Make Room for Dietary Fat

You may have noticed that fat has made a comeback in the nutrition world after being demonized for decades.  Hopefully you have gotten the message by now: eating fat doesn’t make you fat!  Even if you have heard this, it’s likely you still feel a little confused about fat in your diet.  I mean, one day coconut oil is a miracle food, the next it’s to be avoided like the plague.  Saturated, monounsaturated, omega-3, huh?  

Let’s dig in and work through some of the confusion.

WHO needs to eat it?  

You guessed it: Everyone!  Like all macronutrients, eating dietary fat is essential for our body to function and thrive. 

WHAT is dietary fat?

Dietary fats are combinations of fatty acids that can take different forms, depending on molecular structure.  Saturated fats are usually solid at room temperature, while unsaturated fats tend to be liquid at room temperature.  Unsaturated fats can be further categorized by different molecular structures into monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats.  There are literally dozens of sub categories of fatty acids, but don’t worry, before you go crazy trying to get a grip on them all, know this: Most foods containing dietary fat are made up of a combination of saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fatty acids.  And as the wise Dr. Mark Hyman states: “We don’t eat molecules, after all; we eat food.” 

Humans have evolved eating a varied diet, so as long as we are getting our fat from a variety of whole, natural food sources, we can rest assured we’re generally consuming healthy ratios of the different fatty acids, and receiving the benefits.

WHAT GOOD does it do?

(Healthy) Fat in our diet:

• Provides fuel for energy

• Increases metabolism!

• Supports brain health

• Supports a multitude of cellular functions and cellular health

• Helps you stay satisfied and feel full, aiding wight loss goals by avoiding the need for snacks.

• Fats help our bodies make hormones, cell membranes, and immune cells.

• Does not trigger insulin, our body’s storage hormone

Study after study is showing that diets higher in naturally occurring fats, as compared to higher carbohydrate diets:

- Increase weight loss

- Reduce heart disease

- Lower incidents of diabetes

- Reduce obesity

So, if fat in our diet is so wonderful….

WHY are we so confused?

It’s undisputed that excess body fat (obesity) increases health risks and should be avoided.  Naturally, we would not want to put fat on our plate, right?  

It turns out that dietary fat, while bearing the same name, is not the same as the “fat" that is stored on your body. 

So the name alone makes it confusing, and on top of that, there is the dizzying number of fat classifications; some praised as healthy, and others, we are told, are deadly.  

Then there’s the history.  

In the 1970’s the medical community incorrectly came to believe that eating fat contributed to clogged arteries and heart disease.  They also believed that fat, having more calories per gram than carbs and protein, was making people fat.  As a result, in 1980 US Dietary Guidelines began recommending a low-fat diet. I could write a lot on this subject, but suffice it to say, the low-fat craze led to massive increases in the consumption of sugar laden processed foods and a health travesty for Americans. Heart attacks, obesity, and chronic disease skyrocketed.  

Beliefs that fat is unhealthy have been debunked in dozens of studies, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to know what’s right when it comes to including fat in our daily diets.  

Like carbohydrates, there are good and bad sources of dietary fat.  

WHERE can we find healthy sources of dietary fats? 😇

Naturally occurring fats in whole, unprocessed foods are wonderful for our health.  Look for:

• Pastured meat

• Wild fish

• Dairy including butter and ghee (look for pastured varieties)

• Nuts (not peanuts)

• Fruits such as avocado and coconut

• Coconut oil*

• Organic olive oil*

• Other seed oils

Strive to include plenty of foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids, which are wonderful for combatting inflammation and supporting brain health.  Fish and fish oil are great sources.

* Know the “smoke point” for different oils. Certain fats, such as olive oil, should not be cooked at high heats.  When heated, these oils oxidize and cause free radicals to be released, which can harm our cells.  Butter, ghee, and coconut oil are safe to cook at high heats. 

WHERE can we find unhealthy sources of dietary fats? 👿

Avoid any and all refined, highly processed and industrialized oils and fats.  These include:

• Soybean oil

• Canola oil

• Corn oil

• Safflower oil

• Palm oil

• Peanut oil

• Vegetable oil

• Vegetable shortening

• Margarine and all other butter substitutes

If you’re surprised that the oils listed above fall into the “unhealthy” category, you’re not alone.  For years we have been told that vegetable oils are healthy!  But these high Omega -6 fats increase chronic inflammation and may contribute to higher risks of heart disease.  Turns out our bodies prefer foods from mother nature, not from a factory. 

NEVER EAT foods 👹

ANYTHING that says “hydrogenated” should not be considered safe for human consumption.  These trans fats will be identified as “partially hydrogenated” or “hydrogenated” oils in the ingredients of many packaged foods.  These oils started showing up in industrialized processed foods many decades ago, taking the place of butter in things like pastries, cakes, cookies, french fries, and other processed foods.  Hydrogenated oils are cheap and have a very long shelf life. They’re why Twinkies last so long.  😂 These fats were “generally regarded as safe” and approved for use in mass food production without long term testing.  Turns out, they wreak havoc on your health, and have been found to contribute to chronic inflammation, artery blockages, diabetes, dementia, and cancer.  In 2015 the FDA finally banned these ingredients, but due to loopholes, they may still be found in some processed foods so read labels carefully.

HOW much fat should we eat?

Dietary fat does have more than twice as many calories per gram than carbs and protein.  Where carbohydrates and protein provide 4 calories per gram, dietary fat provides 9 calories per gram.  If you’re eating a“mixed” diet that is fairly balanced between all 3 macronutrients, it makes sense that portion sizes for higher fat foods should be smaller.  If you recall from my message about ✋ sized portions, the size of your thumb is an appropriate measuring tool; 1-2 “thumbs” of fat at each meal is generally a healthy amount.  

In summary, our species evolved eating a variety of foods.  We thrive from consuming a good mix of macronutrients from many different sources.  As long as we include a wide variety of whole, less processed foods, we’ll easily receive a good balance of the different types of fatty acids, as well as carbohydrates and protein, without driving ourselves crazy trying to keep track of it all.

Again, there is no one perfect diet.  And for each of us, our “optimal diet” will evolve throughout our lives.  Don’t forget that food is meant to be enjoyed!  Food is a wonderful part of our social and cultural fabric, and part of what makes life interesting.  Have fun applying your nutrition knowledge and fine tuning the right diet for beautiful you!