For most of us, the word FAT is a bad word. What words come to your mind when you here that word, poor diet, greasy foods, unhealthy people, etc.. There is more to this story on fat though. There are fats that are essential 
to our health, these are the good fats. There are the typical bad fats we should all avoid too, we must learn the difference!
Trans fats are the ugly, mean, unhealthy ones. Keep your eyes pealed for this nasty monster. He comes in a lot of different forms, margarine, cookies, fried foods, and even crackers! Manufacturers use these trans fats to prolong the shelf life of many products. The bad news is, trans fats shortens our “shelf life” Trans fats does a lot of bad things to our beautiful bodies, disrupts cell to cell communication, increase inflammation, lowers good cholesterol and raises the bad cholesterol.. just to name a few. These deadly combos can lead to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer too.
You should also minimize saturated fats. These are found in high fat meats, dairy, and palm oil. Everything in moderation! A lot of saturated fats do contain a lot of vitamins such as A, D, and E. Be careful though, because an excess in these fats can contribute to weight gain and plaque
build up. Again, moderation is key!
The good fats is where it is at! These healthy fats support brain function, cardiovascular and cellular health, and your immune system! Our bodies DO need fats to properly function. It is all about which fats your choose. Olive 
oils, nuts, and avocados, all have monounsaturated fats, and in moderation these fats are fabulous! They help balance your cholesterol, control inflammation and support heart health, what is not to love!
Omega 3 fatty acids contain polyunsaturated fats that can be found in tofu, walnut oil, and fatty fish. The omega 3 fats boost brain functions and aids in weight loss. This might seem counter-intuitive, omega 3 fats and weight loss. The facts are that they improve overall fat metabolism and process glucose! It can also help in suppressing your appetite, that can help out your waistline as well 😉
So those of us that saw or participated in the anti fat obsession of the 90’s, this info could be asking a lot to change your views on fat. Bottom line, there is no questioning the fact that dietary fat is needed for good health! Be sure you are choosing healthy fats.. and like with everything else, moderation!
What is your experience with adding or taking fats out of your diet? Do know understand which are “good” and which are “naughty” fats?
i was a NO FAT girl of the 90’s. In fact, if fat was in the label, I did not eat it. Chicken wings at a bar with friends? Yes Sir, just the celery please. Beer…YEP, no fat. Pretzels, bread, eggs, chicken..baked potato with, yes, you guessed it, salsa or spicy brown mustard, but absolutely NO FAT! I till eat my veggies with mustard and salsa, but have added in the fat, in fact, I am now FAT. I love this site as I am doing low carb and find that I am losing weight, slowly, but it’s not the up/down thing. So, I love this article as it shows we can have some fats, and nuts and avocados are my favs 🙂
Fat is good….fat does NOT make you fat. Carbs make you fat. Eat butter, cocunut oil, avocado,NO corn ,canola , sunflower oil…..poison.
You are so right Joy! Great article here to simplify the different kinds of fats. It’s all about reading labels and understanding some basic nutrition facts when trying to lose weight or maintain your weight. That will lead to healthy eating and a healthier lifestyle overall.
Fat is our friend! I lost all of my extra weight eating low carb and a high good fat diet! I too was a no-fat girl of the 90s. It took some getting used to, but I now know that eating the right kind of fat is essential for optimal health and weight loss! My fav is organic coconut oil, I eat it as a treat!
I remember a friend telling me in the 90s that Jelly Bellies “aren’t that bad for you” because they don’t have any fat. Fail!
I feel much more satisfied and eat less when I have healthy fats in my meals. I enjoy walnuts, avocados, olive oil, and olives. I also recently added grass fed whole milk or cream because the fats in grass fed/pastured milk is supposed to help fight inflammation.
So I was reading my nutrition text book the other day (getting certified) and they RECOMMENDED THAT EVERYONE EAT MARGARINE!!!!! I just about chucked the book OUT OF THE WINDOW! And then on my test the question said, What Fat Source is MOST LIKELY to Cause Heart Disease… AND COCONUT OIL was the RIGHT ANSWER – At that point, oh my, You don’t even WANT TO KNOW what I did!!
yes I do!!!
My understanding is that there is now a lot of scientific/medical data out there showing that saturated fats do NOT lead to plaque build-up, nor do they contribute to heart disease. It also seems that if one is practicing a low carb diet, moderation of fats might not be advisable because fats should be the bulk of your nutrient intake. Fats are great for satiety, and most people tend to get full easier and stay full longer, which makes worrying about fat intake not as relevant on a low carb diet as on a traditional SAD diet.
Thanks for the clarification on this, I had a feeling fats weren’t ALL bad. Maybe it’s time we gave those fats some lovin’ 🙂
Just got a chance to read your article. I too bought the whole enchilada. Low fat all the way for me. Bought the cookbooks, cut out as much fat as possible, read each label for fat. And I lost a few (very few) pounds. Then nothing. Discovered low carb. Oh my goodness. I had not eaten cheese nor butter for years! I make my own salad dressing with olive oil, use coconut oil, have a bit of cheese and put real butter on my LC bread! AND lost 40 pounds and have kept (most of) it off!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, and now get fully satisfied when I eat, and fell satisfied for hours. And in further reading find out that this way of eating with the fats is actually good for you. This is not a diet, it is a way of living. Thank you, Jamie for being a part of helping me LC with your wonderful recipes and tips.