It's time to talk about FAT! The three letter word we seem to have learned to hate! It has such negative connotations, and we have been programmed into avoiding it at all costs BUTTTTTT there are GOOD fats as well as BAD. And these good fats can actually HELP you to lose weight!!
I'm gonna distinguish between the GOOD, THE BAD AND THE WOBBLY.
The big difference is between saturated and un-saturated fats, which you will have heard of in a million adverts but may not have necessarily understood. The easiest way to tell them apart is to remember that unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and saturated fats are solid.
Why is that important I hear you cry?!?!
Well imagine olive oil inside your cells. It's fluid and this will keep them nice and fluid.
Whereas EXCESS amounts of solid fats will just block them up. (small amounts of these like butter and coconut oil are perfectly fine for you)
So, where is the best place to find these naturally?
Unsaturated fats are found in oily fish such as salmon and sardines, nuts (NOT roasted) like cashew nuts, almonds, seeds, avocados, flax seed, olive oil.
Saturated fats are found in things like red meat, cheese and butter. As I say, small amounts of these are fine. But limit your intake.
Of course, moderation is key so even with the good fats, don't overdose, as there are also links between too many unsaturated fats and health problems.
And speaking of health problems, let's talk about THE WOBBLY. The one type of fat that is SO bad for your health that in the last few years there have been calls to completely ban their use in the food industry. These are called hydrogenated fats aka TRANS FATS.
This type of fat rarely occurs in nature and therefore is man-made especially for those who want to extend the shelf life of their products -Tut Tut Tut- like ready meals, certain take-aways, and general junk food.
Most nutritionists recommend the only genuinely safe level of dietary trans fat, is ZERO!!!!!!!
So, IF you want to indulge, there are higher quality cakes and chocolate that do NOT contain trans fats. Always check the label.
And lastly. Don't think that LOW FAT is the way forward. Low fat foods have the good fat removed, and therefor in order for them to taste at all appealing, they replace the fat with sugar. And here'e the killer - sugar turns to fat and is also toxic, and can cause a plethora health issues.
To see my video on FATS here