FAT DOESN’T MAKE YOU FAT

By Katie Welborn, Nutritional Therapy Practitioner

Don’t even get me started on how dietary fat first got a bad rap, but I am here to tell you that fat is good for you! The ‘low fat, high carb’ dietary recommendations of the 80s and 90s have left Americans sicker and more overweight than ever. Fat definitely has a place in a healthy diet, but not all fats are created equal, so let’s discuss... Essential fatty acids, aka EFAs, are ESSENTIAL because our bodies must have them to maintain optimal health, but the body cannot synthesize them so they must be obtained through the diet. There are over twenty types of fatty acids, but only two are considered to be essential - omega-3 and omega-6.

Essential fatty acid balance is one of the foundations of health, and surprisingly is a common nutrient deficiency. Fatty acids are used in so many important ways throughout the body, from the brain and nervous system, to cell membranes, to production of hormones and many more. Studies have shown that increasing the intake of essential fatty acids, either alone or in combination with other fats and compounds, can increase health, help in treating certain diseases, and even improve body composition, mental and physical performance. EFAs are also critical to your body’s ability to fight inflammation.

As always, the best way to make sure you are getting ENOUGH of the good stuff is to vary a few quality sources of healthy fats across your diet. Examples would be things like animal proteins, oily fish, seeds and nuts, egg yolks, butter and olive oil, avocado and avocado oil, dark green veggies and full fat dairy products.

Dietary fat is NOT the same as body fat, and consuming one won’t necessarily make you gain the other. However, it is worth mentioning that fats are the most calorically dense macronutrient, at 9 calories per gram. So this is not permission to have a free-for-all – we must still account for total calories and macronutrient balance across the diet! Eating too much, or too little, dietary fat can throw the body out of balance and result in unpleasant symptoms.