To Eat Fat, or Not To Eat Fat?

This is the Question

By Shana Hopkins, MS, CN, WAC Nutritionist 

There has been a lot of controversy in the past few years about the role of fat in the diet. As recently as the 1980s and early 90s, very lowfat diets were the entire craze. But, recently, scientists and nutritionists have been embracing diets that include fat for important reasons.

We tend to think of fat as only those handles that "hang around." Our bodies need fat and if we do not get it through the diet the body will make it. Fat plays an important part in the production of certain hormones and is a primary component in the structure of cell membranes. And did you know that fat is one of the primary components of the brain? Feeding your body the right fats will ensure that these fats are integrated into your cell membranes and are available to use as substrates for various chemical messenger systems in the body.

Dietary guidelines call for 30 percent of daily calories to come from fat, with 10 percent or less from saturated fat. This is a rule that is accepted by most researchers and health professionals. However, evidence suggests that it may not be the exact amount of fat in the diet that is a contributor to disease, but rather the types and quality of these fats.

There are three types of fat found in foods. These include saturated fats, monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. Saturated fats are found in foods like cheeses, red meats and dairy products. Monounsaturated fats are found in foods like olives, almonds, avocados and peanuts. Polyunsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils like corn, safflower and sunflower oils, and certain foods like flaxseed, salmon, cod and herring.

So what kinds of fats should you eat? Think about getting your fats from whole foods. The best food sources are nuts, seeds, olives, avocados and fatty fish, such as those listed above. Generally, a dietary fat profile that contains 50 percent monounsaturated fat, 40 percent polyunsaturated fat and 10 percent saturated fat is very good.

There has been a lot of evidence suggesting that the monounsaturated fats are more "heart-healthy" while saturated fats tend to promote heart disease. For this reason, go easy on foods heavy in saturated fats like cheese and red meats, and enjoy foods like olives and nuts which contain monounsaturated fats.

Lastly, be sure to eat polyunsaturated fats that come from food sources like flaxseeds and salmon in your diet. The fats in these foods are a special type of polyunsaturates known as omega-3 fats, and most Americans are deficient in these fats. Omega-3 fats are very important in disease prevention, and have been shown to be anti-inflammatory and heart healthy, improve brain function and soften skin.