6 Reasons Eating Fat is Absolutely Essential for Your Health

photo: Irene Kredenets

With all the confusion and misconceptions around fat, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Are fats good for me? Should I be consuming a lot of fat? What type of fat should I eat? Will eating fat make me fat? Is cholesterol bad for me? If you’ve asked yourself any of these questions, keep reading! 

Why Are Fats So Important?  

Your Brain Is Made of Fat 

Our brains are 60% fat and need the right type of fats to function properly and efficiently. Additionally, surrounding each of our nerves is a protective, fatty coating called a myelin sheath, which is involved in nerve transmission and communication.  Omega-3 fatty acids are important for the synthesis and function of neurotransmitters and supplementing essential fatty acids (EFAs) help protect the brain, reduce inflammation, support anxiety and depression, learning disorders, cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders.  

Fats Provide Energy 

You may think you need to avoid fat to reduce calories, but this is the furthest thing from the truth. Calories are simply units of energy our body uses to produce energy. Fats are an important macronutrient for mitochondrial health, where energy is produced in our cells and aid the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. Consuming adequate fats also support blood sugar regulation, which keeps us steady and energized all day long. 

Your Hormones Depend On Fat 

Did you know that our hormones are made from cholesterol? If you’re not consuming enough cholesterol, and good fats in general, you’re setting yourself up for some serious hormonal issues. Certain saturated fats are especially important for building hormones and hormone-like substances, which regulate inflammation. EFAs support both male and female sex hormones, stress hormones and hormones involved in metabolism. 

Cholesterol Is Not the Enemy 

When it comes to your heart, cholesterol is not evil. Nope, not at all. In fact, measuring total cholesterol is essentially useless for judging the health of your cardiovascular system, because it’s the balance of HDL to LDL cholesterol that really matters. “Good” HDL cholesterol is connected to lower risk of heart disease and recent studies have shown that saturated fats do not increase risks of cardiovascular disease, but decreases our chances of developing it. Fat also aids the absorption of minerals like calcium, necessary for proper heart function.  

 

Healthy Fats Are Anti-Aging 

The type of fats we consume have a major impact on the aging process through the production of free radicals. In excess, free radicals damage our cells through oxidation, or internal “rusting”. This aging process affects much more than just the look of our skin, including everything from energy to the prevention of cancer, and must be addressed from the inside out. It’s important to note that antioxidants play a crucial role in aging as well. (More on this next.) 

A Healthy Gut Needs Fat 

Fatty acids, such as butyric acid, are important components of healthy intestinal cells and provide their fuel. They affect gastrointestinal motility and bacterial balance in the colon, contributing to a healthy microbiome. 

Lastly… 

Fats are an essential part of our cells, help regulate body temperature, protect our organs, keep us fuller longer, help transport nutrients and make food taste great! With inflammation underlying all diseases, we must be consuming high quality, anti-inflammatory fats, and avoiding harmful ones. 

Keep an eye out for part 2 of this series to learn about the best fats to consume for health and which ones you’ll want to avoid! 

Asher Kleiber 

Registered Holistic Nutritionist™ 

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Sources:  

New Optimum Nutrition for the Mind by Dr. Patrick Holford 

Three Brains by Karen Jensen, ND  

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5642188/ 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4404917/ 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4027835/  

Staying Healthy With Nutrition by Dr. Elson M. Haas, MD