I am going to say something very real here: I eat a lot of fat.
Why? Because everything happens to taste better with it! Think of sushi rolls without avocado, heirloom tomatoes without olive oil, chips without guacamole, toast without peanut butter or a Cobb salad without chopped hardboiled eggs. Let’s face it: life would be BORING without the joy of fats found in our favorite meals! Thankfully, for those of you on a diet, you don’t need to worry about giving up these heavenly additions since it has been scientifically proven that eating fat helps you become and stay slim!
However, not all fat is created equal – so don’t go crazy on those potato chips. The fats you need to be eating will not be found in processed foods containing trans fats like cookies, cakes and fattening chip dips (sorry!). They are healthy fats, also known as monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fats found in nuts, fish, healthy oils, olives, avocado, eggs and red meat. There have been many studies done and articles published about people who added healthy fats into their diets to see if it made a difference in their waistline – and boy did it! Participants who made their diet about 30% fat ended up actually loosing more weight than those who had a lower percentage of fat in their diets. One of the reasons might be how satisfying fat registers for the body and taste sensors. By adding healthy fat in small doses to your diet, your brain registers fullness faster and longer – so you don’t end up munching on sugary snacks later in the day.
Because I love fat and adding it in my diet whenever I can (without feeling guilty), I’ve included a few of my favorite MUFA-smoothies! Puree all smoothies in a high-speed blender until smooth, about 60 seconds.
Green Machine:
- ¼ avocado
- ½ banana
- 1 bunch kale
- 1 bunch spinach
- ½ cup ice
- 1 cup water or almond milk
Chocolate Cinnamon Almond Butter:
- 1 ½ tablespoons raw smooth almond butter
- 1 serving low-sugar chocolate whey protein powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (add more if you like a lot of cinnamon taste)
- ½ banana
- ½ cup ice
- 1 cup water or almond milk
Coconut Blueberry Bliss:
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin coconut oil
- 1 cup blueberries
- ½ banana
- ½ cup ice
- 1 cup water or almond milk
AGREE!! YES! FABLISTICO
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“Participants who made their diet about 30% fat ended up actually loosing more weight than those who had a lower percentage of fat in their diets.” I suspect that means 30% of their total calories. Agree that fats are important to satiety and taste but the important thing to watch out for is it’s really easy to consume waaaay too many calories from fat. At 9 calories / gram, compared to 4-5cal/g for carbs/proteins, and the addictiveness of nuts, nut butters, avocados, coconut, its really easy to underestimate the number of calories being consumed.
I completely agree with your thoughts Toffler! That is why I explain how these fats we consume in our diets need to be from healthy sources of unsaturated fats (such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) verses saturated fats & trans fatty acids. In general, we need fats in our body to survive – they provide essential fatty acids, deliver fat-soluble vitamins, keep our skin soft, and give us energizing fuel – but everyone should be aware that they should NOT make up your entire meal! General rule: 1 tablespoon of healthy fat (olive oil, nut butter, 1/4 c. almonds or 1/4 avocado) is enough to satisfy a plate serving when paired with lean protein (chicken breast, white meat turkey, fish, eggs, tofu) and complex carbs (whole grain, vegetables). When pairing healthy fat with protein & complex carbs, you minimize the amount of fat you need to use because you are complementing the flavors of the dish – not overpowering it