat can be good, while the other is bad.  Why?  Because what we (and animals) eat, is stored in our fat.  If the animal is wild or grass fed, the fat will be clean and good to eat.  If the animal is caged, fed gummy bears (yes, this does happen), and pumped full of hormones, then that will be stored in the fat and no longer good to eat.

So it comes down to this, if the meat you purchase is cage free, grass fed and hormone free, keep the fat on.  If not, cut as much of the fat off as possible.  Want a saturated fat that doesn’t come from animals?  Coconut oil!  The best part of coconut oil is that you don’t have to worry if it’s been grass fed or not!

Polyunsaturated Fats

Like Saturated Fats, this one can be tricky!  Polyunsaturated fats contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.  A few bullet points as listed in the book, “It Starts with Food”:

  • The omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA are anti-inflammatory in nature.
  • More omega-6 than omega-3 promotes inflammation.
  • Too much polyunsaturated fats (omega-3 and omega-6) in the diet make your cells more vulnerable to oxidation ““ which predisposes you to inflammation.

So what this means is, small amounts of Polyunsaturated fats are good, too much however are bad.  These fats can be found in Cashews, Hazelnuts and Macadamias.

Monounsaturated Fats

It’s widely agreed that these fats are healthy fats!  These fats are found in plants, oils and animal products and are proving to lower blood pressure and cholesterol.  Furthermore, many foods with monounsaturated fats are an anti-inflammatory.  Monounsaturated fats can be found in Avocado’s, Hazelnuts and Olives.

As you can see, most fats aren’t bad and should definitely be a part of a healthy diet.  One of the biggest factors in excess body fat is consuming sugar, not from consuming fat!  Some general advantages to adding proper amounts of fat into your diet are as follows.  Fat is great for energy.  The body burns fat for low intensity activities such as gardening and cleaning the house.  Consuming fat as part of a proper diet can help avoid hunger pangs and mental fogginess that comes from relying on glucose to fuel your energy needs.  Fat is also great for satiety (feeling of being full) and helps keep you from going back for more.  One thing to keep in mind though is that fat can be damaging if the rest of your diet is poor or you have hormonal issues such as insulin or leptin resistance.  So make sure and fix your entire diet, not just add in fat.  This is not a free pass to load up on fatty foods!

So there you have it, fat is not the devil!  It’s more like cousin with a multiple personality disorder and only one wants to hurt you.  And now you know his name!