Why You Need Fat in Your Diet

We all learn lessons throughout our life. Whether it’s a hard life lesson through mistakes or it’s something we learned by studying…we are learning and growing every day.

And do you know that feeling when you learn something, and when you look back you say to yourself, “I can’t believe I didn’t know that all these years?” Or maybe you say “Wow. It’s that simple and I’m just figuring this out."

That is exactly how I feel when I think about fat. Yes, I said FAT. 

I was raised in the 80’s when Tab soda first came out. It was the first “diet” soda (that I can remember). It was in a pink can and all the moms were drinking it at the swimming pool every summer. 

That was my first encounter with the word “fat” as it pertains to body weight. And that thought of the word “fat” was molded in my brain as a bad thing. 

That’s when all the “fat-free” advertising came out. Foods were labeled “fat-free,” and society deemed “fat” as a bad thing that we must eliminate from our diet. 

Now there is a HUGE rise in brain cognitive disorders and diseases. Alzheimer's and Dementia are taking over our older community, and the age at which someone is diagnosed is getting younger and younger. This is terrifying to me. 

Did you know our brains are made of fat?

Yes. Our brains are made up of 60% fat. So, one thing (out of many things)  we need to be doing in order to keep a healthy brain is to feed it fat. 

Now, I am NOT talking about the fat you find in donuts. No ma’am. I am talking about good healthy fats. 

Our bodies need fat for, not only our brains, but to help store energy, and to help balance our hormones. Healthy fats also help support cell function.

There are lots of foods that contain good healthy fats. 

Some of these foods are

• Wild Caught Salmon
• Coconut Oil
• Avocados and Avocado Oil
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Walnuts
• Dark Chocolate
• Chia Seeds
• Eggs (whole eggs that are pasture raised)
• Coconut Milk (full fat)

These foods contain omega-3 fatty acids... AKA the “good fat”. 

Oil can be a great ingredient

All of my recipes that use oil (which is 99% of them) contain one of these oils above. 

Many of my recipes contain one of these ingredients because getting healthy fats in our diet is essential for overall health. 

In my new cookbook, What’s On Your Fork?!, I use a form of healthy fat in every recipe. Every single recipe will tell you what ingredients are healthy fats and what ingredients are fiber. I believe it’s important to know what you are eating and why you should or shouldn’t be eating that ingredient. 

What’s On Your Fork?! is loaded with over 100 meal ideas that all promote an anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle. Every recipe has a beautiful food picture (I’m a very visual eater so I thought this was an important feature). 

I’ll leave you with this challenge. When you plan your next meal, be sure you include one healthy fat as one of your ingredients. 

Xoxo,