5 Fats That Don't Make You Fat

Mind Body Green

There are a lot of myths out there regarding nutrition. We are always eager to try the next health fad or new diet in hopes of dropping pounds and feeling great. One of the biggest misconceptions is that fat makes you fat. Our society is obsessed with low-fat and fat-free products thinking they are healthier. This simply is not true. The majority of foods that are labeled low-fat or fat-free are refined processed foods in which the fat has been replaced with more sugar. Not a good option. In fact, many fats are very healthy, essential to our wellbeing, and even promote weight loss.  Our body requires fat in order to function properly. Plus, many necessary vitamins, such as A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, meaning the only way your body can absorb them is in the presence of fat. 

Here are a few types of good fats that are great to incorporate into your diet. Not only will you feel better, but you will be less hungry, and your body won’t feel deprived. 

 

Nuts

Nuts are very diet-friendly and are loaded with a ton of amazing nutrients, healthy fats, and protein. Nuts are one of the best sources of alpha-lenolenic acid, a type of heart-healthy omega-3. Omega-3s offer numerous health benefits from lowering cholesterol to disease prevention. They are also rich in L-arginine, an amino acid that has been shown to boost immune function, promote wound healing, improve blood vessel function, and help manage cardiovascular disease. Additionally, nuts contain soluble fiber and Vitamin E. Fiber helps lower cholesterol and glucose levels while Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant. Vitamin E is essential for proper immune function, healthy skin, and DNA repair.

 

Some of my favorites are almonds, walnuts, and brazil nuts. Try them in smoothies, nutrition bars, salads, trail mix, or alone. Nut butters are another delicious way to enjoy this nutrient-dense food.

Avocados

Avocados are fantastic fruits with tons of nutritional benefits. They are an excellent source of glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that helps cleanse and protect your body by detoxifying, removing heavy metals, and fighting free radicals. Glutathione helps maintain a healthy immune system and slows the aging process. Avocados are rich in folate, which has been shown to decrease the incidence of heart disease and stroke. They are also the best fruit source of Vitamin E, which protects against many diseases and helps maintain overall health. 

 

Not only are avocados packed with nutrients, but studies have shown that certain nutrients are absorbed better when eaten with an avocado. Enjoy an avocado on a sandwich, in a salad, blended into a smoothie.

Coconut Oil

Coconut products offer an array of health benefits, and coconut oil is a great oil to use for cooking, or it can be added to smoothies, oatmeal, and other dishes. Coconut oil offers antimicrobial, antibacterial and anti-cancer properties. It improves digestion, nutrient absorption and intestinal health. It provides cardiovascular benefits and helps manage Type 2 Diabetes. Coconut oil promotes kidney and liver health and supports the immune system. It also benefits metabolism, energy, and weight management. 

 

Coconut oil had a bad reputation for a while primarily because it is composed of saturated fat, which we are told to stay away from. However, the saturated fat in coconut oil is different from that in animal products. The fatty acids in coconut oil are medium-chain triglycerides, which are easily metabolized and used as energy by the body. Research suggests that these fatty acids may boost your metabolism, promote weight loss, and increase HDL, the good, protective cholesterol in your body.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is such a healthy oil to use when sautéing, baking, and making salad dressing. This fantastic oil is rich in monounsaturated fat and antioxidants such as chlorophyll, carotenoids, and vitamin E.  

 

Olive oil is great for reducing blood pressure, cancer prevention, managing diabetes, and lessening the severity of asthma and arthritis. In fact, including olive oil in your diet can help you maintain a lower, healthy weight.

Seeds

Seeds, like nuts, contain a number of heart healthy properties. They offer beneficial fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and protein. Seeds are also packed with health-promoting minerals such as magnesium, selenium, and zinc. 

