Fat is very misunderstood. In recent history fat has been made to look like the baddy when it comes to health. Supposedly contributing to all kinds of diseases and helping the obesity epidemic along nicely, while this is true of some fats I am here to tell you that not all fat is created equal.
From the early 80’s there was a massive trend emerging in Low fat, non fat, 2% fat , fat free, processed “diet products”. This was all spurred on by the invention of new so called miracle diets made popular by the media and while it all worked as a very effective sales pitch the public suffered.
The problem with these products, aside from the fact they are heavily processed, depleted of many nutrients and so far removed from their natural state they are unrecognizable, is that they are pumped full of refined sugar and chemicals to compensate for the lack of taste once the fat is removed. Therefore adding toxicity and extra calories to the body and not in anyway becoming a “healthy” alternative product.
So now to the good news…
Some of the best super foods in the world are high in fat. Good fat. For example avocado and coconut oil. Both these foods are plant based clean fats that actually help the body to function and reduce fat storage, can you believe.
Other amazing sources of good fats brimming with other nutrients are:
–Olive oil (non heated, cold pressed and organic)
-All other nut and seed oils as long as they are not heat treated, cold pressed and organic.
–Cacao butter- Butter derived from the cacao nut, Delicious and the major ingredient in raw chocolate.
–Natural Nut butters (e.g almond, cashew, brazil nut, peanut butter) – These are all very easy to find either in the health food section of your supermarket or in your local health food store or market.
–Raw nuts- Everything from pistachios to hazelnuts, as with all things moderation is key, a handful per day is sufficient.
So why are good fats so good and bad fats so bad?
Good fats are essential building blocks for healthy cells throughout the body, they help provide the structure of every cell wall, they contribute to proper neurological functioning, and they help to give us the correct energy, keep us satiated and maintain level blood sugar.
You will notice that I have not included dairy, meat and processed conventional oil such as hydrogenated vegetable oil. This is because these are what is considered bad fats. These are the fats that should be limited in the diet, these forms of fat do help contribute to a myriad of problems, not least of all heart disease and obesity.
Do you include natural good fats in your diet? In what ways? please leave a comment and share with your friends.