Healthy Fats
There’s a misconception that all fats are bad and that anybody trying to change lifestyle habits should eliminate fats from their diet. However, fats play an important role in our health nutritionally and from a satiety perspective. Fats provide energy, supply essential fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6) that our bodies cannot make, support cell growth, protect our organs and help keep our bodies warm. They’re also play an important role in absorbing nutrients including fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. The first step is better understanding healthy fats and learning how to incorporate them into our diets.
Who? Healthy fats are known as unsaturated fats.
What? Unsaturated fats, including mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats tend to be liquid at room temperature. Omega-3 fats are a type of poly-unsaturated fat that support heart health and help lower inflammation in the body.
Where? Unsaturated fats are found mostly in plant foods such as avocados, flax seeds, chia seeds, olive oil, and nuts, and some animal foods such as cold-water fish including salmon, tuna, herring, and anchovies.
Why? Choosing unsaturated fats, which include omega-3 fatty acids, can help improve blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease.
When? Choose foods with unsaturated fats more often than foods with saturated fat, which can have negative effects on blood cholesterol levels.
How?
Make your own salad dressings with olive oil.
Pack walnuts or pumpkin seeds as a snack.
Swap salmon for other proteins like chicken or beef.
Scramble eggs with olive oil instead of butter.
How do you like to incorporate healthy fats in your diet? Let us know @GPEmbrace
