Lose Weight By Adding Fat To Your Diet

Fats are high in calories, 9 calories per gram, which increase weight gain. Saturated and trans-fats increase blood lipid levels so reducing cholesterol intake is necessary for good health, especially good cardiac health. So it would seem that by eliminating fats from our diet we would lose weight and reduce cholesterol. But are all fats bad?

  Myth: All fats are bad. Avoid all foods containing fats.

Misinformed Americans went on decidedly low fat diets, mainly to induce fast weight loss, yet we have gained weight of epidemic proportions and heart disease remains our number one cause of death and causes disability. Eating good fats can actually lower your unhealthy cholesterol (LDL) and raise healthy cholesterol (HDL). Also, eating healthy fats with carbohydrates slows the glucose load (blood sugars) in your blood stream thus helping to reduce weight gain. In fact the FDA tells us “Fat is a major source of energy for the body and aids in the absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K, and carotenoids. Both animal and plant-derived food products contain fat, and when eaten in moderation, fat is important for proper growth, development, and maintenance of good health. As a food ingredient, fat provides taste, consistency, and stability and helps us feel full. In addition, parents should be aware that fats are an especially important source of calories and nutrients for infants and toddlers (up to 2 years of age), who have the highest energy needs per unit of body weight of any age group”. Besides, who wants to go on a bland fat free diet when fat tastes so good?

Newsflash! There are good fats and bad fats. You can brighten up that bland fat free diet with beneficial fats.

Get fat into your diet;  just make sure you chose the right kinds of fat.

The Good Fats

Monounsaturated Fats: Monounsaturated fats lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and increase the HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).

Polyunsaturated Fats: Polyunsaturated fats also lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Omega 3 fatty acids belong to this group.

The Bad Fats

Saturated Fats: Saturated fats raise total blood cholesterol as well as LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol).

Trans Fats: Trans fats raise LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and lower HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).

Eat These Fats:

Monounsaturated fats and Polyunsaturated fats such as;

Olives Nuts Seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, hemp) Avocados

Olive Oil Flax seed oil Safflower oil Canola oil Sunflower oil Corn oil Grapeseed oil

Herring Mackerel Salmon Trout Sardines Albacore tuna

Avoid or Reduce These Fats:

Saturated fats and Trans fats AKA Transfatty acids AKA Hydrogenated fats

Fatty Red Meat, Poultry, Pork (focus on eating lean cuts of meat) Skin of poultry and pork High-Fat Dairy products (20% or more fat per serving) such as cheese. Vegetable oil Palm oil Palm kernel oil Margarine Butter Lard Shortening Ghee Cakes & cookies baked in the above Fried foods (including fish and vegetables)

Always read the Ingredients Label. Do not depend on the Nutrition Facts Label because it can be misleading. Do not believe claims on the front of the package. The Ingredients Label is the best representation of the truth about your food. The reason is that manufacturers decide how large or small a “serving size” is, and since the FDA allows them to claim that a food is trans fat free if the food contains 0.5% or less trans fat per serving, you may actually be eating trans fat even though the Nutrition Facts label says there is no trans fat and the front of the package claims there is no trans fat. So, read the ingredient list to be sure.

Fats are considered a Low-GIycemic index food which means they do not raise blood sugar levels. In fact, fats can slow down sugar metabolism when we eat them with carbohydrates. So next time you have a slice of Italian bread, dip it in olive oil.  And, make sure that slice of bread is whole grain.

Fats help us feel full and satiated. Feeling full and satiated is an important part of a weight loss diet. Incorporating healthy fat with your meal may help you reduce portion size and thus reduce weight gain. So make some fresh avocado guacamole this summer!