Why are fats good?
For the vast majority of us, growing up we learned certain principles when it came to eating a healthy diet. And right at the top of the list was the idea that eating foods high in fat is bad for you.
This led to a period of several decades where we were told low-fat and no-fat options were by definition healthier choices than their full-fat counterparts.
But the more we have learned about nutrition over the years, the more evident it’s become that this idea is oversimplified at best and downright wrong at worst.
I’d like to set the record straight. I want to discuss the history of our society’s so-called “war on fat,” the health problems that ensued from it, the real difference between healthy and unhealthy fats, and foods you can eat to get more of the healthy kinds of fat into your diet. Plus I am a “boomer” and lived through this crazy margarine crazed moment. My kids don’t even know what margarine is because it it GONE.
The War on Fat
The war on fat began in the late 1940s. Post-WWII, food scientists began to study nutrition more closely. What they found in this early research was there seemed to be a link between eating foods with saturated fats (think foods like eggs and red meat) and heart disease.
In the 1960s, this new evidence led the American Heart Association to recommend people reduce their overall fat intake. The US Senate then picked up the cause, hosting a series of committee meetings on the topic in 1976. The end result of this chain of events was the development of national food guidelines that stressed eating less saturated fat and more carbohydrates.
While these guidelines were specific in both the type of fat to avoid (i.e., saturated) and the types of carbs to consume more of (i.e., fruits, vegetables, and whole grains), the average American heard a different message: all fat is bad, and all carbs are good.
Why Low- or No-Fat Foods Are Often Worse for You
The food industry realized this and, right or wrong, began creating and marketing food products to meet consumer demand. High-carb, low-fat foods soon filled grocery-store shelves.
But problems abounded with many of these high-carb, low-fat foods. For one, they were often filled with refined and over-processed carbohydrates, most of whose nutrients had long since been stripped away by the time they wound up on a plate. And because removing fat decreases flavor, these types of foods often contain added sugars, too, which came with their own nutritional and health issues.
It’s no coincidence, then, that once we went to a high-carb, low-fat diet, our collective health plummeted. This is evidenced by—among many other issues—the obesity epidemic we have been in the midst of for years.
What the Science Really Says about Fat Consumption
The truth is, none of those early studies could actually substantiate the link between high-fat diets and heart disease. In fact, more-recent studies have shown the opposite: there is no association between saturated fat consumption and adverse health outcomes like coronary disease or heart attacks.
That’s not to say all fat is fair game, however. These modern studies also show reducing unhealthy fats and increasing healthy fats in our diets leads to better health outcomes.
Healthy vs Unhealthy Fats
Of course, the real question is, how can you distinguish between good and bad fats?
First, it’s helpful to make a distinction between “fatty” foods and “high-fat” foods. Fatty foods are over-processed or packaged foods that contain highly processed fats and oils (or are deep fried, for example). It should come as no surprise that fatty foods are bad for you! High-fat foods, on the other hand, are foods that naturally contain larger amounts of fat per serving. It’s these natural fats that we want to increase in our diet.
But among high-fat foods there is one further distinction: saturated and unsaturated fats. (The term “saturated” refers to how many hydrogen atoms are connected to the carbon atoms in the fat’s molecules—in other words, how saturated with hydrogen it is.) Luckily, there is a simple, easy method to determine which is which: leave it out on the counter. If it remains a solid (e.g., butter, coconut oil), it’s saturated fat. If it becomes a liquid (e.g., olive oil), it’s primarily unsaturated fat.
When we take all of the data and research into account, we can start to form an idea of which fats to target in our diet and which to reduce or eliminate. A rule of thumb we can use is to remember the following:
Naturally unsaturated fats are good fats.
Overly processed fats, like those generally found in highly processed or fried foods, are bad fats.
Naturally saturated fats fall somewhere in between the two.
Foods to Increase Healthy Fats in Your Diet
As mentioned above, the data shows the healthiest approach to fat consumption is to avoid highly-processed, manmade “fatty” foods (let’s be honest, that’s a no-brainer for a whole host of reasons!) and then there are some differences between who should be having more saturated fats and who should limit them.
For some, saturated fat drives up their cholesterol and triglycerides, and for others, eating more saturated fat and limiting carbs does the opposite.
Still, there are a few fats we can all agree on. Here are some of the fats that I eat daily.
Avocados. Avocados are one of the healthiest fruits you can eat. Among many other benefits, they are chock full of unsaturated fat.
Olive oil. This unsaturated fat has heart-health benefits, can help lower blood pressure, and even is an anti-inflammatory agent. It’s a big reason why the Mediterranean diet is so healthy.
Fatty fish. The omega-3 found in cold-water, wild-caught fatty fish is an excellent example of a healthy fat (or fatty acid in this case). And since we need omega-3 but can’t naturally produce it, consuming it from sources like fish or fish oil pills is crucial to our overall health.
Pasture-raised eggs a few times a week. Pasture-raised eggs are higher in healthy fats and omega-3 than their caged counterparts.
Nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds (chia, for example) are often high in good fats and ALA, a type of omega-3 fatty acid.
It’s time to declare a ceasefire in the war on fats. It’s true some fats are bad for you, and eating too much fat—like anything else—can contribute to negative health outcomes, but the truth is a balanced diet with the right kinds and amounts of healthy fats can contribute to your overall health and wellness.
Wishing you health and happiness,
Suzanne Latapie
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