the best foods containing healthy fat? (if such a thing...)

MI3BBE
MI3BBE Posts: 14 Member
edited November 22 in Food and Nutrition
It says i need to increase my daily fat intake, but is there such thing as healthy fats? I dont wish to stock up on the crisps and junk food anytime soon.. any help is much appreciated x

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Fatty cuts of meat, fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, herring, trout, tuna in oil), eggs (eat the yolk), full fat dairy, nuts, avocado, olives and olive oil.
  • completeplan
    completeplan Posts: 8 Member
    As long as the fat is not highly processed its on the healthy side. Margarine and other processed fats are not food. I use coconut oil, olive oil, butter from Finland or any grass fed organic butter, nut oils, hemp oil, safflower oil is great for high heat with high smoking point. Animal fats are not bad for you. Fatty fish is great as long as you can find wild caught fish. Eggs are perfect food, just eat the whole egg. Processing makes fats unhealthy. Avocados are great source of healthy fats.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Fatty cuts of meat, fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, herring, trout, tuna in oil), eggs (eat the yolk), full fat dairy, nuts, avocado, olives and olive oil.

    Pretty much all of this. Also, fats are extremely healthy for you. It helps with satiety, regulates hormones and helps with absorption of nutrients. The whole fats are bad has pretty much gone out the window. The only debate there is today, is still based on saturate fats.

  • Patttience
    Patttience Posts: 975 Member
    Healthy fat is usually considered to be nut oils (not industrially produced with chemicals) so olive oil is a good one, nuts, seeds, avocado.

    However, i would suggest that full cream dairy is better than low fat dairy but don't consume too much and do increase your vegetable fats as described above.

    Fatty cuts of meat is not generally considered to be healthy fat. HOwever the issue of saturated fat is up in the air. To be on the safe side prioritise vegetable fats and fish.

    The poeple telling you to eat fatty meat are likely paleo and low carbers so you need at least to be aware of who is telling you what.

    Unhealthy fats are generally anything used in junk food, fast food. Margerine, industrially manufactured vegetables and seed oils.

    Meat fat is contentious. Its saturated so I would not be in a hurry to start stuffing yourself with it but you don't need to be fastidious. Just eat meat but not too much.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    edited July 2015
    Patttience wrote: »
    Healthy fat is usually considered to be nut oils (not industrially produced with chemicals) so olive oil is a good one, nuts, seeds, avocado.

    However, i would suggest that full cream dairy is better than low fat dairy but don't consume too much and do increase your vegetable fats as described above.

    Fatty cuts of meat is not generally considered to be healthy fat. HOwever the issue of saturated fat is up in the air. To be on the safe side prioritise vegetable fats and fish.

    The poeple telling you to eat fatty meat are likely paleo and low carbers so you need at least to be aware of who is telling you what.

    Unhealthy fats are generally anything used in junk food, fast food. Margerine, industrially manufactured vegetables and seed oils.

    Meat fat is contentious. Its saturated so I would not be in a hurry to start stuffing yourself with it but you don't need to be fastidious. Just eat meat but not too much.

    Eating meat isn't bad for you by any means. Even with eating a lot of red meat, I have seen decreases in my total cholesterol and triglycerides. And more emerging research is suggesting that saturate fats isn't as bad as once perceived. But there are fats we know are extremely beneficial such as omega 3 fatty acids (found in fish, especially darker colored ones like tuna and salmon) and poly & monounsaturated fats which can help lower LDL and increase HDL cholesterol.

    Either way, one should always try to get a variety of fats to ensure maximum intake of nutrients, but at the same time, there is nothing wrong with high fat meats because in the end, your total diet is what matters.

    I would also agree that increased veggies is very beneficial, especially since research would suggest that fiber can help or at least reduce the chances of developing colon cancer.

    I would disagree though with the bold.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Usually what is meant by "healthy fats" are vegetable based fats like that in olives and olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds, and maybe coconuts/coconut oil (saturated, but from a vegetable source). Also, it may simply refer to polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (which are combined with saturated fats in various ratios in many animal sources). Here's a discussion: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/

    That said, there is currently an ongoing debate about saturated fat. It's still recommended not to go especially high on that, but it's not like transfats where you want to avoid it, and IMO the benefits of foods like butter, meat, etc. make them good sources of fat too, although I wouldn't make your main protein or fat source fatty meats like bacon and sausage, personally, or cheese (although I eat both in moderation, since they are delicious).
  • MI3BBE
    MI3BBE Posts: 14 Member
    Thankyou everyone!! You have all been very helpful x
  • Kexessa
    Kexessa Posts: 346 Member
    Avocados and olive oil are my go-to healthy fats. Nuts and seeds are good too but watch as you get a small amount for a lot of calories. Fatty cuts of meat are not considered under healthy fats. Fatty fish like salmon is different as it has the omega3's and those are considered 'good' fats.

    You do need to eat your healthy fats. Just like vitamin C is water soluble and you'll pee out any excess you have, some vitamins like A, D and K are fat soluable and you need fats in your diet for them.
  • rhtexasgal
    rhtexasgal Posts: 572 Member
    I ditto eating some animals fats as they have some great nutrition such as vitamins A, D and K, DHA and choline. I don't go crazy eating them but it I am grilling a steak, I will eat some of the fat (if it is not turned to charcoal black). I will also eat the skin of my baked chicken. For some reason, when I eat protein with fats (particularly animal fats), I get an overall sense of well-being as my food digests and it will last all day. I am less achy the following day even if I have trained hard and should expect some soreness. Just my two cents ...
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Olives, walnuts, soy beans, almonds, tofu, tuna, eggs, flax seeds, sunflower seeds.
  • br3adman
    br3adman Posts: 284 Member
    Walnuts avocados sardines and eggs are the top good fats I eat.
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