 

Some great seeds to include in your diet are flax seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds. Chia seeds, in particular, are considered a superfood due to their extremely high nutrient profile. They are super rich in omega-3s, even more than flax seeds. Plus, they are loaded with powerful antioxidants, fiber, magnesium, phosphorous, manganese, copper, iron, and zinc. Seeds can be enjoyed many ways. They are great in smoothies, baked goods, nutrition bars, salads, trail mix, yogurt, and other foods. 

I would love to hear from you. What are some of your favorite foods that provide healthy fat?

 

Source:  Mind Body Green

5 Benefits of Almonds for Weight Loss

Almonds

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Although almonds contain a high amount of calories and fat and many people avoid them because of their high calorie count, they can actually be great for weight loss. They provide essential vitamins and nutrients as well as healthy fat that may stimulate weight loss. Here are 5 benefits of almonds for weight loss:

Healthier Than Carbohydrates
A study published in the International Journal of Obesity found that a low fat diet supplemented with almonds increased weight loss far better than one supplemented with complex carbohydrates. Individuals on the almond diet saw an 18% reduction in weight, versus only 11% of those on the carb diet.

Monounsaturated Fats
Almonds are a great source of monounsaturated fats, healthy fats necessary in maintaining good nutrition. They help to lower bad cholesterol, decrease the risk of heart disease, and may actually aid in weight loss. They stimulate the fat burning mechanisms in the body far better than other types of fats.

Nutrient Rich
Even though almonds contain about 11% the DV of calories per 1/4 cup serving, they have a great nutrient to calorie ratio. They are a fantastic source of protein, manganese, magnesium, potassium, vitamin E and Vitamin B2. The calories that almonds provide do not seem to increase weight like calories from other foods, perhaps disproving the theory that a calorie is a calorie.

Energy Booster
Almonds are a particularly great source of energy-producing nutrients like vitamin E, vitamin B2, protein, manganese and copper. These substances are important for weight loss because they can help to keep the body active for longer, with less need to consume fatty calories.

Weight Loss
A study spanning 28 months in Spain and involving nearly 9,000 adults found that eating nuts such as almonds at least twice per week resulted in a 31% less likely chance of gaining weight than those who never ate nuts. The monounsaturated fats in almonds are also believed to help stimulate the body's fat burning mechanisms.

Source: Health Diaries

5 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About Weight Loss + How To Get It Right

 

Do you find yourself frequently thinking about sweets? Do you feel obligated to finish a whole bag of chips once you start? Do you eat more than you want to? Do you ever feel bad about yourself after Read

I see many patients in my practice who want to lose weight. Weight that's been creeping up over time, that came with the last baby and never left, that feels uncomfortable in jeans, or that makes someone not feel like having sex with their partner. 

Often, these patients they feel like they're doing everything they can to reach their goal, whether it’s to lose 50 pounds or 10 pounds. But no matter what they do, they are stuck. 

One patient recently told me a story I’ve heard a lot. Her little sister eats nothing but pasta, ice cream, and steak, and is stick-thin and never has to worry about weight. It drives her crazy. Meanwhile, my patient practically sleeps at SoulCycle, because she lives in fear of not burning those 400 extra calories a day. And yet her weight keeps creeping up. 

This patient is intelligent, educated, and clued-in to diet, but like many people I see, the myths she believes about weight are exactly why she can’t turn around the numbers on the scale. 

Here are the 5 most common myths about weight loss I encounter, and a 4-step formula for getting past them and achieving your goals: 

 

Myth 1: Weight loss is about calories. 

“Calories in = calories out” is a lie. Not all calories are created equal. 

Eating 500 calories of brussels sprouts is not the same as eating 500 calories of soda. While the energy that can be measured in a lab from breaking the chemical bonds stored in 500 calories of brussels sprouts might be the same as from breaking the bonds in 500 calories of soda, what happens in your body when you digest and assimilate these two foods is a totally different story. 

To eat 500 calories of brussels sprouts, you'd have to eat about 10 cups! These green veggies are packed with complex carbohydrates, protein, fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin A and other phytonutrients. They are metabolized slowly, and the calories contained are not entirely absorbed. 

