Probably the most misunderstood nutrient of a diet. Fats will be something you can learn to enjoy again for a few reasons. One is that they taste good. Another reason is how they make you feel full or satiated after a meal. And maybe the best reason is that they have no impact on insulin therefore promote the burning of stored body fat as fuel. For all these reasons you can finally enjoy eating foods again like eggs, butter, coconut, nuts, fish, beef and bacon.
Fat has many functions including transporting nutrients ( fat soluble vitamins ) in your body, hormonal production such as testosterone as well as energy and fuel for your body. EFA's or essential fatty acids are essential for normal and healthy brain function. They are called essential because your body can not make them and must be consumed. These would include both Omega 3 and 6 fats. Most importantly Omega 3 fats can reduce inflammation in the body and help ease conditions such as arthritis, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
All fats are not created equal and therefore there are some that can be harmful to you while others can be very beneficial to you. The fats to be avoided would be those that are modified such as the now famous trans fats. Trans fats are those that have been chemically modified. In doing so the body cannot recognize this new altered fat and result in obesity, diabetes, inflammation and immune dysfunction. Trans fats can be found in common fast food and snack foods. Oils that are heated to high temperatures such as vegetable oils can also be harmful to you due to oxidative damage. The higher the smoking point for an oil the better it is to cook with on high heat. Saturated fats or fats that are solid at room temperature would be the best choice for cooking.
In considering oils or fats in a diet, one also needs to consider a better balance of Omega 3's and 6's. A SAD or Standard American Diet is very high in Omega 6's due to the heavy use of corn, peanut, and vegetable oils in processed and packaged foods. A typical American Diet can have a ratio as high as 30 to 1 of Omega 6 to Omega 3. Higher Omega 3's will balance out the Omega 6's. When left too high Omega 6's can do damage to the body. Diets lower in Omega 6's can help with diabetes and heart disease. Its for this reason one has to not only pay attention to what cooking oils they use but have to be careful about not over consuming other sources such as nuts. You can either decrease your use of Omega 6 in favor of something like coconut oil or increase the amount of Omega 3's by eating more cold-water fish or supplementing.
Best sources of fats
Natural Butter ( NOT MARGARINE...old fashioned butter ....grass fed if you can find it online or at Trader Joe's )
Coconut ( any kind of coconut milk or oil or butter...they even make chocolate coconut butter! )
Olive oil
Animal Fat that comes from grass fed animals is preferable
Nuts ( NOT peanuts though...those are considered Legumes)
- almonds, cashews, macadamia, walnuts, etc.....( but dont go crazy...most people overdo nuts because of the size...so keep it to a small handful a day if you want to stay cut or lean )
Best fats for frying or high heat cooking
Coconut Oil
Animal Fats
