When you think about adding fat to your diet, you might have it in your mind that it’s not good for you, but that isn’t the case! While there are definitely some forms of fat that you want to avoid, like trans fats, there are many healthy fats that can fill you up, improve the taste of your food, and leave you feeling satisfied.
Fats to Avoid
To start with, there are some fats that aren’t good for you in high quantities and should at least be reduced, if not avoided. This includes trans fats, which you are probably well aware of. Trans fats tend to be in baked goods that use a lot of butter, sugar, and cream, like pizza dough, donuts, muffins, and pastries.
You can also find trans fats in packages of cookies and chips, fried foods like fish and fries, and anything with “hydrogenated” vegetable oils.
Another category of fats to reduce in your diet is saturated fat. While it will still be present in some of your foods, you can work on reducing it a bit. Saturated fat is found in whole-fat dairy, red meat, ice cream, butter, and coconut oil.
Fats to Consume
Next, let’s talk about the healthy fats that you should consume on a regular basis. While you still want to focus on portion control and listening to your body when it comes to transforming your diet, these are wonderful healthy fats to add to your diet:
Olive and avocado oil – Skip the canola and vegetable oil, and switch to olive oil and avocado oil. Avocado oil is ideal when cooking at higher temperatures.
Avocados – Avocados themselves are one of the best sources of healthy fats you can get. Use guacamole as a dip, add avocado to sandwiches or salads, or just have some avocado toast for breakfast.
Omega-3 foods – Omega-3 fatty acids are excellent for your diet and come from foods like ground flax seeds, walnuts, and salmon.
Nuts and seeds – In addition to walnuts, you can also get other nuts and seeds with healthy fats, including almonds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and pecans.
The great thing about these healthy fats is how easy they are to combine into nutrient-dense meals. With one salad, you can have your nuts and seeds, salmon or tuna, avocado, and olive oil as a dressing. You have multiple sources of fats that are healthy and good for you.