Embracing Healthy Fats: Everything You Need to Know

Gone are the days when fats were frowned upon.  This macronutrient has grown in popularity thanks in part to a good bit of research as well as trending diets like Paleo, Keto, Atkins, and Mediterranean.  Even general healthy eating recommendations set by the National Institute of Health, advise Americans to consume 20-35% of calories from fat.

Choosing healthy sources of dietary fat to include in your diet is beneficial for energy levels, absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (specifically, A, D, E, and K), formation of cell membranes and walls, blood clotting, muscle movement, and even inflammation.

With all these benefits, you may be wondering how to incorporate more healthy fats into your diet.  

A Quick Overview of Types of Fat

1. Unsaturated Fats:  The healthy fats!  Easy to remember as most sources are liquid at room temperature.  Displayed on nutrition labels as Monounsaturated or Polyunsaturated Fats.  We’ll provide specific food examples below!
2. Saturated fats: these guys get a pretty bad reputation for health, especially heart health. And while eating too much saturated fat can increase our risk for heart disease, many healthy protein and fat sources do contain small amounts of these fats. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature (think butter and coconut oil) and are most often found in animal products and baked goods. The American Heart Association recommends keeping intake of these fats to 10% or less of total calories each day.
3. Trans fats: while trace amounts of trans fats do occur in nature, the majority of these fats are made in a lab and are not our friend. Research shows that intake of trans fat can have serious negative consequences on heart health by lowering good cholesterol (HDL) and increasing bad cholesterol (LDL). These fats are usually found in ready-made frostings, baked goods containing shortening, some potato chips and microwave popcorn, fried foods, refrigerator dough (such as canned cinnamon rolls or biscuits) and some margarines. Keep an eye out on nutrition labels for trans fat and avoid any products with “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” in the ingredient list!

More on Unsaturated Fats (aka the Healthy Ones)

Monounsaturated fats are healthy fats found in oils (olive, sunflower, safflower, almond, canola), avocado, nuts, and seeds.  If you’re looking for more advice on how to incorporate healthy fats, like olive oil, then you may want to take a look at the Mediterranean diet.  In 2021, according to the U.S. News & World Report, the Mediterranean Diet was ranked #1 Best Diet Overall, #1 Plant-Based Diet, #1 Heart-Healthy Diet, #1 Best Diabetes Diet, #1 Best Diet for Healthy Eating, and #1 Easiest Diet to Follow.

Polyunsaturated fats are healthy fats most commonly identified with the word omega.  These are great food sources to strategically incorporate into your diet since they are essential fats, meaning your body cannot make them on its own.  

1. Omega-3’s can be found in fish (mackerel, salmon, oysters, sardines) as well as plant sources (flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, soybeans).  The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends the consumption of two (4oz) servings of seafood per week for optimal heart health benefits.
2. Omega-6’s are found in oils (safflower, sunflower, corn, grapeseed, walnut, soybean), sunflower seeds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds.  It’s estimated that Americans consume ten times the amount of Omega 6 fats compared to Omega 3 fats.  Experts don’t recommend cutting back on Omega 6, as previously thought, but instead emphasizing more on Omega 3 in the diet.

How to Incorporate Healthy Fats into Your Diet

To fully gain the health benefits of fats, we recommend taking a look at your LoseIt! food journals to identify your typical sources of saturated fat.  Then work on replacing those sources of saturated fats with healthy unsaturated fats instead.  We’re providing some ideas below:

Breakfast

• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of chia seeds or ground flaxseed on top of your oatmeal or yogurt
• Top whole grain muffins with walnuts or slivered almonds
• Spread 1-2 tablespoons of natural almond or peanut butter over a slice of whole grain toast, or swirl it into a batch of overnight oats (my personal favorite)
• Get trendy with a slice of avocado toast (I like to add 1 poached egg on top for extra filling-power!)
• Add ground flaxseed to your waffle or pancake mix

Snacks

• Pack a handful of almonds (about 22 whole almonds) with a cheese stick or piece of fruit
• Add flaxseed or nuts to snack-sized homemade muffins
• Use 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter with apple slices or a banana
• Swap out your canned tuna for canned salmon with whole grain crackers
• Make homemade fruit and nut bars

Lunch/Dinner

• Invest in infused olive oils for drizzling over salads
• Use avocado slices instead of mayo on sandwiches
• Grill salmon burgers instead of using ground beef
• Roast vegetables using canola or avocado oil (these oils are also perfect for stir-fries or any other high-heat cooking!)
• Sprinkle nuts or seeds on top of salads or grain bowls

Desserts

• Replace half the butter in your baking recipe for avocado – trust me on this one! If a recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, simply reduce the butter to ½ cup, add ½ cup of mashed avocado, and decrease your oven temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit. This trick works especially well in chocolate-flavored baked goods, such as brownies or chocolate cake.
• In recipes calling for oil, use canola or avocado oil
• Add chopped nuts to cookies and brownies
• Make chia seed pudding by combining 1 cup of milk (dairy or non-dairy alternative), ¼ cup of chia seeds, and ¼ tsp of vanilla extract in a container. Cover the container and then place it in the refrigerator overnight. There are a bunch of recipes out there for different flavor combinations to try – just be sure to keep an eye on your portion size!
• Substitute an egg with a flaxseed “egg” in some of your baking. The basic ratio is 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed combined with 3 tablespoons of water to replace one egg. Whisk well then let it rest for 5 minutes to thicken. This usually works best for bread and cookies.

What are your favorite ways to add healthy fats to your meals and snacks? We’d love to hear!

Written by: Kelli McGrane, RD

Updated by: Anna Smith, RDN