Diet and Nutrition Healthy Eating Tips

7 High Fat, Fat Fighting Foods

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Despite being an essential nutrient and active in brain, nerve, bowel and heart  health just to name a few, fat is unfortunately feared.

Fat is found naturally in vegetable, dairy and protein foods and provides many nutritional benefits. These foods should be consumed daily:

  1. Avocado– You may know avocados contain fat and fiber which help keep you full, but did you know Avocado contains mannoheptulose, a sugar that has been linked to lowering insulin release and enhances calcium absorption, both calcium and lower insulin levels can contribute to fat loss.
  2. Coconut-Coconut contains medium chain triglycerides (MCT) which speed up metabolism. In a study published in The American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18326600, coconut oil seems to promote more weight and fat loss than olive oil. Yes, saturated fat coconut oil produced better weight loss than “healthy”olive oil.
  3. Greek yogurt-contains more protein than regular yogurt so it is a more balanced food that has less appetite stimulating sugar than regular yogurt. Regardless of this, weight loss studies link its calcium content to fueling fat loss. Results from a University of Tennessee study shows that dieters who ate three servings of yogurt a day lost 22% more weight, 61% more body fat and maintained lean muscle than dieters who ate less calcium.
  4. Eggs- The real truth is that eggs are “eggs”ellent foods. Are you egg phobic? You should know in a study entitled, ” Egg Breakfast Enhances Weight Loss”. Participants eating eggs had a 61% greater reduction in body mass index (BMI), a 65% greater weight loss, a 34% greater reduction in waist circumference and a 16% greater reduction in percent body fat over those who ate fat-free bagels.
  5. Chocolate- What more do I have to say? There is research (“Chocolate Association Between More Frequent Chocolate Consumption and Lower Body Mass Index” Beatrice A. Golomb, MD, PhD; Sabrina Koperski, BS; Halbert L. White, PhD Arch Intern Med. 2012;172(6):519-521) suggesting that people who ate chocolate twice a week and exercised an average of 3 times a week tended to have a lower BMI. Warning: Do not eat milk or dark chocolate that contains tons of sugar. I suggest 85-90% dark cocoa chocolate that has minimal carbs and sugar.
  6. Grass Fed Beef (contains twice as much omega 3 and 3-5 times as much conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than regular beef)– CLA is a fatty acid linked to improved insulin function, fat loss and lean muscle preservation according to this study:  Eyjolfson V, Spriet LL, Dyck DJ. “Conjugated linoleic acid improves insulin sensitivity in young, sedentary humans.” Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2004;36:814-20. There is even a study from University of Wisconsin that shows beef helps to prevent weight re-gain after losing weight. Additional sources of CLA include turkey, lamb, buffalo, egg yolks and cottage cheese.
  7. Butter-Saturated fat is not as detrimental to health as once thought. It is so much healthier than man-made margarine. The CLA, short- and medium-chain fatty acids in butter can contribute to weight loss. Real butter is loaded with vitamins (vitamin A, D, E, K2) and minerals (selenium, iodine, manganese, chromium, zinc, copper).

Eat foods that naturally contain fat and cut fat free commercially prepared foods from your diet. Focus on nutrients. More healthy fat means more nutrition, more taste and better health.

About the author

Valerie Goldstein

Valerie raises the bar for health and nutrition know how with unconventional expertise and unconditional support for wellness.

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