Fats Burn Fat

There are three main types of healthy fats: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated.

Unhealthy fats are those that are industrially produced and are usually nonperishable, which that alone should be a red flag. Any food that does not expire for a long period of time is definitely not good for you (with the exception of canned foods, assuming there are not added sugars or salts in them). Some processed fats include: trans fats, margarine, most cooking oils (i.e. safflower, soybean, corn oil, etc.).

Early humans lived off of diets that consisted of lots of omega-3s, which come from unprocessed fats (the three dietary fats above). Our ancestors would consume all parts of animals, including their fatty tissues. Early human diet consisted of 75% dietary fats, 20% protein, and 5% carbs. Today most people’s diets consist of 60% carbs (this is very detrimental to the insulin production in the body), 20% protein, and 20% fat. Our bodies naturally produce enough glucose for us to live off of every day (carbs turn to glucose in the body) so we really don’t need 60% of our diet to consist of carbs.

Getting too much bad fats is detrimental to your health, but on the flip side not getting enough of the healthy dietary fats is also problematic for your health. Our bodies need enough healthy fats to support our metabolism, cell signaling, our immune system, hormone production, and the absorption of many other nutrients that we consume throughout the day. In addition, having enough healthy fats keeps you feeling full between meals and gives your body a lot more lasting energy during the day than complex carbs do. Some other benefits that dietary fats provide include cardiovascular protection, improving body composition (leaner muscle mass), keeps the lungs working properly, and alleviating depression.

Many people think that consuming dietary fats is bad for cholesterol, however, this is no longer true and many studies have been published proving this old way of thinking incorrect. Monounsaturated fats and saturated fats help keep cholesterol in a healthy range. Monounsaturated fats increase HDL cholesterol, which is the “good” kind. Saturated fats support the enhancement of that good cholesterol.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about dietary fats that I have researched is that fats burn fat. Carbs turns to fat, but if you consume more dietary fats your body will start burning more of its stored fat.

Something I read on an Instagram post one day claimed that you can’t obtain abs if you consume animal fats. I had to laugh to myself, because this could not be farther from the truth. Consuming animals fats is beneficial to your body, and like anything it is a balance, which is why I alternate between both plant and animal fats.

I would recommend eating a variety of different fats daily. These can include fish, seaweed, grass-fed animals, olives, olive oil, avocado, coconut oil, cacao nibs, and ghee. Nuts and seeds are also a healthy fat, but it is easy to over do it because they are such a calorie dense snack. One of my favorite things to do is to add about a tablespoon of ghee or coconut oil to my protein shakes everyday (I usually heat it up in the microwave first so that it will mix in the shake otherwise it won’t dissolve). This makes them taste way better and the fat combined with the protein allows the body to absorb more of the protein in the shake. Plus, the fats give me an extra boost of energy. I also like to put ghee or coconut oil in my coffee in the morning. It makes it super creamy and yummy, while also starting my day off with healthy energy.