As I’ve said before: Fat isn’t making you fat (well, mostly). Today I want to dig deeper and help you understand what good fat is and why it helps you burn fat.
Saturated Fats:
“Provide building blocks for cell membranes, hormones, and hormone-like substances
Act as carriers for important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K
Are required for the conversion of carotene to vitamin A, and for mineral absorption
Act as antiviral agents (caprylic acid) Help lower cholesterol levels (palmitic and stearic acids)
Modulate genetic regulation and help prevent cancer (butyric acid)”
They actually do NOT cause heart disease and will help satiety keeping you more full and reducing your calorie intake.
I know we have discussed this before, but choosing healthy fats and recognizing dangerous fats are one of the biggest steps to preventing disease and losing weight. It is also worth noting that your fat intake directly affects your HDL cholesterol level, which, if too low is linked to depression.
Processed food usually contains the oils and fats that are not good for your health. Eating a whole food (real food) diet will deliver the fats your body needs. Cook with coconut oil and pastured butter (again, Organic Valley brand is widely available). Don’t be afraid of “fatty” meats that were pasture raised. Their fat profiles contain CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) which has been linked to better fat burn, steady glucose levels, muscle preservation and increased metabolism. They key to getting the CLAs in your diet is pastured meats and eggs. You will remember from prior posts that this means the animal was raised to roam freely and happily. I jokingly tell my children we have “happy milk” and “happy beef” from “happy cows.” But in all seriousness: it’s true! If you are what you eat, most Americans are fat and depressed….sound familiar? Why? Because the meat they are eating is from animals raised in terrible, cramped conditions too depressing to talk about right now! Also, use avocados as a salad topping, side dish, in guacamole, in sauces…oh I could go on and on about my favorite food! Avocados are truly a superfood and on the clean list too! So organic is not a necessity. Make your dressings with cold pressed EVOO . Season your veggies with pastured butter and sea salt. Your palate and your tummy will thank you!
Today’s challenge: buy EVOO, coconut oil and organic, pastured butter. Also, buy pasture raised, grass fed meats. Throw away the canola and vegetable oil. Stop worrying about your fat intake. Notice your new-found satiety as you consume a higher fat diet.
Healthy Fats:
Olives and Olive oil
Coconuts and coconut oil
Butter made from raw grass-fed organic milk
Raw nuts, such as, almonds or pecans Organic pastured egg yolks
Avocados
Grass fed meats
Palm oil
Unheated organic nut oils
Unhealthy fats:
Corn-avoid/mostly genetically engineered (more later)
Canola-avoid/mostly genetically engineered
Cottonseed- usually contaminated by pesticides (more later)
Palm kernel-avoid
Soybean-avoid/mostly genetically engineered & contains pesticides
Vegetable-avoid/mostly genetically engineered & contains pesticides
Peanut-okay in moderation/not good for cooking but organic to avoid pesticides & GMO
Margarine-NEVER eat.
Life On Purpose 