On the other hand, 500 calories of soda, the equivalent of two 20-ounce Cokes, come entirely from sugar. Those calories are easily absorbed, and when consumed, lead to an inflammatory hormonal cascade that is the beginning of diabetes, obesity, high triglycerides, and sugar addiction. 

To anyone trying to lose weight I say, forget counting calories. It’s about quality, not quantity. 

Myth 2: Weight loss comes down to cardio.

The metabolic boost you get after a short session of intense weight-lifting lasts up to 24-hours. By contrast, the boost from a long run lasts only a couple of hours. Spending hours on the spin bike might feel great and be an important balance in a sedentary lifestyle, but cardio doesn't equal weight loss. 

In fact, for people who are stressed out all the time, too much cardio might be perpetuating that state and pushing their bodies to hold on to every calorie like it’s the last one it will ever see. 

So, while cardio can be awesome, I recommend also finding a regular form of exercise like yoga, which is about unwinding and focus and gives the body a chance to come out of stress-mode. I also recommend lifting weights, which builds muscle, bone, and actually boosts your metabolism. For many people, adding in yoga and strength-training and cutting back on cardio tips the scale in the right direction. 

Myth 3: To lose weight, you're gonna have to starve.

OK, yes, if you eat almost nothing, you'll lose weight. But most people can’t sustain that and they yo-yo, eventually becoming so tired from relying on adrenal hormones like cortisol for energy, that the fatigue becomes too much and they over-eat to compensate. 

Healthy-skinny people eat real food in real quantities. They eat nutritious foods like whole fruits and veggies, plant-based fats, and lean protein, and they avoid the processed sugar and chemical crap that's widely available in our grocery stores. 

Myth 4: Fat makes you fat.

Wrong! Fat doesn’t make you fat. Sugar makes you fat. 

Fat tastes great for a reason. Mono- and poly-unsaturated fats are critical for your body to function. These fats are the building blocks of your brain and all of your cell membranes, and certain kinds of fat, like Omega-3 fatty acids, keep inflammation down. 

It’s actually the processed foods filled with refined sugars and grains that are absorbed quickly and stored quickly, which lead to a cascade of inflammation and ultimately to more fat storage. 

Myth 5: Weight loss is about sticking to a plan.

I can’t tell you how many patients and friends I’ve seen grow weary of maintaining their constant vigilance over weight. The stress and self-loathing that comes with it is too much to bear. And strangely, when they do let go — when they start eating with nourishment as their goal, and start exercising to feel good, rather than to exhaust themselves — the pounds actually disappear. It may sound counterintuitive, but it’s a much freer way to live life. 

So if these are they myths, what is weight loss really about? 

 

1. Eat, real, whole, unprocessed, unrefined foods that don’t cause inflammation.

It's simple: This includes as many fruits and vegetables as possible, moderate amounts whole grains, significant amounts of healthy fats, and some lean, grass-fed, free-range, hormone/antibiotic-free meat and eggs. 

2. Avoid sugar and refined carbs.

Sugars and refined carbs are the drivers of inflammation, weight gain, diabetes, and dementia. If you want to lose weight, have more energy, and slow the aging process, cut them out of your life as much as possible. 

3. Detox regularly.

The most important things from which to detox are booze, restaurant food, processed food, and for many people, foods like gluten and dairy (to which they may be sensitive). I recommend doing a 10-day detox four times a year to reset your system, keep you on track, and reduce inflammation. 

4. Find amusement and enthusiasm on a regular basis

When we operate from a place of seriousness and fear, our creations reflect that energy. When we operate from a place of ease and amusement in the moment, and genuine enthusiasm for what comes next, our lives reflect that much more positive and expansive energy. 

When you think about creating the body you want, ask yourself how you'll feel when you have it. For me, one of the dancers in Pharell’s Happy video comes to mind! Once you feel it, sit with that feeling for a minute, and move forward from there. 

Source: MindBodyGreen