The 10 Healthiest Fats You Can Eat (And Which Ones To Avoid)

Fats often get a bad rap. However, fat is actually an essential nutrient that plays several important roles in the body. The trick is to pack natural, nutritious sources of fat onto your plate.

Fat is a macronutrient, along with carbs and protein, which means our bodies require it in large quantities (as compared to micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, which our bodies require in small quantities).

Fat has been vilified1 for decades, with several diets promoting fat-free or low-fat eating patterns. However, this essential nutrient plays several important roles in the body, says Crystal Scott, R.D., a nutritionist who specializes in weight management. Moreover, fat also adds great flavor to food and helps us feel full, says Jen Scheinman, M.S., RDN, a functional nutrition coach.

Dietary guidelines generally recommend that you get 20% to 35% of your total calorie intake6 from fats. For someone following a 2,000-calorie diet, for example, that could work out to 400 to 700 calories from fat per day (around 45 to 75 grams).

So, what makes a fat healthy, and how you can distinguish between healthy fats and unhealthy fats?

"Healthy fats tend to be natural and have chemical structures that are easy for the body to break down and utilize for energy. These include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats," says Uma Naidoo, M.D., a nutritional psychiatrist and the author of This Is Your Brain on Food.

Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats (MUFAs and PUFAs for short) are found in foods like avocados, olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fish, says Scheinman. They can promote heart health7, lower cholesterol levels8, and reduce inflammation9, Scheinman adds.

On the other hand, Naidoo explains that an unhealthy fat is one that is the result of food processing. Processing alters the structures of natural fats in ways that make them harder for the body to use.

If you've heard of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, you may wonder what the difference between them is and which kind is healthy.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fats that have anti-inflammatory properties12; whereas, omega-6s in high proportions can be inflammatory13, says Naidoo.

Omega-3 fatty acids play a crucial role in brain development and function14, support heart health15, and may help with conditions like depression16, ADHD17, and age-related cognitive decline18, says Scheinman.

"Prior to the industrial revolution, humans consumed a diet with an approximately 4:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats; however, in today's food climate the average person consumes roughly a 16:1 ratio19 of omega-6 to omega-3 fats, which is one of the drivers of chronic inflammation and many metabolic diseases," Naidoo explains.

Fatty fish are a great source of heart-protective omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, the American Heart Association20 recommends eating two servings of fatty fish per week for better heart health. Fatty fish, like salmon, are also a good source of protein21 and have a negligible carb content.

Unlike most fruits that primarily contain carbs and don't have much fat content, avocados22 are packed with healthy fats. Avocados also contain vitamin E and antioxidants23 that improve brain health and protect against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

Nuts are packed with healthy fats that boost heart health. A 2017 study24 found that eating 1 ounce of nuts at least five times a week is linked to a 20% lower risk of heart disease.

Like nuts, seeds also pack a powerful punch when it comes to protein and healthy fats. Seeds contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats25 that can help reduce cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar.

Olive oil is the cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet, which is considered to be one of the healthiest diets in the world26. Olive oil contains oleic acid27, which is a fatty acid with powerful anti-inflammatory properties. 

Eggs, and egg yolks in particular, once had a bad rap28 for their cholesterol content. However, more recent research has shown that dietary cholesterol isn't a significant factor for heart disease risk29. Furthermore, eggs are a nutrient-dense food30 that offer several vitamins and minerals, in addition to protein and healthy fats. 

Like other dairy products, yogurt also contains fats, protein, and calcium. It also has the added bonus of probiotics31, healthy bacteria that improve immunity and gut health.

Beans are a great addition to your diet, particularly if you're vegan or vegetarian and looking for more food groups to increase your protein intake. In addition to omega-3 fatty acids, beans also offer protein and fiber32.

Ghee is a form of clarified butter that has been used in Ayurvedic recipes and remedies for centuries. It is made by heating butter and getting rid of any excess water, in order to create a more concentrated fat that contains fat-soluble vitamins33 A, E, and K, Ginger Hultin, M.S., RDN, previously told mindbodygreen.

Dark chocolate contains a type of saturated fat called stearic acid34 that does not appear to impact cholesterol levels the same way that fat from meat does, says Scheinman. Furthermore, she says it's full of other nutrients35 like magnesium as well as healthy polyphenols.

Trans fats and hydrogenated oils are unhealthy fats you should avoid.

Trans fats are formed via a manufacturing process that involves adding hydrogen to vegetable oil, in order to transform it from a liquid to a solid at room temperature.

Margarine and shortening are examples of trans fats. They are known as partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs). Trans fats used to be found in many fried foods, baked goods, packaged snacks, and store-bought salad dressings, says Naidoo. These fats have been shown to pose a serious risk to heart health36. 

Currently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) bans food manufacturers from adding trans fats to foods37 in the United States, although some products still contain traces of them. The FDA estimates that removing PHOs from processed foods can potentially prevent thousands of deaths and heart attacks per year.

In addition to trans fats, other highly processed fats such as vegetable and seed oils are also unhealthy, especially in high amounts, says Scheinman. "There's concern that the highly processed fats found in soybean oil, corn oil, and sunflower oil can increase inflammation, especially in the typical American diet where we eat a lot of these fats and very little of the healthy anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids," she explains. 

Saturated fats often get grouped in with trans fats, but they're not the same thing. Saturated fats are found in animal products like meats and dairy, as well as some tropical plant foods like coconut, says Naidoo.

While it was once believed that saturated fats should be strictly limited, recent research38 suggests that they may not be as harmful as previously thought, Scott explains.

"The current dietary guidelines recommend that you keep saturated fats to less than 10% of your calories. If you have heart disease, high cholesterol, or are at high risk of developing heart disease, the American Heart Association recommends keeping saturated fats to 5% to 6% of your daily calories39," says Scheinman.

When it comes to evaluating how healthy a food is, it's also important to consider the quality of nutrition the food offers rather than just the leanness, Abby K. Cannon, J.D., R.D., CDN, previously pointed out to mindbodygreen. If a food is rich in vitamins and minerals and also contains some saturated fat (such as eggs, for example), it may be a better option than a food that has no fat but doesn't provide much nutritional value either.