Healthy Fats, Healthy You: A Guide to Getting the Good Ones in Your Diet
How you feel about fat in your diet is probably shaped by messages you experienced in the past that fat is really bad. However, with time and new information, we now recognize the great effects good fats have on the body. In fact, there’s a crucial role healthy fat plays when it comes to maintaining your overall health.
Here are some ways that fat helps the body:
- 70% of the brain is made of fat, so dietary fats, like omega-3 fatty acids, contribute to brain function, learning and memory.
- Hormones are produced from fat and cholesterol. Women’s hormonal imbalances could be due to low-fat diets.
- Some nutrients can only be absorbed in the small intestine with the help of fats. For example, vitamins A, D and E are some of these fat-soluble vitamins.
You may be confused as to which fats are good and which ones you should consume regularly, so the following guidance may be helpful.
“The first thing to keep in mind is that fats are high in calories,” said Anna Heronimus, RD, LN, Gastroenterology and Sports Dietitian at the Avera Human Performance Center in Sioux Falls, SD.
That’s where they got the bad reputation in the first place, since many have more than double the calories than a comparable amount of carbohydrates or proteins.
So, yes, we need to be careful with how much we consume; we cannot have a “free-for-all” just because we learned they offer great health benefits. We have to carefully choose the best fats for us each day.
Sources of Dietary Fats
The quality of your fats is absolutely critical for your health. These are among the best sources of dietary fats:
- Wild-caught fish
- Eggs
- Extra virgin olive oil (good quality)
- Cold-pressed, unrefined coconut oil
- Avocados
- Raw, soaked nuts and seeds
- Dairy products such as ghee, full-fat cheese, yogurt and kefir
“Coconut oil contains a unique saturated fat called lauric acid,” said Heronimus. “Lauric acid has been shown to raise your good cholesterol levels like HDL and may lower overall heart disease risk. Coconuts also contain phytochemicals and antioxidants.”
How to Cook With Fats and Oils
One thing you may have not considered is how you cook with fats. Some fats and oils are better suited for higher temperatures. All oils have a smoke point, and that’s the temperature when the oil or fat actually breaks down and is damaged. The smoke it creates also can be harmful to our health.
Smoke points can vary; here’s some important examples:
- The best cooking oils to use with higher temperatures are ghee, as well as the oils of coconuts and avocados.
- A good example of a “good” fat that’s not so great for cooking at high temperatures is extra-virgin olive oil. Save that for low heat-cooking assignments, in dressings or add it to foods after they’re cooked.
Best Ways to Store Fats
Light, heat and air or plastic containers all can cause damage to the fats and oils you want to use. Look for dark glass bottles for oils, and store your fats and oils away from the stove or other heat sources in a dark place.
Tips to Eat More Healthy Fats
Now that you know a bit more about sources of good quality healthy fat, the next step includes finding places where you can fit them in your diet.
“You should aim for a baseline standard of about 30% of your calories coming from healthy fats,” said Heronimus. “This is a good starting point, but it’s not easy right out of the gate.”
Here are a few ideas to get started:
- Sprinkle seeds on dishes, salads and oatmeal
- Add avocado to a sandwich or salad
- Try a new fat while cooking, like ghee or coconut oil
- Cook with full-fat coconut milk
- Add fish to your meal rotation
- Switch to full-fat dairy items
- Add chia seeds to your yogurts or smoothies
Try these recipes:
Avera registered dietitians work with people making changes to their diet. Learn more about Avera’s nutrition services, which include personal nutrition counseling.
Want to test your knowledge of fats? You can do so online with this test.