Wellness Wednesday #5: Fat – It’s Where It’s At
While you’ve probably heard that fat is in favor these days, you may be wondering if that’s really true. Some people say to avoid fat (especially saturated fats), while others say to eat as much as you want. What do you do???
It really can be difficult to figure out what’s right in a situation like this. I can tell you what I believe and why, and hopefully it will help you figure all this out.
I believe that fat is good for us. I have come to this conclusion because:
1. I used to follow a low-fat diet. I was tired and carried more weight than I wanted to. I wasn’t healthy. I took seven different drugs and the pharmacists all knew me by name.
2. I no longer follow a low-fat diet. I cook bacon for breakfast and use the bacon grease to cook eggs. I prepared chicken soup for dinner and ate some of the chicken skin. I feel good. I don’t sleep much during the day and have more energy than I’ve had in years. I’m leaner than I’ve been since high school. The only prescription drugs that I still need are my insulin and my thyroid medication. That’s two different drugs, down from seven.
Through studying nutritional therapy, I have many more reasons why fat is good for us and why we need it. I could write pages about it. For now, I’m going to keep it simple. I’ll share more information in future blogs!
Fats are needed to keep us healthy and feeling well. Here is a short list of the roles of fat in our bodies:
- Keep you satiated and prevent overeating
- Building blocks of cell membranes and hormones
- Protect your organs
- Great source of energy
- Allow for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A,D,K, and E
- Slow the absorption of food for proper energy regulation
For most of us, about 30% of our diet should consist fats. Everyone is different, though, so if you feel better eating more fat or a little less fat, that’s okay.
Not all fats are created equal!!! Please don’t go to McDonald’s and eat some fries and think you’re helping your body. You’re not. You need to eat healthy fats that come from a good source. I like to cook with bacon grease, but only if it comes from a happy, healthy pig that lived on a pasture. Hopefully you read my blog about the difference between grass-fed meat and meat from a factory farm. There is a huge difference in the fat composition of these animals and how the fats affect our bodies.
In addition to bacon grease, I also like to use coconut oil for cooking. I only use unrefined, virgin coconut oil. Please avoid refined oils, including all the vegetable oils you find on the grocery store shelves. The vegetable oil companies do some pretty awful things to make these oils shelf-stable.
Here are some very basic guidelines on which fats are good to eat and which aren’t.
Fats to include and enjoy in your diet:
- Fats from pastured animals
- Unrefined coconut oil
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Fish oil
- Eggs
- Avocado and avocado Oil
- Grass-fed butter
Fats to Avoid:
- Hydrogenated fats
- Partially hydrogenated fats
- Vegetable Oils (corn, canola, soybean, etc.)
- Refined Oils
- Fried fats
- Margarine
If you’re not already reading the ingredients on the food you buy at the grocery store, you need to start! You’ll find partially-hydrogenated oils, soybean oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil, etc. all over the place. The structure of these fats has been altered through processing and heating, and our bodies don’t know what to do with these denatured fats. For example, most salad dressings that you find at the store contain these unhealthy fats. We make our own dressing at our house. It’s so easy that the kids know how to do it. I’ll be sure to post a simple vinaigrette recipe soon!
One of the best things about incorporating good, healthy fats in your diet is that they taste good! Go find some quality fat and get it in your belly!!!