Why fat doesn’t make you fat…

If I had a pound for every time I said it – fat doesn’t make you fat!!!

Due to its unfortunate name and the negative association with spongy looking stuff around your middle, fats have been somewhat bastardised in the last few decades. However, the issue is not so clear-cut (as with all this stuff!!) and there are some distinct differences between good fats and bad fats…

For good reason, unsaturated fats have been held up as the saviour of all things worthwhile. Found in nuts, seeds, oils, meat, fish and avocados, unsaturated fat are shown in those that consume them to make them slimmer. Fat slow down the rate at which sugar hits the blood stream and can lead to greater feeling of satiety from your food, hence the reason that low-fat diets can feel soul-destroying. Fat makes you feel fuller for longer.

Consuming the above foods – or consuming the essential fatty acids they contain - can also stimulate fat loss hormones and help you absorb vitamins and minerals more efficiently. That is why it is such a good reason to add a splash of extra virgin olive oil to a salad and why supplementing with fish oils (or an omega 3 supplement) can be such a good idea.

Nevertheless not all fats are created equal. Trans-fats, a nasty reheated oil, come with numerous health risks. Added to processed food to prolong shelf life, trans fatty acids take various guises such as hydrogenated oil, hydrogenated vegetable fat and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, amongst other names, and due to there altered chemical structure are implicated strongly in coronary heart disease, obesity and a few cancers. These most definitely should be avoided!

And finally onto poor old saturated fat… These are nothing like trans-fats, and I don’t think saturated fat is anywhere near as bad as people make out. I don’t think you should eat too much, but it has kinda got a bad reputation unfairly. The issue with saturated fat is mostly to do with quality. Like humans’ animals store toxins in adipose tissue (body fat) therefore if you eat good quality, clean, organic fatty meats consuming saturated fats are not a problem. However, if you consume cheap, grain-fed meat that’s pumped with antibiotics and god knows what else you need to be careful.

My advice is to choose the full-fat option when visiting the supermarket if you are buying pre-packaged food, buy the best quality you can afford when it comes to meat, indulge in nuts, seeds, oils, meat, fish and avocados and supplement with a really good quality fish oil.