Nutrition Tips and Tricks: A Guide to Healthy Fats

Thirty years ago, even the words "dietary fat" was a dirty phrase, capable of striking fear into the hearts of anyone trying to get in shape or drop a few pounds. The latter decades of the 20th century were awash with low-fat diets, emblemized by the SnackWell cookie craze (which, perhaps paradoxically, led to people eating more cookies).

Nowadays, public attitudes toward fat have softened significantly. It's widely accepted that for most individuals, having a certain amount of fat in your diet is normal—even healthy. In fact, current dietary guidelines recommend that approximately 30% of the average adult's daily calorie intake consist of fats. 

But of course, it's never that simple. Not all fats are created equal, and too much of the wrong kind can do serious damage to your health. Here, we'll discuss the different types of fats, their benefits and dangers, and where to find them in the wild (er, that is, the supermarket). 

Fats vs. Fats (or: What Are Healthy Fats?)

In general, health experts recommend steering largely toward monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (commonly referred to as "good" or "healthy" fats) as opposed to trans fats and saturated fats (the so-called "bad" or "unhealthy" fats). 

Fats are instrumental in determining your cholesterol levels. Unsaturated fats help keep your cholesterol levels within a healthy range, whereas consuming too many saturated and trans fats will raise them. Unhealthy cholesterol levels, if left unchecked for too long, can result in atherosclerosis, a hardening of the arteries that can ultimately cause heart attacks or strokes. 

Sources of saturated fats include red meat, whole-fat dairy products (such as cream, milk, and cheese), butter, ice creams, coconut and palm oils, and lard. Trans fats come from packaged and/or processed foods, vegetable shortening, fried foods, and anything containing hydrogenated vegetable oil. 

If the thought of going cold-turkey on ice cream and french fries has you feeling panicked, you're probably not alone. We've written before about the counterproductive nature of restrictive diets, and how they can actually increase cravings and make you more likely to binge-eat the forbidden food. Fortunately, there's some room for nuance here. Of the two, trans fats are the more harmful, and should be avoided altogether if possible. Saturated fats, on the other hand, are usually okay in moderation. (According to the American Heart Association, saturated fats should comprise around 5-6% of your daily calorie intake.) When in doubt, check the nutrition labels on the food you buy for fat content and serving sizes, or talk to your doctor. 

Where To Find Healthy Fats

Healthy fat foods come in a variety of forms—and fortunately, many of them are easily available. To increase your intake of unsaturated fats, consider looking to boost the quantities of the following foods in your diet:

• Fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines, herring, lake trout, and tuna
  
• Avocados
  
• Seeds, such as flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and sunflower seeds
  
• Nuts, such as walnuts and macadamia nuts
  
• Oils such as olive oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, avocado oil, and peanut oil*
  *When it comes to oils, a good rule of thumb is to stick to oils that are liquid at room temperature (as is the case with all of the ones listed above). Oils that are solid at room temperature (eg, butter, coconut oil, lard) tend to be composed of saturated fats.
  
• Eggs
  
• Beans, such as soybeans, navy beans, black beans, or kidney beans

The Benefits of Healthy Fats

In addition to helping keep your cholesterol in check, good fats contribute positively to your health in a number of other ways. For example, polyunsaturated fats are crucial for functions such as blood clotting, muscle movement, and inflammation. In particular, omega-3 fatty acids, which are a subtype of polyunsaturated fats, are known to have a plethora of powerful health benefits, including reducing symptoms of depression, protecting against memory loss and dementia, and promoting cardiovascular health.

If you'd like to learn more about reducing unhealthy fats and increasing good ones, we can help! The trainers at Siegel JCC offer personalized nutrition coaching as well as fitness training. The J is a vibrant, inclusive community center with offerings for members of all ages, backgrounds, and faiths. Members enjoy access to our well-equipped fitness center, indoor and outdoor pools, and group exercise classes, while children and teens benefit from a variety of programs from preschool and early childhood care to after-school care and summer camp. Whatever you're looking for, we've got something for you. Contact us today to discuss joining with a membership, or consider donating to support our programs!