How to incorporate healthy fats in your diet

With the re-emergence of fats making their way into our diets, we are learning that they are not only healthful, but necessary for optimal living.

And best of all, they make food taste amazing.

Fats keep us satiated, help us absorb certain vitamins, and promote healthy digestion. Fats were once blamed for the heart disease epidemic, but turns out we blamed the wrong type of fats.

The human body is designed to eat fats from meat, seafood, eggs, nuts, and high quality dairy. Not the fat that is derived from seeds and bottled in factory such as canola, cottonseed, and margarine.

Absolutely no one should be eating margarine or shortening, they contain chemically-produced fat that  cause inflammation in the body.

Healthy sources of fat and examples of where to get them include saturated from ethically raised animals, polyunsaturated from seafood and pumpkin seeds, and monounsaturated from nuts and avocados.

These are the fats you want to be incorporating to every meal in a balanced amount to leave you feeling energized and satisfied. The right amount is all dependent on your disposition and activity level. Eat what feels good to you.

How to tell if you aren't eating enough fat? Feelings of fatigue and lethargy throughout the day, ravenous between meals and never feeling satiated, poor digestion, stalled weight loss, brain fog and the list goes on.

As a society we have been trained to fear fat and led to believe low fat foods are healthful. But if you are experiencing any of the symptoms above, lack of fat could be to blame.

There are multiple ways you can get more fat into your diet including roasting, sautéing, flavoring, and dressing your foods with them.

Cooking with fats require heat stable ones that can be used for roasting and sautéing. Oils such as coconut, avocado, and ghee can all be used for higher heat cooking.

One of the staple recipes in my kitchen is using whatever root vegetable I have on hand and coating in 1 tbsp oil, sprinkle with spices and roast at 400 degree until tender.

Another way to incorporate oils is to flavor with them, making sauces and dressings. Easy ways to do this are to drizzle green vegetables with olive oil or top your salad with avocado. Take it up a notch by making your own mayo with eggs and avocado oil for a healthier alternative.

Fat is very satiating so a little goes a long way in keeping you full between meals. The goal is to eat the right amount for you.

Remember everything from meat, eggs, and seafood to olive, nuts and avocado, contain healthy fats that are part of a balanced diet.

Next time you build your plate, be sure that fat is on there!