Many of us know that the low fat fad was just plain wrong and led to more problems than it solved. There are a lot of great benefits and sources for fats in our diet and I’d like to dive a little into the details of what’s good, what’s not and why.
Omega 3’s
Fish oils have gotten a lot of press the last few years, and by now we all know that fish oil is good for you. It’s not the fish oil itself but the omega-3 fatty acids within the fish oil that grant all the health benefits. The omega 3’s are anti-inflammatory, heart protective, brain and nerve protective and more – they even help our cell’s mitochondria function better to produce more energy. I find most people are confused with omega 3’s because there is a lot of misinformation out there – mainly around sources. Fish are generally the best source because the functional Omega 3’s (EPA and DHA) are present in high quantities that we can’t produce ourselves. When looking at plant sources like flax, chia and walnut we have to understand that these provide ALA (Alpha-Linolenic Acid) which is the precursor to EPA and DHA. That means most of the omega 3 from plants still has to be converted, and that process is limited. These sources are fantastic for nutrients, but relying on them along for EPA and DHA is not going to provide the same benefit as high EPA/DHA sources like fish oil. A plant source that is high in EPA and DHA is algae (aka certain seaweeds) – which fish eat and which is the reason fish have high levels in the first place. The caveat here is that fish eat this all day every day for most of their life, which explains the high levels – in reality it’s difficult to get all you need from seaweed alone, but it’s a great add in!
Roles of fats
Good fats are involved in most functions of the body and are strict necessity for health. We simply cannot live without fats, as they are required for each individual cell. Each cell has a layer of fats, better fats mean healthier, stronger cells. Most of our hormones are made from fat. Our brain is by weight mostly fat. Each of our vital organs has something called visceral fat, which if levels drop too low would lead to major problems. Our cells are able to improve oxygen use and extract more energy from fat than from protein or carbohydrate. Overall there are a lot of upsides to fats in our health, and when we take in good sources it supports us. The problem is usually the big picture and knowing the difference between good fats and bad fats.
Good sources and bad
There are a lot of ways we take in fats. The most common and detrimental to the average person is through carbohydrates. When we eat a high carbohydrate meal, our blood sugar goes up and signals our body that we have excess. Then there are signals to the liver and other tissues to store that extra sugar in the blood as fat. This leads to higher levels of body fat and visceral fat. Other bad sources of fats are easy to identify because they’re usually processed and unhealthy foods we know we should avoid (potato chips, French fries, ultra-process things like canned cheese and more). Even when we eat lots of fats, proteins and carbs this happens; really the ideal is to keep carbohydrates from whole food sources and limit to healthy levels specific to you.
For the good sources of fats we already talked about fish and fish oil, flax, chia, walnut. Other great sources are the other nuts and seeds, healthy and ethically raised animals on grass fed diets will even have higher levels of omega 3’s than standard grain fed animals. Of course there are also lots of healthy oils like coconut, olive, avocado and more to include.
The good news is that shifting towards healthy fats can make big differences in our health, so long as it’s done correctly. Simply adding healthy fats on top of an otherwise unhealthy diet can help a little, but isn’t the greatest solution when trying to improve your health. That’s where sitting down and taking a thorough look at your diet, good and bad sources of fats, proteins and carbohydrates can make dramatic changes.
If you want to know more about how to improve your weight, mood, hormones and health through nutrition and other strategies call us today at 916-351-9355 to book an appointment.