Why fat is not the enemy

Hey friends!

Is it the full-fat milk that’s causing the spare tyre around your waist? The muffin says it’s 95% fat-free…that means it’s healthy, right? There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding this major dietary component. Katie from ‘Chocolate covered Katie’ has put out a challenge for us to show fat some love this month. Today I’m hopefully going to undo some of the myths and confusion concerning fat. I’ve got some simple tips to help you get fat-savvy.

Types of fats:

First things first, fats are not all equal. The macronutrient game is not a democracy. The fact of the matter is, there are two types of fat, saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fats are more difficult to break down, and are found in your stereotypical ‘junk’ food… sorry I hate to point fingers but that unfortunately includes Dunkin’ Donuts.

Healthy dose of fat on my toast

Unsaturated fats are found in plant sources such as olive, avocado and nut oils. These are the good-guys! They are monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats which are easier for our body to break down and have a lower disease risk associated. These fats should definitely be included in your everyday life. You’ll find them in avocado, nuts, seeds and bitter chocolate. I grant you full permission to dive into the peanut butter.

The way to a girl’s heart

Another fat which has been getting bad publicity (and rightly so) are trans-fats. Trans-fats are found in foods due to processing. Hydrogenation is where hydrogen atoms are added to polyunsaturated vegetable oils, in order to increase the melting point and make fats spreadable eg. Margarine. This processing results in trans-fats. Trans-fats increase risk of heart attacks by increasing the level of LDL (that’s the bad cholesterol) in our blood.

Calories:

So it is worth noting that foods high in fat will come with a higher calorific component. To a dieter this spells disaster, but to us cleverer folk this means that eating unsaturated fats is going to leave us feeling more satisfied and fuller for longer.

However, it is wise to exert some self-control, because too much fat will lead to weight gain.

The low-fat trap:

Eeeeek… all this talk about fat might have you running as fast as your grande skinny, sugar-free, caramel latte-fueled legs can take you…but before you do there’s something you should know. Low fat products are not necessarily healthy. What?! You’re thinking…’Megan you just told me fat is an artery-clogging, heart stopping nightmare, so surely eating low-fat is a good thing?’

Well that’s just it. When those clever food scientists make low-fat products, they often don’t taste too great (because fat is yummy right.) So what they do is add in a whopping heap of sugar to compensate.  Then what you end up with is a nutritionist’s nightmare. A product which is perceived as healthy, which in actual fact will cause poor, misled consumers to actually gaining weight.

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Top tips:

1. Eat more vegetable fats (unsaturated) and less animal fats (saturated)
2. Check low-fat products for extra sugar
3. Avoid products with trans-fats or ‘partially hydrogenated oils’
4. Be aware of overall fat consumption, because even good fat= high calories

Will study for chocolate

Here are some recipes which include healthy fats:

• Quick quesadillas
• Raw banoffee pie
• Cheeky chia puddings
• Maple cashew nut butter

Hopefully you found this post helpful. Please comment below if you have any questions or things you would like to add.

M x

Disclaimer: I am not a healthcare professional. All opinions and recommendations given on this blog are my own, and are founded in the knowledge I have obtained in research and my Nutritional studies this year. Please seek medical advice for particular treatment, specific to you. 

Rescources:

Fats and Cholesterol. (n.d.). Retrieved October 6, 2015, from http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/