Eat Good Fat to Lose Weight

Believe it or not, you can incorporate fat into your diet - as long as it is the right kind of fat.  For a long time, we thought avocadoes were good for nothing but ready-made guac and a decent California burger every now and then. But these little nutritional hand grenades are infused with a key nutrient for maintaining healthy weight: fat. There are several types of fat available to you and it is so important that you learn how and why bad fats are bad and good fats are good.

Fat is not something to avoid. For starters, it’s essential for normal growth and development. Dietary fat also provides energy, protects our organs, maintains cell membranes, and helps the body absorb and process nutrients. Ok, before you grab a deep-fried hot dog, consider this: not all fatty foods are created equal.  While a diet of stereotypically fatty foods like pizza, French fries, and hamburgers can contribute to weight gain and deterioration of health, the dietetic community is learning that the overall nutritional content of these foods—not their saturated fat.

Saturated Fats = Good Fats

Unsaturated Fatty Acids: Consisting of both monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), they are important for health. MUFAs are found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, olives, and avocadoes, Our bodies need these fats in order to complete various tasks such as fight inflammation, combat chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease and arthritis, as well regulating hormones and improving cognitive functions.

None of this disease fighting or hormone creating could be managed without the magic of healthy forms of fats. Healthy types of fat can be found in natural and unrefined versions of coconut oil, palm oil, organic olive oil, and organic, raw butter are some great examples of the fats you need to incorporate into your diet. These oils, when used in their purest forms, prevent and fight inflammation while they work to raise your metabolic rate. When your metabolic rate is raised, you burn more calories and fat.

Fat isn’t the easiest nutrient to digest, so it sticks around in the digestive system for more time than many other nutrients. “Eating good fats along with an effective exercise program can increase muscle,” says trainer and owner of Results Fitness, Rachel Cosgrove, CSCS, who notes that increasing muscle mass is vital to increasing metabolism and burning calories both in and out of the gym.

Other forms of healthy fats that are great for health and weight loss are Omega-3 fats. Because many people are eating a lot of processed foods, they are often not getting adequate amounts of Omega-3s each day. Healthy forms of Omega-3s can be found in foods like raw walnuts, salmon, leafy green vegetables, organic eggs, grass-fed beef and chia seeds

Hydrogenated = Bad Fats

Then there are the so-called bad fats—those apparently "artery-clogging" saturated fats from meat and dairy products . These fats are solid at room temperature.The Surprisingly, even with all of the dangers associated with these types of fats, nearly every pre-packaged or processed food on store shelves contains these types of dangerous oils.

When fats become hydrogenated, the molecular structure of them changes and becomes something that our bodies can no longer recognize and has no idea how to process. Thus, our bodies label hydrogenated fats as toxins that in return create inflammation in the body as our bodies attempt to fight them off. This inflammation can result in a higher rate of cancer, arthritis, weight gain, obesity, diabetes, and even birth defects.

Trans fats lurk in all kinds of processed foods, from French fries to cookiesThis is why it is so important to read every label. Even the foods that claim to be healthy such as low-fat and fat-free foods still have hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils. Other common foods that contain these horrible fats are margarine, packaged cookies, cereals, breakfast bars, and snacks like chips and crackers.

The bottom line is that the body needs dietary fat. Fat is a source of energy, it allows the proper function of cells and the nervous system, and fat is required for the proper absorption of certain vitamins. Fat also helps us maintain healthy hair and skin, and insulates us from the cold. Nonetheless, we should probably limit our fat intake to no more than 30-35 percent of daily calories. You should avoid any and all pre-packaged and processed foods as much as you can to avoid consuming these dangerous fats.