Healthy fats: are you eating enough?
HEALTHY FATS – YOUR BODY NEEDS THIS NUTRITION: ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH?
There are a lot of misconceptions about healthy fats and the modern world has turned ‘fat’ into a villain that should be avoided at all costs. At the supermarket or on adverts we are bombarded with the notion that healthy food is ‘low in fat’, but this is simply not true!
Low fat and 0% fat is unhealthy!
“Whenever you see the words low-fat, fat-free, 0% fat, run, run as fast as you can.”
-Sandra Bloom
You need to understand the difference between healthy fats and bad fats (the good, the bad and the ugly)
To live a healthy and holistic lifestyle, you must be able to know the difference between ‘healthy fats’ and ‘bad fats’ and remember that cutting a food group completely out of your diet can be detrimental to your health. In fact, since I started to eat more healthy fat my weight has become incredibly stable and has remained low!
SO, WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF HEALTHY FATS WE SHOULD BE CONSUMING?
SATURATED FAT IS A HEALTHY FAT FOUND IN MEAT EGGS ETC
Dr Sarah Ballantyne, from The Paleo Mom, says:
“It is not the unhealthy fat that was once wrongfully accused as the cause of cardiovascular disease, but how healthy it is for you is still under debate.” She suggests not worrying about it too much, but not to go out of our way to eat more of it either.
This type of fat can be found in meat, eggs and coconut and palm oil and is less likely to oxidise (meaning it won’t go bad). The fat in meat and eggs are long-chain saturated fats.
Dr Sarah Ballantyne, also stresses the importance of only cooking with saturated fats.
“If you use a poly-saturated fat, it will heat up and produce something known as ‘AGEs’ (Advanced Glycation End-Products). Put simply; AGEs are produced in your body when sugar molecules merge with fat or protein, leading to oxidative damage and inflammation.”
“The best way to prevent an overproduction of AGEs is to limit your intake of carbohydrates, especially fructose and not cooking with polyunsaturated fats.”
Dr Mark Hyman, MD, founder of http://drhyman.com/ and bestselling author of several progressive health books also provides some tips on cutting down on those ‘bad fats’:
“Toss out any highly refined cooking oils, such as corn and soy; fried foods that you may have stored in your freezer; and margarine or shortening. These have dangerous trans fats that create inflammation and cause heart disease.”
“Scour labels for the words “hydrogenated fat” (another phrase for transfat), which has finally been declared unsafe for consumption by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Instead, stock up on good fats like avocados, extra virgin, unrefined coconut and olive oils, olives, and nuts and seeds. I also recommend swapping out conventional meat for organic and grass-fed meat, when possible.”
MOST OF MY MEALS CONTAIN HEALTHY FATS
Most of my meals will contain some sort of saturated fat but, as with all healthy fats, moderation is the key, so try not to eat too much of it. My daily intake of fat is about 60 TO 70 % of my total calories. Oils like palm oil and coconut oils contain medium fatty acids, which means that they can be directly used by your cells without the need for insulin or blood sugar – amazing!
HEALTHY FATS OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS
Fatty fish such as salmon and sardines are a great source of Omega-3. At the same time, try to reduce your Omega-6 intake, which includes plant oils, dressings and mayonnaise.
RAW HEALTHY FATS
These come in the form of avocados, olives, olive oil, sesame oil, nuts and seeds and coconut and coconut products. Premium sources of healthy fats include free-range poultry, wild game, grass-fed meat, pasture-raised or omega-3 eggs and wild caught fish.
For cooking, I use coconut oil and grass-fed beef fat. Many years ago, my diet also included ghee, (I loved the taste of ghee so much!), but after I had cut out all dairy, I decided to stay away from ghee too. However, if you’re not sensitive to milk, Ghee is an excellent Ayurvedic alternative to butter, and it tastes SO delicious! Animal fats are very nutritious for you, especially if they are grass-fed.
Empowering others via my anti-ageing wellness platform and holistic health books
I hope you liked this article about healthy fats. If you would like to learn more about clean eating and my tips and tricks on how I saved my life from being chronically ill and tired to the lively person I am today, ensure to check out other pages of this anti-ageing wellness platform.
Or if you want to discover my no BS guides on how to regain your health, hair and life, ensure to check out my holistic wellness books on this link.
After a frustrating decade of battling several chronic illnesses, I became disillusioned with the medical system and decided to take my health into my own hands.
Now, through my books and wellness platform, I want to empower people around the world do the same and regain their health, hair, life and beauty!
