What are healthy fats?

The idea that all fat is bad has been oversimplified. See, there are bad fats, but there are healthy fats as well.

Bad fats include hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, trans fats, and polyunsaturated industrial seed oils such as corn, vegetable, soy, and canola oil. These are all linked to cellular congestion and inflammation, which can lead to chronic diseases like heart disease.

However, diets high in saturated fats and cholesterol don’t raise inflammation, blood cholesterol levels, and other negative biomarkers in most people. Instead, they have been shown to support healthy inflammation, cholesterol levels, and so much more. Foods that contain healthy fats include:

• Coconuts/Coconut oil
• Avocados/Avocado oil
• Olives/Olive oil
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Wild-caught fish
• Grass-fed beef
• Butter
• Ghee
• Eggs
• Grass-fed dairy products

Research has shown that Omega-3 fatty acids like EPA and DHA are especially important for your health. These can be found most abundantly in wild-caught seafood and certain plant sources like hemp, flaxseeds, and algae.

Benefits of healthy fats

Considering they play a role in almost every area of your health, healthy fats have many benefits. These are just a few of the main reasons why you should consider upping your fat intake to facilitate optimal health. 

1. Cognitive function

Your brain is the fattiest organ in your body, composed of 60 percent fat, and as much as 25 percent of the body’s cholesterol is located in the brain. So why would you want to deprive your brain of its very makeup?

For example, arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids are two forms of fat that play an important role (1) in brain health and the MCTs (medium chain triglycerides) found in coconut oil have been shown (2) to improve cognitive function.

2. Balanced hormones

Healthy fats are the building blocks of healthy cellular membranes. And since cell communication is key in hormone health, by eating a diet of healthy fats you are building up the pathways of communication throughout your body. This makes it easier for your hormones to convert and get where they need to be, helping you be hormonally balanced.

3. Stable blood sugar

Most people believe that we need sugar and carbohydrates to give us energy. And while it is true that these give us a boost, that energy spike is only temporary, leaving us instead with high blood sugar, insulin spikes, and a slew of metabolic health problems like chronic inflammation, diabetes, and weight gain.

Fat on the other hand is a more sustainable form of energy because it does not impact blood sugar levels the same way that glucose does with increasing evidence showing that healthy fats like omega-3s - specifically EPA and DHA from fish oil - can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. (3) 

4. Gut health

Since your gut is the foundation of your entire health, it’s important to always be facilitating a healthy microbiome. MCTs can work as a powerful antimicrobial by helping kill off pathogenic bacterial infections to promote a healthy microbiome balance. Adding more fats into your diet and less sugar can also increase the good bacteria in your gut.

5. Cardiovascular health

Contrary to popular belief, studies have shown that lowering dietary saturated fat and cholesterol did not decrease heart attacks. (4) In fact, studies have actually shown quite the opposite with cardiovascular disease being directly linked to low omega-3 fatty acid levels in the body. (5) The good news however, is this same study found that blood pressure, heart rate, serum lipid levels, and aortic wall thickness all improved with the addition of EPA and DHA supplementation.

How to get more healthy fats

Following a high fat, moderate protein, low carb ketogenic diet is one way to take advantage of all the health benefits of fats. But not everyone can or wants to go keto. Even though I do believe food is foundational, it can be difficult to get enough fat through food alone - especially if you aren’t planning on making a huge dietary shift.

That’s why I formulated my supplement The Omega+ to help you get in your daily dose of essential EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids.

Unlike other fish oils that can be hit or miss in terms of bioavailability, The Omega+ is formulated with MaxSimil® monoglyceride fish oil that has a three times greater EPA+DHA absorption rate than an equivalent dose of other leading fish oils. This patented lipid absorption enhancement technology (PLATform), allows for maximum bioavailability to provide the most benefit for your health.

The MaxSimil PLATform is a novel monoglyceride delivery system that enhances absorption of lipid-based and lipid-soluble nutraceutical and food ingredients. Due to the fact that monoglyceride oils are intrinsically emulsifiers and are, by nature, in a readily absorbable form, they can bypass the body’s normal fat digestion process. These qualities make The Omega+ an excellent method for delivering omega-3 fatty acids, especially if you have any underlying gut dysfunctions. 

As one of the first functional medicine telehealth clinics in the world, we provide webcam health consultations for people around the globe. 

Photo: unsplash.com