Healthy fats are important to incorporate in your diet as they play several roles in the body. To name a few, healthy fats slow down digestion which helps with better absorbing nutrients, they are important for heart health and have also been associated with decreased depression symptoms.
Making sure unhealthy fats like unsaturated and trans fats are kept to a minimum is important but healthy fats can help improve overall health. Understanding the difference between the 2 types of fat is an essential part of maintaining a healthy diet. Certain vitamins require fat to dissolve into the bloodstream and provide nutrients needed to get through your day. Some foods contain both healthy and unhealthy fatty acids so it’s important to understand the nutritional value of each. All types of fat contain an excessive amount of calories so too much of any type does have the potential to lead to gaining weight.
What are Healthy Fats?
Healthy fats consist of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat, which help increase your good cholesterol (HDL). There is also an association between cognitive function and the importance of healthy fats in the diet.
Below are some examples of healthy fats:
- Avocado
- Walnuts
- Olive Oil
- Flaxseeds
- Chia seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Cashews
- Peanut butter and nut butters
Eating meals that contain the foods listed above instead of unhealthy saturated fats will give you a healthier diet and help you feel great. Analyzing your diet to identify foods you eat that contain high amounts of unhealthy fats is a good place to start developing a healthier diet. Introducing foods with healthy fats that you enjoy is the best way to make a change to your diet that will last and lower the risk of giving up on eating healthy altogether. Making changes to your diet incrementally instead of all at once is another way to start eating healthier in a sustainable way.
Get Support from Nutritional Therapy
Meeting with a Nutritional Therapist at Behavioral Nutrition to review your diet and eating habits will help give you insight into where it’s most important to make changes. Our Nutritional Therapy Services can put together a plan to eliminate unhealthy fats from your diet so you can work towards a healthier diet and experience the benefits of eating better as new foods are introduced. The team at Behavioral Nutrition has years of experience helping individuals find diets that work for them and understands the best diet is different for everyone. Contact us to learn more about how we can support your transition to a healthier lifestyle.
