Healthy Fats Aren’t Making You Fat

At first, the idea of healthy fats may seem contradictory. Many believe a low fat diet is the path to maintaining a healthy weight. Or you may have turned to the latest fad diet to get rid of that stubborn body fat. Trimming the fat from your diet should help you trim the fat from your waistline, right? 

Wrong! Fats aren’t to blame for making you fat! In fact, healthy fats are a vital part of the nutrition your body needs to feel full and energized.

You may have been led to believe that fat is the culprit of your weight gain. The truth is, it has a lot to do with how much added sugar you’re consuming. The amount of protein in your diet, the ratio of healthy fats to bad fats you eat, and your daily caloric intake are also important factors. Let’s take a look at the world of healthy fats and how they can help you achieve your optimal weight.

What is Dietary Fat?

Dietary fat is one of the three macronutrients we need daily— along with protein and carbohydrates. These fats provide energy for your body. In addition, they aid in nutrient absorption and even support healthy blood cholesterol levels. (1) They also play a role in regulating hormones. 

There are three types of fats: unsaturated fats, or healthy fats; saturated fats; and trans fats, or bad fats. Saturated fats have a bad reputation, which I’ll talk about later. Some saturated fats can actually be healthy fats!

Your body doesn’t discriminate based on which of these three macronutrients it burns for energy. Calories are units of energy. Your body needs calories to function. The source of those calories has more to do with weight gain than the amount of calories you consume. (2)

In other words, if you’re trying to maintain or lose weight, you need to focus on eating the right types of food — including healthy fats — and not just looking at your daily calorie intake.

Carbohydrates are another one of the three macronutrients we need. Your body uses carbohydrates for energy but has a limited storage capacity. If you eat too many carbohydrates, your body turns the excess amount into fat. (3)

Alternatively, if you starve your body of carbohydrates, it looks for other macronutrients, such as fats and protein, to burn for energy. As you can see, this is a balancing act!

One of the best practices for weight loss is to balance your macronutrients. You need to feel full and satisfied while still maintaining a calorie deficit. (4)

Understanding the role of fat in your diet—and focusing on healthy fats—can help improve your energy, weight, and overall well-being. (5) The key is balance. Let’s talk more about the types of dietary fat.

Healthy Fats vs Bad Fats

Not all fats are created equal. Some can do your body good, while others can increase the risk of chronic disease. Unsaturated fats are great for you! On the other hand, though, saturated fats have a bad reputation. Many associate it with being a “bad fat”. However, some saturated fats can be healthy, like those found in tropical fruits such as coconut.

Your body responds very differently to these fats. Let’s break down the difference between bad and healthy fats. Knowing this information can help you make informed choices so you can maintain a healthy weight, and achieve optimal health. 

Unsaturated Fat

There are two healthy unsaturated fats: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Both are healthy fats that are easy to include in your diet. Healthy fats such as unsaturated fats are correlated with improved cholesterol levels. They also may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. (6) Feel free to indulge in these healthy fats!

Monounsaturated fats 

These healthy fats provide nutrients to support and maintain your body’s cells. (7) They also can help lower your LDL (bad cholesterol) levels.

Plant-based oils such as olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, safflower oil have a high level of monounsaturated fat. Other good sources include avocados, nut butter — except peanut butter — and several types of nuts and seeds.

One quick note about safflower oil: Safflower oil is 90% linoleic acid and oliec acid, which are unsaturated fats. This makes it a “healthy fat.” However, because of high concentrations of omega-6 and refined fats, it is not autoimmune protocol compliant. The reason is that it can cause inflammation.

If you are in the first part of The Myers Way®, nuts are not recommended. You can reintroduce them slowly and see how you react during the reintroduction phase and on the low FODMAPS diet, as well as on a keto or Paleo diet.

Polyunsaturated fats 

This type of unsaturated fat also helps lower bad cholesterol and provide nutrients to support your cells.  You can consume them through chia seeds, walnuts, and fatty fish. They’re also in oils such as sunflower oil, corn oil, flaxseed oil, and canola oil. It’s important to note that soy and corn are inflammatory foods and should be avoided.

Omega 3 fats are an important type of polyunsaturated fat. Your body does not produce these fats independently, so it’s important to get them from food such as wild-caught salmon or supplements.

Complete Omega-3 Softgels are the purest, highest-potency fish oil supplement available on the market today. They contain 1,050mg of Omega-3 Fatty Acids to support your body’s healthy inflammatory response.

