Good Fats for Weight Loss: What Are They?
The balance of carbs, proteins, and fats makes our eating healthy. Yet, if you have some extra weight, you need to reduce your calorie consumption and strictly monitor what you eat. Some think that restricting fats is the key to success in weight loss. Others may disagree with them and claim carb restriction to be more effective. What’s the truth?
In our health blog, we decided to consider good fats for weight loss and why it is not worth strictly limiting your fat consumption. Let’s learn more about this.
How Fats Consumption Impacts Our Weight-Controlling Routines
Fats are not our enemies. Moreover, the human body cannot remain healthy and active without some kinds of fats, called essential fats. It is true that when we eat extra fats and carbs we don’t use as an energy source, these extras transform into fat deposits in our bodies. Yet, as the NIH research held in 2015 proved, carbs restriction truly reduces the production of the Insulin hormone we need to regulate fat in our bodies while fat restrictions don’t work the same. There were no changes in Insulin production and, thus, fat regulation in people who reduced fat consumption.
At the same time, Arne Astrup's Pubmed article states that dietary fat consumption plays a role in weight loss and maintenance.
Besides, fats are indispensable for the regulation of the following body processes:
- Normal functions of the nervous system;
- Effective fat-soluble vitamins intake (A, D, E, and K vitamins);
- Protection against heart diseases;
- Good cholesterol regulations and reduction of bad cholesterol.
As a result, when you consume enough fats, your nervous, reproductive, and cardiovascular systems work clockwise. Yet, not all the fats are good. For example, only monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are truly useful while saturated fats and trans fats are real enemies of our well-being. Of course, for a ubiquitous person, these terms say nothing if only you are not a nutritionist. So, let’s detect which fat-containing products are good for weight loss and which you should strictly ban from your menu.
Top 10 Useful Fats to Lose Weight
Here is our list of the so-called good fats you can add to your daily menu to make it healthier.
- Avocado and avocado oil. Avocado is trendy and it’s not occasional. It provides monounsaturated fats to guarantee satiety and it contains useful fiber we need for healthy digestion and metabolism normalization.
- Fatty fish like mackerel, anchovies, herring, tuna, and sardines. They are a source of protein, and they contain a good amount of Omega-3 fatty acids which provide more useful nutrients than plant-based Omega-3. Besides, when you eat fatty fish instead of meat proteins, you consume fewer calories which also positively impacts weight loss.
- Nuts and seeds. Although nuts and seeds were prohibited as dietary products for a long time due to their high-calorie levels, today, they are rehabilitated and nutritionists claim that the essential oils they contain can help with weight regulation. So, you can use them as a healthy snack but do not overeat them.
- Full-fat dairy products, especially yogurt, are also useful. Yes, you can say that full-fat yogurt contains animal fats which are not as good as you wished them to be. Yet, yogurt is a great source of probiotics to boost your digestion and it provides you with considerable amounts of calcium and protein.
- Olives and olive oil are iconic in dietary practices. They are the basis of the fabulous Mediterranean diet and they make miracles due to high levels of monounsaturated fats. For example, olives contain 10,9% of fats and their compound called oleuropein is effective for diabetes prevention. As for olive oil, it is proven to help prevent heart diseases due to 14 g of monounsaturated fats per 1 tbsp and high levels of vitamin E and antioxidants.
- Tofu is more than a staple protein for vegans and vegetarians. It is a great source of both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
- Flaxseed and flaxseed oil are the sources of plant-derived Omega-3. Today, they are considered to be a true superfood you can implement in your diet to lose weight without fat restrictions.
- Eggs are also a source of good fats. Egg yolk contains choline, vitamins E and D which support the liver, brain, and nerves.
- Dark chocolate is not just a useful sweet. It contains saturated fat yet, additionally, it provides us with necessary levels of magnesium, potassium, and calcium.
- Chia seeds are a powerful source of polyunsaturated fats and Omega-3 as well as antioxidants, fiber, iron, and calcium.
These sources of good fats can be easily integrated into your food habits, and you can eat them without any doubt. Yet, there are some rules which may boost their effects if you adhere to them.
The Major Rules of Weight-Losing Fat Eating
Although our top-10 list consists of truly good fat sources, eating them mindfully is a must. In particular, the way to weight control is embodied in the following rules:
- Control of your portion is a must. If you eat an unlimited amount of any product, this results in overeating and going out of prescribed calorie numbers.
- Drinking enough fresh water is beneficial. It provides a faster satiety feeling and helps maintain water-salt balance.
- Avoid bad fats. If you eat good fats and bad fats at the same time, the goodness of the first ones can be mitigated.
Using these rules and our guidelines for good fats for weight loss, you can succeed in your weight-control routines and enjoy the healthiest meals ever. Besides, you can get them freshly cooked and delivered from 95 Nutrition as we use the healthiest fats in our meal prep & delivery service.