Fat: From Foe To Friend

For a long time, fat was the demon of foods. Now, thank goodness, fat has become our friend! But there is one slight caveat to this. All the research says we should be eating "healthy" fats.

So what are healthy fats and why do we need fat and why now is fat seen as friend not foe?

What is and why do we need fat?

At the most basic level, fat is one of the major macronutrients we need in our diet. Fat is a key to our diet because it serves many functions vital to achieving balance for our body and therefore our health and wellbeing.

Fats come in many forms, including: fatty acids, triacylglycerols, diacylglycerols and monoacylglycerols to phospholipids, sphingolipids and sterols (cholesterol, bile acids and phytosterols). This is not exhaustive but these types of fats all play varying roles in human nutrition.

To further our understanding at the consumer level, fat is often broken into three broad categories.

1. Unsaturated fat: Generally considered heart healthy and is most often in liquid form in the products we buy. Unsaturated fats are found in plants such as nuts and seeds, as well as in vegetable oils (think olive oil) and seafood. On a the nutrition label, look for the words “polyunsaturated fats” and “monounsaturated fats.”

2. Saturated fat: Solid at room temperature and found in animal foods, like meat and butter, as well as coconut and palm oil. This type of fat is often deemed “unhealthy” for your heart, but research is often divided, contradictory and ambiguous. Some sources such as coconut fat are promoted as healthy alternatives but since the "jury is out" on this one, I'll leave it up to you to tread your own path if you think they are worth it.

3. Trans fat: Liquid fats are made solid through a process called hydrogenation. Typically but not always this fat is found in fried foods, baked goods, and processed snack foods. So when you consider the widely accepted view that trans fats are best avoided, it's alarming to see the continued swamp of fast foods, processed foods taking a greater share of many people's daily diets.

Fat has many roles, from serving as a reservoir for stored energy, insulating our body against heat loss, protecting our vital organs, to the more cellular level where fat forms the basis of cell membranes, steroid hormones, bile acids, eicosanoids and other signaling molecules. Plus fat helps with the absorption of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.

So fat is complex, abundant and necessary to our health.

What are healthy fat foods?

Fats come in liquid and solid forms. As mentioned, typically the healthier unsaturated fats will be in liquid form, so it's no surprise to see olive oil top the list.

OLIVE OIL

Olive oil is the original healthy fat. There's a long list of research that finds olive oil helps lower your risk for heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

Researchers have also suggested that the various components of olive oil including oleic acid and secoiridoids protect your body on the cellular level to slow the aging process. And as the saying goes, "oils aint oils", meaning to get the most health benefits, choose extra-virgin olive oil, preferably one that has been cold pressed as it is extracted using natural methods and doesn’t go through as much processing before it reaches your plate.

FISH

Fish in general represent an excellent source of high quality protein, vitamins and minerals. But the real excitement kicks in when we consider the fat content of certain fish. And the most common term people hear about is the omega-3 fatty acids of fish and seafood in general. Omega-3 (often called linolenic acid) can only be obtained from our diet and is therefore essential. Likewise, other members of the omega-3 fatty acid family, eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are essential for the optimal

structure and function of our cells, particularly those cells that relate to the function of our eyes and brain.

There's also evidence to suggest that a diet high in omega-3 fats has protective effects against inflammation, heart disease and may help in lowering LDL cholesterol.

Some of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids come from oily fish such as salmon, sardines and mackerel. Other non-fish sources include falxseed, chia seed and even marine algae.

GREEK YOGURT

This is a personal favourite of mine, so much so that I have to stop myself from eating too much of it!!

My go to yogurt in Australia is Chobani. Hands down, they should sponsor me, I eat so much of this delightful food! :)

Yogurt is not only a healthy fat source but also offers you a delicious source of protein, calcium, phosphorous, riboflavin and vitamin B12. Yogurt is also a gut loving wonder with many brands carrying probiotic bacteria.

And whilst full fat yogurts have a level of saturated fats, these ones tend to be naturally occurring conjugated linoleic acids. CLA as it is more commonly referred to has been attributed with many beneficial effects in prevention of atherosclerosis, different types of cancer, hypertension and also known to improve immune function.

AVOCADO

The fruit of this century, surely. And at the time of writing, these beauties are selling in Australian supermarkets for $1.50 a piece!! No wonder they're so popular.

But price alone shouldn't be the only reason you load up the shopping trolley.

Avocados are full of monounsaturated fats that do wonders for helping fight cardiovascular disease by potentially helping to lower cholesterol. They can also help you to feel full for longer delaying the return of hunger. Again, consuming healthy fats from foods like avocado will be essential to helping your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

The best and most common use in Australia is on toast, in a salad or even served up as guac with crackers. And of course, my favourite way to consume avo is dropped into a blender with my favourite in season fruits, dollop of yoghurt, milk or nut milk for an all time summer smoothie.

So when you are preparing your next meal or trying to make improvements to the foods you eat and your overall health, remember fat is an essential part of your diet. As always, everything in moderation.

Get back to healthy living.

The Healthy Bloke.