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A List of Good Fats

I pinched this list of good dietary fats from Zach Smith’s great article at shapefit.com.  Check out the entire article for full explanations on each item and why they are good to inlcude in a healthy, well-rounded diet.  I left the great explanation on coconut oil to show you what you can expect if you clickthrough.

Fats

Fat is probably the most misunderstood macronutrient of the three(protein, fats and carbs). People just refuse to believe that it can be healthy and actually help them lose their own body fat. Even when the high carb, low fat diet phase proved to be a failure of monstrous proportions, people still couldn’t grasp the fact that dietary fat is an ally of a fit body. Dietary fats increase your chance of getting fit and staying fit. It is so important if your goal is to become truly healthy. Fat regulates our hormone levels. Fat is absolutely essential for healthy hair, skin and nails. Fat controls our appetite by regulating leptin response. Fat also lowers insulin response when we eat carbohydrates with it. Fat also burns fat, at least some fats do, and do it well and that is the main point of this article. Now that we know we need to eat fat, how much fat to eat for our specific body and what kind of fats are best? All fat is not created equal and some fats are bad, just as some carbohydrates are bad and some proteins not ideal either. Here is a list of the best fats we can eat.

10.) Organic, unpasteurized butter & cream

9.) Olives

8.) Peanuts and natural peanut butter

7.) Organic flaxseeds and high lignan flaxseed oil

eat fat get lean6.) Organic, extra virgin olive oil

5.) Raw nuts, cold pressed nut oils and natural organic nut butters (excluding peanuts)

4.) Wild salmon and other fatty fish

3.) Organic, extra virgin coconut oil: There was a time, not long ago, this would have been considered a dangerous, artery clogging food recommendation. That’s because it is a tropical oil, and although vegetarian, a saturated fat. We have been programmed over the last 30 years to shun any and all saturated fats, mostly as a means to keep cholesterol levels under control. What has been discovered is that some saturated fat is not the health enemy it once was portrayed to be. The fatty acids in coconut oil are actually very different than in other foods in that they are primarily in the form of medium chain triglycerides, or MCTs. MCTs are fats that burn fat and provide energy. They act as a metabolic primer, stoking your internal fat burning furnace. The primary MCT in coconut oil is Lauric Acid, and this MCT is extremely healthy in that it has potent antimicrobial properties. This helps not only give the oil a long shelf life, preventing rancidity, but also helps protect our immune systems upon eating. You want to be lean and healthy, eat extra virgin coconut oil! It is also a great oil to cook with!

2.) Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil

1.) Neptune Krill Oil

Now, I would suggest 50% or more of your total fat intake come from above preferred foods list. That doesn’t mean you can’t eat other fats like those inherent to protein sources, such as meat, poultry or dairy fat. It just means you should eat those foods more sparingly now and refocus on the healing nature of the fats above.

from an article by Zach Smith at shapefit.com

Category: General Health, Health, Healthy Diet

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