HEALTHY FATS ARE ESSENTIAL
I often meet clients who are on low fat and even no fat diets.
They believed cutting out all fats from their diet was a healthy choice, not realising they were making themselves sick.
What their choice created was a nutrient deficiency in essential fatty acids (EFAs) that fats are built from.
Common symptoms of deficiencies in EFAs can include:
• Dry, scaly skin,
• Dermatitis,
• Dry skin rashes,
• Brittle nails and hair,
• Hair loss,
• Alopecia,
• Constipation,
• Poor wound healing,
• Poor immune function,
• Joint pain,
• Vision problems,
• Cognitive impairment,
• Brain fog,
• Hormone imbalances,
• Metabolic dysfunction,
• Mood swings, and
• Fatigue.
I also meet clients who treated fat as an ‘enemy’ because they associated all dietary fats with body fat. Their major concern was, how do I get rid of this fat I’m carrying?
They didn’t know that the essential fatty acids in healthy fats are crucial for metabolism (energy production) and fat oxidation (burning fat to fuel your body).
Yes – healthy fats can actually help you burn body fat.
Dietary fats are not your enemy.
Every week I am telling clients that all fats are not created equally.
Some of the slimmest, fittest people in the world eat diets rich in healthy fats.
Honestly, calorie counting has to stop. From my experience as a naturopath, counting calories has created more health issues than it has solved.
I cannot emphasise enough that we need to eat healthy fats, and we need to eat them every day because our bodies cannot produce the essential fatty acids in them.
In this blog, we’re going to explore healthy fats so you can address nutrient deficiencies, rebuild your health, boost your vitality, and improve your ability to burn excess fat if that’s also your goal.
ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS
Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are the building blocks of fat in our bodies and many foods we eat – like olive oil from olives.
During digestion, your body breaks down fat into fatty acids, which are essential to the very functioning ability of your body.
Essential fatty acids (EFAs) play a vital role in energy production (metabolism) and the proper function of every cell.
Your body is made up of trillions of cells.
Essential fatty acids are the building blocks of all of your cell walls, and they help control what goes in and out of your cells.
Sixty percent of your brain is composed of fat. And fatty acids are one of the most essential nutrients that determine your brain’s integrity and ability to perform.
Even the retina in your eyes has a high concentration of essential fatty acids.
EFAs are also critically important to the functioning ability of your nervous system.
Essential fatty acids are crucial for many health benefits too.
Studies confirm that essential fatty acids:
• Reduce the risk of heart disease and promote cardiovascular health,
• Lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and boost good cholesterol (HDL),
• Prevent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Have a beneficial effect on blood pressure,
• Stabilise heart rhythms,
• Reduce inflammation,
• Modulate immune function,
• Regulate fat metabolism,
• Prevent type 2 diabetes,
• Prevent kidney (renal) disease,
• Are essential for healthy gut, bowel, and brain function,
• Help prevent neurological disorders,
• Prevent ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
• Help prevent arthritis and cancer,
• Promote optimal skin functioning,
• Aid antioxidant and vitamins A, D, E and K absorption,
• Regulate metabolism,
• Influence hormone production and fertility,
• Decrease insulin resistance,
• And protect our eyesight too.
BEST HEALTHY FATS
Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are commonly called the healthy fats.
Healthy fats play an essential role in how your body functions, heals, and maintains balance (health).
We need to eat healthy fats (EFAs) daily and eliminate bad fats from our diets.
The healthy fats you should aim to eat every day are Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated fats, which are made up of different fatty acids.
These fatty acids are known as omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 fatty acids.
POLYUNSATURATED FATS are the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Omega-3 regulates your body’s immune response, inflammatory processes, blood pressure, muscle metabolism, fat oxidation (fat burning), and mood, and plays a crucial role in brain development and cognitive function.
Omega-6 regulates cell signalling and metabolism, supports the reproductive system, maintains bone health, stimulates skin and hair growth, and plays a crucial role in brain development and cognitive function.
Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are both essential, but they need to be consumed in a healthy ratio.
The problem with modern diets is that we can end up eating 20 times the amount of omega-6 to omega-3 fats.
When omega-6 is too high in your diet (compared to omega-3), it can promote chronic inflammation, cell damage (oxidative stress), allergies, asthma, cardiovascular disease, cancers, plus inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
Studies suggest that generally, a healthy ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is 4:1 – which means for every 4 grams of omega-6 fat, we should eat 1 gram of omega-3 fat.
Foods rich in omega-3 fats include chia seeds, linseeds (flaxseeds), hemp seeds, walnuts, pine nuts, seaweed, algal (algae) oil, walnut oil, flaxseed oil, broccoli, spinach, mangoes, edamame beans, kidney beans, lettuce, brussels sprouts, organic free-range eggs, wild-caught oily fish including salmon and sardines, flaxseed oil, and algae (algal) oil.
Foods rich in omega-6 fats include tofu, walnuts, Brazil nuts, almonds, cashews, pine nuts, peanut paste, organic free-range eggs, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, avocado, olive oil, sesame oil, and tahini.
