The trending macronutrient of the moment is undeniably fat. We are realizing that this once maligned substance is essential for health and plays a critical role in weight management.
In the past, there wasn’t much a health enthusiast would have in common with a chef when it came to culinary preferences, but now, with the rise of fat, chefs and wellness experts are finding a shared passion in the dietary substance that provides decadent creaminess and aids in satiety. This newly shared passion was born out of relatively new research disproving long-standing beliefs about fat and its role in health.
To have this discussion, we need to understand that there are several categories of fat: trans, saturated, and unsaturated, which can then be broken into sub-categories based on their chemical structure.
Trans-fats, which are called partially hydrogenated oils on food labels, are strongly linked to heart disease and inflammation and should be avoided. Toxic trans-fats can currently be found in many processed foods such as chips, cookies, pastries, crackers, frozen foods, margarine, and coffee creamer. In 2013, the U.S. FDA preliminarily removed the “generally recognized as safe” status from trans fats, and in 2018, food manufacturers will no longer be allowed to use partially hydrogenated oils in their products. Until 2018, the best course of action for avoiding trans-fats is to not consume packaged and processed food, or at the very least, read labels and choose products without partially hydrogenated oils listed in the ingredients.
Saturated fat once had similar status to trans fats with many physicians and researchers believing it increased heart disease risk and should be avoided at all costs. The evidence on which those beliefs were based has been disproved with modern studies showing no increase in heart disease risk with an increase in saturated fat intake (in fact, some studies show the opposite, that heart disease risk is lowered by higher levels of saturated fat). Some of the previous studies were fatally flawed from the outset by errors in sampling methods. Others looked at saturated fat within the context of a diet high in processed-carbohydrate and mistakenly laid the blame for the increased cardiovascular disease risk factors with saturated fat, when the culprit was actually processed carbohydrates. The nuance of this difference involves particle sizes of LDL cholesterol and the ways saturated fat and sugar effect concentrations of the various LDL particle sizes.
LDL cholesterol is actually an umbrella term for a range of different sized molecules ranging from the large and triglyceride-rich very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), to large buoyant LDL, and small dense LDL. LDL cholesterol was once measured as one number without differentiation between particle size. What is now known is that the small dense LDL particles are highly atherogenic while VLDL’s and large buoyant LDL’s are essentially benign and serve critical metabolic roles. For heart health, preventing the formation and accumulation of small dense LDL particles is key. What drastically increases small dense LDL numbers? Highly refined carbohydrates and sugar.
Saturated fat is not detrimental to cardiovascular health and is critical for many bodily functions including: cell membranes, hormones, the immune system, gene expression, and the heart, liver, and lungs. Saturated fat should have a prominent place in our diets, right alongside other healthy fats. The best sources of saturated fat are from whole foods such as: eggs, butter, coconut, and grass-fed meat and diary.
Unsaturated fat is a confusing category of fats from a bio-chemical point of view because there are two different types of unsaturated fat that also have notable sub-types: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated (omega-3, omega-6). The unsaturated fat rock stars are:
- Omega-3 fats are beneficial when consumed from food sources and have been shown to improve cardiovascular, brain, and neural health. These fats are anti-inflammatory and have been linked to improvements in depressive mood states. Sources of omega-3 fats include: fish, shellfish, algae and seaweed, flax, chia, and hemp seeds. For optimal health, omega-3 and omega-6 fats should be consumed in a 1:1 ratio, but most American’s consume 20:1 omega-6 to omega-3. It is for this reason that I emphasize omega-3 fats heavily and encourage reduction in omega-6 fats. Omega-6 fats are plentiful in seed oils such as corn, soy, canola, safflower, and sunflower.
- Monounsaturated fats are also anti-inflammatory and have beneficial effects on cholesterol levels — raising HDL and lowering LDL cholesterol. Great sources of monounsaturated fats include: avocados, olives, macadamia nuts, almonds, cashews, sesame seeds, olive oil, avocado oil, and almond oil. Perhaps surprisingly animal products are also good sources of monounsaturated fat (as well as saturated fat), these good sources include: lard, eggs, tallow, and red meat. Although canola and soybean oils are high in monounsaturated fats, they are also high in omega-6’s and are highly refined using chemicals of questionable safety. Of additional concern, nearly all canola and soy in North America is genetically modified. I recommend avoiding canola and soybean oils.
