Dietary fat: is it good or bad? It’s both. You see, not all fats are created equal. Knowing which ones are healthy fats and which ones are enemies are essential to gaining control of your health.
Here’s the Skinny on Fats: Heavily processed, hydrogenated “trans” fats used in prepared, packaged foods can be extremely damaging to the body. They can compromise the cardiovascular system, immune system, and contribute to behaviour problems.
They can also lead to weight gain, skin breakouts, high blood pressure, and liver strain. That said, our bodies need fat for insulation, vitamin and mineral absorption, and to protect our organs. High-quality fats can steady our metabolism, keep hormone levels even, nourish our skin, hair, and nails, and provide lubrication to keep the body functioning fluidly.
If you want to know how to lose weight fast look to natural diets and honest farm foods.
Cook fresh organic foods and use natural spices and flavours to make your meals interesting. Eating organic reduces the amount of toxins you consume and toxins contribute to numerous health issues, including weight gain and stress.
Trust your instincts and pay attention to how you feel if you switch to a paleo or vegan diet and be sure to include healthy fats in every meal. Cut out all refined sugars and things that come in packages. If you can also cut out flour, and go diary free and gluten free your body will thank you for it. Aim for 10 days of clean eating to achieve great results, lose weight fast and feel great about what you are eating.
What Does Good Fat Look Like?
Here are some places where you can find healthy fats in natural foods.
Avocados, olives, and coconuts are great sources of healthy fat, along with wild caught salmon, grass fed beef and poultry, and Omega-3 rich organic eggs. Whole nuts and seeds, and their butters like almond butter or tahini are also great.
With so many oils on the shelves, it helps to have some knowledge of what to look for. Always buy the highest-quality organic oils you can find and look for oils that have one or more of these on the label: organic, first-pressed, cold-pressed, extra-virgin, and unrefined.
Avoid expeller-pressed, refined, and solvent extracted.
When to use which oil?
Oils break down at certain temperatures. Here is a guide to know which ones to cook with
- For cooking at high temperatures (ie. stir fry and oven baking), try butter, ghee (clarified butter), or coconut oil
- When sautéing foods, try organic extra virgin olive oil
- Oils like flaxseed, sesame, toasted sesame, walnut, and pumpkin seed are best used unheated in sauces or dressings.
Want proof that fat works as a great food?
Try this delicious, easy, full fat recipe and feel more satisfied instantly:
Avocado Dip
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Makes 1 cup
- 1 large peeled and pitted avocado
- 2/3 cup plain yogurt, goat yogurt, coconut yogurt, or almond yogurt
- 1 diced tomato
- a squirt of lemon or lime juice
- dash or two of cayenne pepper
- sea salt and black pepper
Method:
- Mash avocado with a fork until very smooth.
- Add yogurt, tomato, cayenne. Blend until smooth. This may be done in a food processor, in a blender, or with a fork.
- Add sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste.
- Serve chilled with mixed raw vegetables.
Tip: Best made a maximum of 1 hour before serving.
And the best part? This will help you lose weight! Why? Because it is full of natural ingredients. Fat alone can’t make you fat. In fact, you will feel fuller and more satisfied with your meal so you will eat less.
It’s sugar that is the biggest cause of weight gain so swap out your processed sugar foods and switch to natural fat sources. Use healthy fats in every meal to look and feel your very best.
Get Even Healthier
Want help learning how to choose and use nutritious fats and other good-for-you foods? Curious about how health coaching can help you make your own healthy changes? Let’s talk! Schedule an initial free consultation with me today—or pass this offer on to someone you care about!
About Me
I received my training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where I learned more than one hundred dietary theories and studied a variety of practical lifestyle coaching methods. Drawing on this knowledge, I will help you create a completely personalised “roadmap to health” that suits your unique body, lifestyle, preferences, and goals.
Learn more about my training and my unique approach to health coaching.
