Confused By Healthy & Unhealthy Fats? Here Are 6 Rules To Live By

Seeing this giant pivot in perspective on fat, it's no wonder that people are now confused. I can't count the number of people who still think they can't eat eggs or that in order to lose weight, they have to follow a low-fat diet, avoiding even healthy fats that come from fish or fish oil. So let's set the fat facts straight. Here are six fat rules to live by:

Your body absolutely needs fat to function and thrive. It needs fat for fuel, to absorb other nutrients, to help regulate inflammation, movement, and blood clotting, and to make up the membranes that surround the cells as well as the sheaths that cover nerves. In other words, you need fat to thrive.

When the four binding sites of each carbon atom are used up, the fat molecule is called "saturated." If there is an empty spot on the chain, it is called "unsaturated." One empty spot deems the fat molecule as "monounsaturated," and multiple empty spots deem it "polyunsaturated." Saturated fats are solid at room temperature, and unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. When liquid fats like vegetable oils are turned into solid fats through a process called hydrogenation, they become trans fats.

As you must have guessed, the "good" fats are the unsaturated fats, or the liquid fats. Examples of monounsaturated fats include avocados, olive oil, sesame oil, safflower oil, and peanut oil. Polyunsaturated fats are found in many foods and oils such as walnuts and almonds; fish like salmon, herring, albacore tuna, Alaskan rockfish, trout, and mackerel; sunflower seeds, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, safflower oil, and soybean oil.

Both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are meant to be consumed in equal ratio, synergistically giving the body the essential fats it needs to function at its best. Back in the times before agriculture, when we were hunters and gatherers and our ancestors ate what was naturally available, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 was about 1:1. Now, with the advent of agriculture, grains and dairy, processed, man-made and fast foods, however, the ratio has changed to 6:1 (some studies report the ratio in most Western diets is 15:1 to 16.7:1!6).

The food culprits in the modern Western diet that skew the ratio include such foods as French fries and onion rings (and other such fried foods), baked goods such as cookies and muffins, dairy, vegetable oil, eggs, beef, pork, and chicken. These omega-6-rich foods increase the gap in the ratio also because of the low intake of omega-3-rich foods such as fish, flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, soybeans, and canola oil. The higher the intake of omega-6 over omega-3 fish oils, the higher the risk for inflammation8.

The goal is to ensure that your dietary intake of omega-6 fatty acids matches your intake of omega-3 fatty acids as much as possible. In simple terms, optimizing the omega-6/omega-3 ratio in your diet means lowering your intake of processed foods and sugars and eating more fish, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. A simple recipe to follow to optimize healthy fat intake involves the following:

Avoid oils such as sunflower oil, corn oil, soybean oil, peanut oil, and cottonseed oil. Instead, choose oils that are low in omega-6 fatty acids including flaxseed oil or high in saturated fat, like coconut oil, palm oil, butter, and olive oil. 

Currently, the best dietary source of omega-3 fatty acids is from fish oils and fish. You really can't go wrong, though, with seafood, especially fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and herring, which have the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids. 

Walnuts, almonds, flaxseeds, and chia seeds (among others) provide the body with a third type of omega-3 fat, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). ALA is also an essential fat and is used for energy. The body can make EPA and DHA from ALA, but only in limited amounts. In addition, it appears that the conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA is hindered by a high intake of omega-6, which may be one of the reasons a diet high in omega-6 fatty acids is associated9 with poor health outcomes. The bottom line is that you will benefit from eating these nuts and seeds; just try to avoid eating them with foods high in omega-6!

Along with nuts and seeds, there are several plant sources for ALA. Such vegetables include some leafy greens like spinach and arugula, sprouted radishes, and cruciferous vegetables like Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. Just note that the conversion to EPA and DHA is very small10 and in addition, is dependent on other food intake.11 Your best bet is to eat these veggies with some type of seafood.