Why Healthy Fats Are A Must-Have In Your Diet Plan

As you go about the process of losing weight, one nutrient that you should avoid omitting entirely is healthy fats.  In years past, ALL fats were to be shunned in the diet.  Dieters everywhere were flocking to ultra-low-fat diet plans that promised that if you just cut out the fat, you would easily see the results you were looking for. 

Times have changed! More dieters are starting to realize the importance of healthy fats in their nutrition plan and are adding them back in.  While it is true that fats contain over twice as many calories per gram as proteins and carbs (9 calories per gram compared to four for protein & carbs, respectively), it doesn’t mean that you should cut them out entirely.

Here’s a quick look at why you should consider adding healthy fats back into your meal plan:

They Keep Hunger Levels Lower

Healthy fats will help prevent you from feeling hungry. Fats are the slowest digesting nutrient in the diet plan so when you consume them in sufficient volumes, you’ll find that you rarely experience hunger throughout the day. Just five to seven grams of fat per meal tends to lower hunger considerably and make it that much easier to maintain your nutrition plan. If you often find that hunger gets the best of you during the day, this is definitely something that you will want to consider as you work toward your weight loss goal.

They Control Your Blood Sugar

Healthy fats help to regulate your blood sugar levels, making sure that they stay on an even keel all day long. Carbohydrates alone will tend to spike the blood glucose levels, but when carbs are paired with a combination of healthy fats and proteins, they’ll have a much lower overall impact. Controlling your blood sugar level also helps to control hunger and cravings.

They Keep Your Hormones Happy

When you adopt a diet that’s entirely devoid of fat, testosterone will drop, making it harder to maintain your lean muscle mass. In addition to that, other hormones in the body won’t stay at their normal concentration levels either, making it more difficult to see progress.

A nutrition plan that is TOO LOW in fat content will actually hinder your weight loss progress just as much as a diet containing TOO MUCH fat!

So be sure that you aren’t omitting this nutrient entirely!  It is extremely important that you choose healthy varieties offats such as nuts, natural nut butters, flaxseed, olive oil, fatty fish and avocadoes.  Sprinkle slivered nuts or flaxseed on a salad instead of bacon bits.  Sauté in olive oil instead of butter.  Have a handful of almonds as a crunchy snack.  Have some natural peanut butter with celery.  Use slices of avocado on your sandwich instead of cheese.  These are some easy ways to get the right amount of the right fats into your meals!

Posted in Fat Loss, Nutrition & Diet, Weight Loss by Jamie | No Comments Yet