To avoid over-consumption of foods high in omega-6 fat, avoid commercial heat or chemical extracted oils including canola, safflower, sunflower, grapeseed, corn and peanut oils, mayonnaise, commercial salad dressings, and highly processed foods. Instead, eat organic cold-pressed oils and whole-foods.
MONOUNSATURATED FATS are the omega-9 fatty acids.
Omega-9 alleviates insulin resistance and fat metabolism dysfunction, reduces bad cholesterol in the blood (LDL) and increases good cholesterol (HDL), improves insulin sensitivity, and decreases inflammation.
Omega-9 is found in foods such as olives and cold-pressed olive oil (oleic acid), avocado oil, almond oil, sesame oil, raw almonds, cashew nuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, flaxseeds, and raw seeds.
DAILY INTAKE EFAs
The amount of healthy fats we should eat daily is argued, and calculations can be complex.
The daily recommendation is that healthy fats (including polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats) should make up approximately 20-35% of our daily calorie intake to avoid essential fatty acid deficiency.
And saturated (animal) fats should contribute no more than 5-6 % of our total calorie intake.
Consumption becomes even more complex to calculate because different oils and foods have different levels of healthy fats.
To make it easier for my clients, I generally recommend:
• 20ml (1 Australian metric tablespoon) of omega-rich cold-pressed organic oils in smoothies or dressings,
• 2 serves of omega rich foods, and
• A handful of mixed raw nuts and seeds every day to ensure optimum fatty acid nutrition for typical adults.
Another simple strategy you can use is to include healthy fats in every meal.
You can add healthy, omega-rich foods to your salads and buddha bowls – such as avocadoes, black olives, hummus, tahini, and pine nuts.
You can drizzle healthy organic cold-pressed oils over your salads and vegetable dishes.
Walnut, pumpkin seed, black sesame seed, and virgin olive oils are delicious dressing oils.
We share some beautiful dressing recipes in our free e-book Nutrition Therapy – Vegetables.
You can also add healthy fats to your smoothies, such algae oil or hemp seed oil.
You can add hemp seeds, chia seeds, and linseeds to your breakfast porridge.
Or you could also make some linseed and chia puddings for an easy breakfast solution you can grab-and-go in the morning.
And for snacks, make small grab-and-go jars of organic raw nuts and seeds.
Or, for a brain-boosting afternoon snack, eat a handful of omega-rich raw walnuts.
I have to share a crunchy, delicious afternoon snack I found recently. It’s Organic and Activated Walnuts that have been soaked in probiotic kombucha, made by Mindful Foods in NSW, Australia.
Another brand of fresh, raw walnuts I love to eat is Western Australian grown Omega Walnuts.
Omega Walnuts also produce organic extra virgin walnut oil, which pairs beautifully with balsamic vinegar drizzled over salad greens.
FATS TO AVOID
So far, we have explored healthy fats and how much we need to eat.
But there are also unhealthy fats that we need to severely limit or totally avoid.
LIMIT SATURATED ANIMAL FATS because they are associated with cardiovascular diseases, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, glaucoma, gallbladder disease, and bowel cancer.
A healthier alternative to saturated fat-laden food, is to eat lean meats that are organic or biodynamic, pasture raised, free range, or wild caught in oceans.
It means cutting out your intake of red meat and eating more lean, free-range poultry or omega-rich wild caught oily fish such as salmon.
And don’t forget that saturated animal fats also include lard, butter, cheese, cream, and cream cheese.
Saturated fats should be no more than 5-6 % of your total calorie intake.
AVOID TRANS FATS altogether because they are considered unsafe for human health.
There is no safe limit you can eat.
Trans fats are artificial fats created from hydrogenated liquid oils.
Manufactured trans fats are commonly found in highly processed foods, margarine, deep-fried foods, biscuits, cakes, pastries, desserts, takeaway foods, hamburgers, pizza, and hot chips (fries).
Always check the ingredients in the foods you buy.
Trans fats are usually listed on food labels as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
EAT WELL TO BE WELL
A core message I share with my clients is that we need to eat well to be well.
Food is the nutritional fuel we cannot produce that our bodies need to function correctly and maintain a balance we call health.
Too often, symptoms of sickness and disease are signs of deficiencies – meaning we are not giving our bodies what they need to be healthy and full of vitality.
So focus on eating healthy fats, limiting saturated fats, and ditching trans fats.
Once you do, and you experience the difference, you’ll be amazed by how much a healthy diet improves your health.
My goal is always to help end suffering.
I hope you make it your goal too.
All the very best,
Lisa Rieniets ND.
REFERENCES
I’m sharing live links to studies so you can explore the health-promoting benefits of eating healthy fats every day:
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Basak, Sanjay & Banerjee, Antara & Pathak, Surajit & Duttaroy, Asim. (2022). Dietary Fats and the Gut Microbiota: Their impacts on lipid-induced metabolic syndrome. Journal of Functional Foods. 91. 105026. 10.1016/j.jff.2022.105026. (Metabolic syndrome)
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