According to Mayo Clinic, about 20-35% of calories in a healthy diet should come from fats. You can use specialized fat intake calculators to determine exactly how much of this nutrient you should be getting daily. However, the fact is that you need to consume it every day.
It’s an essential part of a healthy human diet. But you shouldn’t forget that there are many types of fats and some of them aren’t healthy in the least. This means that you need to pick your fatty foods very carefully if you want to keep your heart healthy and to lose weight if necessary.
Three Types of Fats: Which to Eat and Which to Avoid
There is a common misconception that unsaturated fats are good and saturated fats are bad. But in reality, it’s the trans fats that are the true ‘villains’ of their kind. Those are the fats that are created artificially when different foods are processed and they bring you nothing good. Instead they contribute to the risk of heart disease, stroke, and many other health problems.
Saturated fats aren’t very good for you either. However, according to the American Heart Association, you can safely consume them if they contribute about 5-6% of your daily calories. The rest of your healthy fat intake should come from unsaturated fats.
Pay attention to this difference when designing your menu and you’ll be able to keep your cholesterol levels down and enhance your health. This is extremely important if you want to achieve full health benefits of a high-fat ketogenic diet plan.
This diet calls to lower carbs and increase your fat intake, which can drastically improve your general health and even stops seizures in children (Epilepsy Foundation). But to get those perks you have to consume healthy fats. In this case, this means increasing your intake of unsaturated fats only.
Tips for a Healthy Fat Diet: What to Eat and What to Avoid
If you want to keep a healthy lipid profile, you should completely exclude:
- Deep-fried foods
- Sugary pastries and cookies (anything baked with margarine or its unhealthy substitutes)
- Processed snacks and junk food
- Vegetable shortening
Those are the foods rich in trans fats, which have no place in a healthy diet. Please note that banana chips, often promoted as a healthy snack, are often fried. The FDA requires US manufacturers to print the level of trans fats on the label, so be sure to study it carefully.
Foods that you should eat less frequently as they are high in saturated fats include:
- Red meat (choose the leaner cuts)
- Poultry skin and dark chicken meat
- Lard
- Full-fat dairy
- Cheese
- Tropical oils and butters (palm, coconut, cocoa)
Please note that coconut oil is actually very high in saturated fats. Therefore, you should be careful when including it into your diet. Today it’s often advertised as a dietary supplement due to the numerous health benefits it offers. If you consider taking it, be aware that it counts toward your total daily fat intake.
The healthiest fats you can get from the following foods:
- Fish
- Avocados
- Cold-pressed vegetable oils (extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, and nut oils are the best)
- Nuts and nut butters
Fish provides you with essential omega 3 fatty acids, which improve your general wellbeing and lower inflammation. You should eat it daily if possible. In case you don’t like fish or don’t have an opportunity to buy it often, consider taking a supplement.
Bear in mind that some people might need to consume more or less fats. You should discuss this subject with your doctor, especially if you have any chronic health issues.
You also shouldn’t forget that a healthy fat intake will benefit you only as a part of a well-balanced healthy diet. Excluding any essential food groups completely can cause nutritional deficiencies and other problems.
Identity Magazine is all about guiding women to discover their powers of Self-Acceptance, Appreciation, and Personal Achievement. We ask that every contributor and expert answer the Identity 5 questions in keeping with our theme. Their answers can be random and in the moment or they can be aligned with the current article they have written. In that way, and as a team, we hope to encourage and motivate each other, thus inspiring you to Get All A’s.
1. What have you accepted within your life, physically and/or mentally? Additionally, what are you still working on accepting? Now, we’re not talking about resignation, rather stepping into, embraced, and owned.
I’ve come to accept that all life is about finding balance between what we can and cannot change.
2. Appreciation is everything. What have you learned to appreciate about yourself and/or within your life, physically and mentally? On the other hand OR in contrast, are there elements of who you are that you’re still working on appreciating?
I have learned to appreciate the support of my friends and family. I’m still working on learning to appreciate the challenges life throws my way that make me stronger in the end.
3. Share with us one of your most rewarding achievements in life? Tell us not only what makes YOU most proud but also share the goals and dreams that you still have.
My biggest achievement in life is giving birth and raising two beautiful children whom I love with all my heart.
4. Of course, we all have imperfections, or so we think. In truth, we are all perfectly imperfect. What are your not-so-perfect ways? Likewise, what imperfections and quirks create who you are–your Identity?
I’m easily distracted by the many new things I can learn, so I work hard to keep my focus.
5. “I Love My…” is an outlet for you to appreciate and express all the positive traits that make you…well…YOU! In fact, sharing what you love about yourself will make you smile, feel empowered, and uplift your spirit and soul. (We assure you!) Therefore, Identity challenges you to complete the phrase “I Love My…?”
I love my passion, which I give to everything I do in full.
Photo by Carles Rabada on Unsplash
