Nutrition Corner August 2014: Four Healthy Fats To Add Into Your Diet
I hate the word diet, but if I say meal plan, people seem to get confused. I hate “diet” because it has such a negative connotation. As you go about your meal plan, one thing you must make sure you’re doing is adding in some healthy fats into the mix.
Some people are still stuck on the notion that in order to succeed with their weight/fat loss goals, they should be eating as low fat of a diet as possible.
This is not the case.
While reducing the amount of unhealthy fat that you eat is important if you want to see your body fat being drop like a stone, at the same time it’s important that you don’t neglect healthy fats.
Healthy fats are critical to overall good health as they help to keep your hunger levels down, your energy levels high, and help to maintain proper hormonal levels in the body.
Those who shun all fats will also often find that their diet provides very little satiety, as fat is the slowest nutrient to break down.
That said, let’s take a closer look at four healthy fats that you should consider adding into your meal plan. If you can get these in place, you can feel good about doing something positive for your body.
Coconut Oil, Coconut Milk
The first of the healthy fats to add into your diet plan is coconut oil or milk. Coconut is high in a fat type known as MCT oil and it gets about 65% of its total fat calories from this type of fat.
MCT is a quick energy source and if you use it early in the day without ingesting carbohydrate it is very difficult to store any of it as body fat. A great way to incorporate coconut milk/oil is by adding it to coffee or tea with a little protein.
This will give you a burst of energy and no mental fuzziness commonly associated with a carb heavy breakfast.
Coconut oil is also awesome when you use it in recipes. Brush it on chicken when you grill it. It is delicious.
Coconut oil can also help you burn more body fat and MCT has been shown to be a powerful stimulator of the brain.
It also contains Lauric Acid which has been shown to kill fungi and bacteria which allows you to fight infections.
Walnuts
The second healthy fat to add into your plan is walnuts. Walnuts are a great source of omega fats, which is something that most of us are lacking right now. Omega fats are essential for fending off disease, promoting a healthy brain and heart, and for increasing insulin sensitivity.
Walnuts provide a quick and easy way to get this nutrient in and will also help to stop hunger quickly.
Salmon
One of the best foods that you should be eating in your meal plan is salmon. Salmon is not only a good source of protein, but also healthy fats as well, making it a nutrient powerhouse.
Salmon is high in Omega 3 fatty acids, and the benefits have been widely written about. Our diets are generally off balance in Omega3’s to Omega 6’s and eating salmon will help correct this.
Some benefits of Omega 3’s are:
- Improved mood
- Increased cardio vascular health
- Decreased risk of certain cancers
- Eye health
- And many more.
Try to eat salmon at least twice a week if your budget allows you to. Always buy wild caught salmon and not farm raised when you can afford to. Wild caught is much better for you as it is actually caught from the ocean and not raised on a farm and loaded with all kinds of stuff you do not need or want.
Salmon is high in fat and higher in calories than a lot of other protein sources. Don’t sweat this. You can keep your calories in check by eating fewer carbohydrates in the day if this is a concern for you.
Almond Butter
Finally, the last healthy fat to add into your plan is almond butter. Almond butter works great smeared over an apple or a banana.
Almond butter contains less sugar than commercial peanut butters but will still offer you all the great healthy fats that your body needs. Almond butter is not only a healthy source of fat it is also high in Vitamin E, Magnesium and Iron giving it a double benefit.
If you are looking for something new to try in your plan give these healthy fats a shot. You’ll feel better in the long run.
In the picture at the start of the article I understand the benefits of the fats in the seafood, nuts, coconut and Avacado, but I was surprised to see the cheese included in the picture. Cheese is on of my favorites but I always thought it was regarded as one of the worst things you could eat as far as fitness is concerned.
Everything has it’s place.