Fats Are NOT Bad For You!

Have you heard the news? Fat isn’t bad for you! We’ve known that all along, of course—our great-grandparents ate butter and lard, not low-fat margarine and zero-calorie mayo—but now even mainstream health experts are saying that a low-fat/no-fat diet is not a good idea. Mary Flynn, a professor of medicine at Brown University, recently told an NPR reporter this: “There have been a number of studies done, and there’s been no benefit for low-fat diets to lead to better weight loss, and there’s no benefit for low-fat diets to lead to less disease.” She added that avoiding fat is not the key to a healthy diet. Common sense is finally becoming more common! For the full story, click here: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/03/28/295332576/why-we-got-fatter-during-the-fat-free-food-boom.

That said, remember that there’s a big difference between refined, rancid fats and fresh, unprocessed fats—you still want to avoid rancid fats. That means opting for unrefined oils (extra-virgin olive oil, not vegetable oil) and products from grass-fed animals whenever possible (grass-fed beef, not 99-cent-per-pound ground chuck). Here’s a quick rundown of what to look for and what to avoid when it comes to fats. Print out these lists and take them to the store with you!

GOOD FATS

Unrefined oils (look for the words “extra-virgin,” “cold-pressed,” and “unrefined” on the label)

Whole-milk dairy products (cheese, milk, butter, yogurt, etc.) from grass-fed animals whenever possible

Free-range eggs (also called pastured eggs)

Grass-fed or wild meats (including deli meats and cured meats like bacon and sausage but without the nitrates/nitrates)

Wild and/or sustainably farmed seafood

BAD AND UGLY FATS