Why Fat is Our Friend

Somebody tried to reason with me the other day that coconut oil was unhealthy because it was high in fat. Needless to say, my tub of coconut oil remains firmly in place in my kitchen cupboard!  Such a statement is not true and is worrying! It just alerts me to the fact that although we have largely become educated about ‘good fats’ and ‘bad fats’, the general fat phobia still seems to be engrained in society. I often fight in the corner of ‘good fat’ by sharing my love for avocados, eggs and coconuts. I want to take this chance to try and further the cause of (healthy) fat and cement its place in your diet!

Unless you have an allergy, get your nuts in now!

Photo by Scott Bauer, USDA/ARS

Lose Your Fat Phobia – Eating Fat Won’t Make You Fat!

The problem seems to go back to how society was informed by our government health organisations that we needed a low or no fat diet to stay thin, healthy and heart attack free! This really was dangerous advice. Although we are now more aware that processed carbs and sugar are a far greater health risk, I still cannot help think that many people are stuck on this fat issue. The evidence surrounds us on the super market shelves: 0% fat, fat free, low fat products – as though eating these things will save your life!

Think Again If You Believe that Fat Free Is Better For You?

Please don’t be afraid of cooking with real organic butter or lard even! Dairy products as well as many other foods contain the fat-soluble vitamins, namely, vitamins A, D, E, and K. As the name suggests, dietary fat (lipids) enable these vitamins to be absorbed through the small intestines. So it is obvious to say that, since our bodies cannot produce the fat itself, we need to consume some dietary fat alongside these vitamins to enable our bodies to get their full benefit. Likewise, need fat to absorb many of the nutrients and phytochemicals from fruit and vegetables too! Yes full fat foods often carry more calories (which is why fat free products are marketed to our diet crazy world) but I’d rather consume full fat yoghurt and absorb some goodness than have fat free yoghurt and get virtually none!

But how much fat is needed? Like anything with diet, it really comes down to common sense. Have you tried to eat a large avocado straight? It isn’t that easy to swallow. High fat foods will often leave a nice fatty coating in your mouth. I like to think of this as nature’s own alert to telling us how much is too much. That said, if you need measures, a daily handful of nuts or 2-3 tea spoons of virgin coconut oil or flax seed oil will be more than sufficient to help get those nutrients absorbed into our bodies!

I Thought Saturated Fat Was The Enemy?

We are all fat experts these days aren’t we? Omega 3 and Omega 6 are the essential fatty acids (EFAs) and these two are the good guys. Omega 9 is a kind of EFA but it is not so essential because our bodies can use Omega 3 and 6 to product its own. Then, we have saturated fats and hydrogenated fats, the life takers! Generally, yes – the evidence is strong in relation to the health benefits of EFAs. But before you nod your head in total agreement, I suggest you check out Mark Sisson’s alternative article, which questions the presumption that ‘saturated fat is evil, bad, dangerous, and sinful’, using the diet of the Masai, Inuit, and Tokelau people as evidence suggesting otherwise!

My Favourite Fatty Foods

This is simply a short list of my favourite sources of healthy fats:

Nuts – Brazil, Walnuts, Almonds and the rest…no salt or honey coated ones please!

Avocado – Such a flexible food packed with vitamins and way more potassium than bananas, and the high fat content means all that goodness can be absorbed by our bodies. Home-made Guacamole is the way to go – shop bought often has added sugar or salt.

Free Range Eggs – Much like the avocado, a good egg is like a whole healthy meal in one lovely package! Protein, vitamins, and healthy fat – it’s all in there! Poaching is one of the healthiest ways to go about eating your eggs. If you don’t have an egg poacher, I’ve learnt that boiling the eggs for 30 seconds – 1 minute before you crack them into your saucepan helps keep all that egg white together

Organic Nut butters – Widely available or easy to make your own. Roast your nuts, blend, add some coconut/almond oil to get the right texture, a sprinkle of rock salt and you’re ready to go!

Mackerel – Consuming oily fish at least once a week is a smart move.

EFA Food Supplement – Not strictly food but one way of getting those fish oils into your body.

Oh and remember, heat, light and oxygen can be detrimental when cooking with EFAs, so to get the maximum benefit try to go with a more raw and primal approach. That said, virgin coconut oil is an exception and is so great for cooking with because the medium chain fatty acids are not adversely affected by heat.

You may be lucky, and know about all of the health benefits of fat already but hopefully I have stimulated a rethink amongst the anti-fat crowd out there.

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