Have No Fear, Fat Is Here!

Fats are a major source of fuel for our bodies and provide the most calories per gram, 9 per, than the other macronutrients.

Our bodies store fat for fuel for use in times of famine. Yes, your fat is actually trying to save your life!

Fats help protect our organs, help to keep our bodies warm and are essential for cell function and growth. Fats also help certain vitamins and minerals be absorbed into our bodies AKA they make them bioavailable AKA our bodies can use the nutrients as intended when ingested with fats.

There are 3 main types of fat: Unsaturated, saturated, and trans fats.

Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. ENJOY them in seeds, avocados, nuts, fish and olives. LIMIT them in highly processed vegetable, seed and canola oils. (see my blog post on "The Good, The Bad, The Oily" for more information on why these should be limited/ avoided)

Saturated fats are solid at room temperature. ENJOY them in natural meats, cheeses, coconut oils, and full-fat dairy. LIMIT them in the form of processed meats (think sausage, salami, bacon) packaged/processed foods such as cookies, crackers and in pastries.

Trans Fats are Man made, unnatural fats. This type of fat should be AVOIDED and are mostly found in fried foods, processed baked goods, creamers, margarine, spreads + much more.

Pro tip: look at the ingredients in your food, if you can pronounce it, it's probably okay.

Some good sources of fat include:

Nuts

Eggs

Seeds

Cheese

Avocados

Fatty Fish

Grass Fed Meat

Grass Fed Butter

Avocado, Coconut and Olive Oils

Our bodies need fat to survive, so don't fear fat! Just try to choose the fats that are going to fuel your body and help it to run more efficiently rather than the ones that will bog you down.