Without healthy fats, our cells can’t function, and if our cells can’t function, we can’t either! You need fats to lead a healthy life, so don’t think that fats will make you fat, like some people erroneously (meaning wrongly) do. Fats in the right amounts help you to thrive and stay healthy. They are critical for your health. Just try to eat more unsaturated fats than saturated. What are those?

Many different kinds of fats exist: unsaturated fat, saturated fat and trans fat. Which do you think is the healthiest? Yep, unsaturated is. 

Unsaturated fats are generally liquid at room temperature, while saturated fats are solid at room temperature (due to a lot of hydrogen molecules but we don’t need to get all technical) and saturated fats have long been associated with an increased risk of heart disease (although not all people agree on that, see ttps://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/features/truth-about-saturated-fats). 

As such, try to be aware of the types of fats you are eating and consider choosing unsaturated fats over saturated (and ALWAYS over trans…). Good sources of healthy fats (unsaturated) include:

• avocados
• olives
• canola and olive oil
• nuts
• seeds
• fatty fish such as salmon

Fish and some eggs (both protein foods) are unique in that they have a type of fat that our bodies don’t make. These fats are called “essential fatty acids.” They are also called “omega 3s” and “omega 6s.” You want to eat them, especially “omega 3s.” They help your heart, lungs, brain, and circulation – now that’s powerful stuff! 

Some good sources include: 

Fatty fish: i.e. albacore tuna (canned is fine), salmon (farmed has higher omega 3s than wild), Atlantic herring, muscles, anchovies, swordfish, sardines

Nuts- especially walnuts

Soybeans

Chia/flax seeds

Eggs (the yolks)

Leafy greens like spinach and kale

Wait! wasn’t there a third type of fat? Yes. Although we largely wish it didn’t exist! Artificial trans fats are basically a reconfigured fat to make it more like a saturated fat, i.e. solid at room temperature. Trans fat occur in very small amounts in nature but manufacturers have created artificial trans fats (like partially hydrogenated oils) to help foods taste better and stay fresher longer. But artificial trans fats are REALLY bad for you—in fact the FDA no longer recognizes trans fats that come from partially hydrogenated oils as GRAS (generally recognized as safe). Companies are now required to remove these from their products.

(Source: https://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/understanding-trans-fats)

Trans fats can cause weight gain, sluggishness, and even depression. They are often found in pizza dough, cookies, cakes, crackers and fried foods. Check your labels before eating these foods as these fats are not the kind your body craves for optimal health.