Saturated Fat

Saturated fats are often painted with a broad brush as the bad guys of the nutrition world. However, it’s important to recognize that this isn’t always true. While overeating certain kinds of saturated fat can be bad for you, there are sources that can offer significant benefits. 

Foods like fast-food cheeseburgers, fatty meats like dark meat chicken, pork, and full-fat dairy products can increase LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and the risk of cardiovascular disease. That’s why many health experts recommend keeping these types of fats in check. 

However, a recent meta-analysis of studies determined that this warning may have been overstated. Many of the studies showed no association between saturated fat and heart disease. (8)

On the flip side, some saturated fats can actually be a friend to your body. A perfect example is coconut oil. Full of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), coconut oil is processed differently by your body than other fats. This means they may support weight management and provide quick energy. So don’t hesitate to use it in your next batch of banana muffins or to drizzle it over your morning coffee!

It’s smart to be cautious of saturated fats from unhealthy sources. On the other hand, embracing the right types can boost your health. As with most things in life, balance is the key.

Then there are trans fats, a type of saturated fat considered the worst for your body. Foods containing trans fats include partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, fried foods, processed snacks, margarine, and butter. One quick note about butter — it’s classified as trans fat because it has naturally occurring conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and vaccenic acid. However, the amount is small. 

Trans fat can raise LDL (bad) cholesterol and suppress HDL (good) cholesterol levels. This can lead to a higher risk of heart disease. Steer clear of these fats!

Trans fats make us fatter and can cause inflammation, leading to autoimmune disease. But this is mostly avoidable! That’s why I recommend a nutrient-dense diet rich in organic foods. You should also try to eliminate processed foods completely.

High Fat Diet

High fat diets are all the rage lately for people trying to lose weight. On a low-carb, high-fat diet, you reduce the carbohydrates you consume and replace them with healthy fats for your body to use for energy.

You’re probably aware of the ketogenic or “keto” diet. This is one of the more popular high fat diets that incorporate many healthy fats. I used keto as a part of my weight loss strategy after I gained about 15 pounds due to some injuries and an illness. Keto was a perfect way for me to feel full and satiated while still burning unwanted fat. Let’s get into more detail about how to follow a keto diet. 

Following a Keto Diet

The ketogenic (keto) diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate eating plan that shifts the body’s metabolism into a state called ketosis. In ketosis, your body burns fat for fuel instead of carbs. Your liver processes these fats to generate energy for your body. So, supporting your liver function when on a keto diet is important.

Typical foods that are acceptable on the keto diet include:

• Protein sources: fish, seafood, and organ meats
• Berries: in small portions
• Non-starchy vegetables: broccoli, onions, garlic, mushrooms, cucumber, celery, summer squash, leafy greens (kale, Swiss chard, collards, spinach, bok choy, and lettuce)
• Healthy fats: avocado, nuts, coconut oil, olive oil, and butter or ghee
• Dairy products: butter and hard cheeses that contain less lactose sugar than full-fat milk and cream
• Nuts and seeds: almonds, walnuts, flax seeds

Here are some of the many potential benefits of the keto diet:

• Less need for sleep (10)

However, the keto diet does come with its own set of risks. Some of the potential negative side effects include: 

• Kidney stones/ Kidney failure - May cause blood and urine to become more acidic (12)
• Keto flu - You may experience fatigue, headaches, and irritability when starting the diet
• Digestive issues - May negatively affect your gut microbiome due to a lack of fiber (11)
• Sustainability concerns - This diet is a bit restrictive. It may be difficult to maintain long-term for some individuals.

With more dietary choices than ever, deciding which diet is best for you can be difficult. The truth is that no one diet works for everyone.

Thankfully, eating more healthy fats is easy once you learn to incorporate the right foods into your balanced diet.

The Final Word on Healthy Fats

Healthy fats are essential to a well-balanced diet — and no, they don’t make you fat! From promoting heart health and reducing inflammation to supporting brain function, healthy fats offer significant benefits. A high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet — like the ketogenic diet — can support weight loss and enhance mental clarity. While keto may not be for everyone, it does highlight how healthy fats can be a powerful energy source when carbohydrates are reduced. 

The bottom line? Healthy fats are your friends. Don’t fear fat — choose wisely, eat mindfully, savor the benefits — and taste!