Good Fat and Bad Fat Explained

Rick Forster | Anytime Fitness, Wellington

Fat. It’s one of the most underrated macros when talking about health and wellness. Often with my new clients, I see a resounding similarity in the belief that less fat equals more weight loss; and a healthier quality of life. That’s just simply not true. In fact, your body is designed to run on fat. This is the principle behind a ketogenic diet.

First, you must understand the role fat plays in your body. Your brain is designed to run on what’s called ketones. Your body produces ketones by breaking down triglycerides in your blood. Triglycerides are just a fancy word for complete chain fats. You can find these fats in just about every source of natural fats. Things like avocado, legumes, and nut butter. Many oils can also be beneficial. Oils like coconut and macadamia are great sources of triglycerides. As well you’ll find that these oils have a higher flash rate than olive oil and make great tools for cooking.

Now I know what you’re thinking. Are all fats good? The answer is no! For your body to burn fat for fuel it must be a complete chain triglyceride. Once fat is processed it loses a triglyceride and becomes unhealthy. Therefore, things like canola oil and margarine are considered unhealthy. When the digestion process begins. Your body will recognize the processed fat as useless for energy production and store it as body fat.

So, the big question lingering is how much good fat do I need a day? A good start is about .5 grams of fat per pound of lean body mass. That means if you’re 180 pounds and 20% body fat; you should be getting about 75 grams of healthy fat a day. It’s that simple!

How do Carbs play into this whole dilemma? I want you to start thinking of carbohydrates as a performance booster. Eating carbs before a workout or prolonged outdoor activities (like hiking) can really make the body feel good. However, you want to be wary of eating carbohydrates with every meal. Use healthy fats to satiate you for evening meals and healthy snacks. The results will be fast and speak for themselves.

To leave you with a final thought. Try incorporating a different source of healthy fats. Switch from Jiffy peanut butter to Adams natural peanut butter. Stop cooking with vegetable oil and switch to avocado oil for those eggs in the morning. Your gut will thank you and your body will run better. Couple that with reducing carbohydrates and I think you’ll find the results are amazing.

Good luck Fit Fam! Have a happy and healthy New Year!