Don’t be afraid to eat fat, just eat the good stuff: The Skinny on Fats

Sixty percent of your brain is fat. So, yeah, you are a fat head. Fat in the brain is a good thing, and where I see high fat diets like a ketogenic diet (if done correctly with good quality fat) the most beneficial are in cases of brain injuries, dementia, and seizure disorders.

Furthermore, the membranes in all your cells are made up of fat and protein. And the type of fat in the membrane determines what goes in and out of your cells. Cholesterol, for example adds some stability to the cell membrane, but too much cholesterol “clogs” it up. Omega 6, 9 and 3 fats (from corn oil, nuts and seeds, olive oil, avocado and fish) help make it more fluid.

Rancid fats – like cheap oils, hydrogenated/fractionated oils, margarine, those found in processed foods can damage the cell membranes.

Why is this important? Your body’s ability to bring nutrients, glucose (main source of energy), hormones and other molecules into the cell depends on that membrane. It also impacts how toxins and waste products leave the cells.

This ability is critical to energy production, nerve impulses, metabolism, toxin removal and recovery. If your cellular membranes are damaged, the likelihood of disease, cancer, atherosclerosis, and other chronic problems increases.

Fat is also important because it assists in the absorption of the essential fat-soluble vitamins: A, E, K and D.

So, how much fat should you eat? Well, for a standard whole food, omnivore diet probably somewhere around 50-65 grams of fat is good with 20-30 grams of saturated fat at most. Saturated fat are fats that are solid at room temperature: fat in meat, butter, coconut oil, eggs. If you are doing a higher fat diet, then pay attention to the type of fat you are eating and keep the carbohydrates low, so that you are burning fats to make energy.

Unsaturated fats should be clean, cold pressed and organic if you can afford it. Olive oil, avocado oil are rich in omega 9 fatty acids and are tolerant of some heat in cooking. Nut and seed oils are rich in omega 6 and 3’s but get damaged by cooking with them. So, these are best in their whole form, raw nuts and seeds are best. If you use the oils, buy them in dark bottles and store them in the refrigerator. Cold water fish is rich in omega 3s which are anti-inflammatory but be aware that most tuna and larger predatory fish are also high in mercury, so you do not want to eat a lot of them for other reasons. Sardines, mackerel and other smaller fish are better choices.

Corn oil, canola oil are generally not good choices. Corn oil tends to be rancid (just give it the sniff test) and canola oil is highly processed.

So don’t be afraid to eat fat, just eat the good stuff. And next time someone calls you a “fat head”, say thank you.

Dr. Jennifer Means welcomes you for Primary Care for the whole family: Nutrition, IV Therapy, Naturopathy, and Acupuncture. Contact us at 503-641-6400.