How do we translate all of this information into real-life action regarding what and how much fat we should eat? The critical points to understand with respect to fats are:
- Avoid trans-fats — they’re toxic.
- Reduce your sugar and processed carbohydrate intake — they’re the culprit of atherogenic lipid profiles and weight issues.
- Reduce consumption of processed seed oils (corn, soy, canola, safflower, and sunflower) which are high in omega-6 fats and throw off the ideal 1:1 ratio of omega-3 to omega-6.
- Consume unprocessed fats with an emphasis on omega-3 fats, monounsaturated fat, and saturated fat.
- I prefer to consume fats in the foods I eat. Here are my favorite whole food sources of fat:
- Avocado
- Eggs
- Coconut (dried or fresh meat and butter)
- Nuts & seeds (almonds, cashews, peanuts, and chia seeds are staples in our house)
- Fish — wild Alaskan salmon, halibut, and cod are favorites. Ella and Josh love sardines, I can’t stand them.
- Cheese (we’ve cut way back on dairy consumption in our house because of Ella and Josh, but I still use cheese daily on my eggs, in salads, & as part of some snacks)
- Meat — grass-fed or pasture raised. We use meat as a condiment, meaning we consume it infrequently and in relatively small quantities.
- When cooking I use these fats liberally (in order of frequency of use):
- Extra Virgin, Cold-Pressed Avocado oil — High in monounsaturated fat. Uses: low-medium heat sautéing and roasting, as well as salad dressings and sauces.
- Extra Virgin, Coconut Oil — High in saturated fat. Uses: higher heat sautéing and stir-frying.
- Grass-fed Butter — High in saturated fat with some omega-3 and monounsaturated fats. Uses: frying eggs, sautéing vegetables.
- Extra Virgin, Cold-Pressed Olive oil — A good source of monounsaturated fats. Olive oil shouldn’t be used in cooking as it degrades quickly. Use it instead for cold sauces, marinades, and salad dressings.
- I prefer to consume fats in the foods I eat. Here are my favorite whole food sources of fat:
The most tragic side-effects of our thirty-year obsession with low-fat diets are the obesity and type 2 diabetes epidemics. When we pull fat out of our diet as was done for decades, we consume far to much carbohydrate with disastrous effects on health and weight. Fat does not make us fat, sugar and processed carbs make us fat. Although the concept seems slow to sink in with some in the medical and nutrition community, numerous studies demonstrate that high-fat, low-carbohydrate, ketogenic-type diets are dramatically more effective at promoting weight loss, maintaining weight loss, decreasing blood sugar, decreasing LDL cholesterol, increasing HDL cholesterol, and decreasing triglycerides than low-fat or calorie restricted diets. It is important to note that the strict ketogenic diet (high-fat, very low-carb) is a therapeutic diet designed to treat disease (obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, even epilepsy). If you’re considering adopting a strict ketogenic diet, consult your physician and get specialized assistance from a registered dietitian. But a modified version of the ketogenic diet, one that’s not truly ketogenic, but is much lower in sugar and carbohydrates and higher in fat than the typical American diet is something we can dabble with on our own, likely with positive results.
Another unfortunate by-product of avoiding fat is that some foods — particularly vegetables — taste incredible and their nutrients are better absorbed when consumed with fat. Several generations grew up thinking that vegetables are disgusting because they were forced to eat them without fat. Have you ever eaten at a nice restaurant and been surprised by enjoying a vegetable you previously thought you disliked? You can thank the melt-in-your-mouth velvety awesomeness of many restaurant meals to fat.
Next time you’re preparing or ordering a meal, skip the sugar and processed carbs, and stop worrying about fat — your tastebuds and waistline will thank you.