7 Reasons to Eat More Fat & 7 Healthy Fats

Photo by Kai Hendry (CC BY 2.0)

The unfortunate consequence of fat phobia is that we have deprived our bodies of an essential nutrient that is critical for brain and hormone health.

This malnourishment has contributed to a large collection of illnesses and compromised brain function.  There is a lot to get over, in terms of mindset, around fat, but I encourage you to experiment and begin incorporating more healthy fats into your diet.  Look forward to the following positive results from eating more healthy fats.

1. More satiety from meals. Increasing your fats reduces carbohydrate and sugar cravings that results in insulin surges and crashes.
2. Sustained energy throughout the day. Less energy sources from sugar means less highs and lows throughout your day.
3. Happy brains. Healthy fats nourish your brain, which means it can function optimally. This means better focus and stress management, less anxiety, depression, fatigue and overall brain fog.
4. It’s delicious! Enjoy meals they way we were meant to! Our bodies crave fat for a reason, and healthy fats are to be enjoyed.  More enjoyable meals, without guilt, means more satiety and more happiness overall.
   
5. Lose weight. Eating more healthy fats with a high nutrient wholesome diet can help regulate blood sugar and insulin levels.  High carb and sugar diets can lead to insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance which ultimately leads to weight gain.  Healthy fat satiety helps to bring insulin into normal ranges and also help normalize weight.
6. Prevent cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer’s. The brain loves fat for fuel and can use fats for fuel even if it becomes unable to use glucose (which happens in dementia and AD).  Eating fat ensure our brains always have stores of fuel to draw from.
   
7. Hormone health. When our hormones are balanced then we feel and look great!  Healthy fats, nutrient dense proteins, vegetables and fruits help balance hormones and counteract the negative effects of a low fat, high refined and processed food diet that is loaded with sugar, unhealthy oils and chemical additives.

Ok, so ready to incorporate more fat into your diet?  Get started by focusing on these healthy and optimal sources:

1. Coconut oil. Choose organic, unrefined, cold-pressed coconut oil for best benefit from this plant based saturated fat that is high in lauric acid and terrific for the immune system.
2. Grass-fed butter or ghee. Organic, grass-fed butter or ghee can be an excellent source of fat and grass-fed organic is important so you are steering clear of added hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides and unhealthy fats from animals that are fed grains and treated conventionally.
3. Avocado. Whole avocados or avocado oil is an excellent source of fat that is also delicious.  Avocados are particularly supportive of healthy testosterone levels.
4. Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Extra Virgin Olive Oil or whole olives provide Omega 3 fatty acids and polyphenols that are excellent for cleaning up free radicals (a toxic burden).  Olive oil is best for drizzling over salads, sauteed veggies, or swirling into soups.
5. Lard or tallow. These are two natural fats from pigs (lard) and beef (tallow).  Look for grass-fed, organic, pasture raised sources.
6. Cold water fish. Salmon, herring, sardines, mackerel, krill and even oysters are great sources of omega 3 fats and cholesterol.  In fact, cold water fish are the best source of Omega 3 fats, which are critical for their antioxidant properties.
7. Pasture-raised eggs. Eggs from pasture-raised chickens are an excellent source for healthy fat and cholesterol intake.

In addition to these top seven healthy fats, consider enjoying whole nuts and seeds as well. Eating whole nuts and seeds, that have been cleaned and soaked are a good source of fat and protein, plus fiber and other nutrients (like selenium in brazil nuts).  Many people cannot tolerate nuts and seeds, which is why they didn’t make the top seven list here, but if you can, enjoy adding nuts into your diet as well.  I recommend soaking them overnight so they are easier to digest and rotating nuts so you aren’t eating the same ones every day.

If you’ve been following a low-fat or fat-free diet, then I hope you will consider making some changes.
Fat is such an important and vital nutrient for our overall health and can make a drastic difference towards feeling great when we start incorporating more into our diets.  And I get that this is a big topic to unravel.  If you want more science, check out this article that breaks down the chemical structure of fats.