Low fat diets are a thing of the past. Research shows that the 80’s fad of low fat diets is actually backwards! Our bodies need healthy fats to support brain function, heart health among other things. Eating fat doesn’t make you fat. Let that sink in … eating fat DOES NOT make you fat.
Consuming healthy fats does a body good!
HEALTHY FATS COME FROM
- Olive Oil, Flax Oil
- Olives
- Wild-Caught Fish/Seafood
- Pasture Raised Meat & Eggs
- Avocados
- Nuts and Seeds
- Coconut Oil
When you are buying oil, “virgin” or “extra-virgin” and cold pressed means less processing. We buy organic when it is on sale and regular when it is not.
NOT SO HEALTHY FATS
These are the fats I avoid. The vegetable oils are where I part ways with standard advice, and I explain my thinking in this post on eating more fat. The hydrogenated ones below are not a matter of opinion.
- Vegetable oils like canola, sunflower, soybean, corn and safflower
- Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils
Hydrogenated oils are unhealthy because they contain trans fats and studies show that they lead to insulin resistance, belly fat, inflammation and can cause damage to your arteries and gut health. They also raise your risk of heart disease significantly. These oils hide in packaged and processed food, which is one more reason to eat less of it. Making things at home means you decide what goes in, and I like doing that. But I am not going to tell you that you have to. If homemade salad dressing is one job too many this week, buy a bottle and lower your carbs instead. That is the change that counts.
HEALTHY OIL IDEAS
When making your own salad dressings, use olive oil or flax oil (flax oil needs to be kept in the fridge!). I usually combine both to make my dressings along with some fresh squeezed lemon juice, yum!
We love Caesar and Greek salad in our house. I make my own mayonnaise now, and it is quicker than you would think. Primal Kitchen makes good dressings if you would rather buy. And if the regular supermarket jar is what is in your fridge, use it. A Caesar salad made with ordinary mayo is still a world away from a sandwich.
Where do you need to clean up your diet as far as fats and oils or where have you made changes and felt better?
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