Fitness Fact or Fiction: Eating Fat Makes You Fat
In a world full of low-fat and no-fat labels, it’s understandable to feel hesitant about this macronutrient. Let’s dig deeper into what fat is, its role in our bodies, and whether or not it’s responsible for weight gain!
As I’m currently working through a Nutrition Certification, I’ll use what I’ve learned from the National Academy of Sports Medicine for this discussion.
Dietary Fat
Dietary fat is one of the three macronutrients of the human diet (the other two are carbohydrates and protein). Fat plays a few pretty significant roles in the human body, including:
Obtaining essential fatty acids
Providing energy
Metabolizing fat-soluble vitamins
Unlike protein and carbohydrates, which contain 4 kcals per gram, fats contain 9 kcals per gram. This factor plays a part in the villainization of fats. Again, it’s not this simple. Though this macronutrient is more energy-dense, our first move in an effort to lose weight shouldn’t be cutting out the entire category of fats.
There are different kinds of dietary fats, and knowing what’s what can help you make more nutritious choices.
Saturated vs. Unsaturated
Saturated is another buzzword in the diet industry, but rarely is this term explained. Fatty acids are what make fats. Fatty acids are divided into two groups: saturated and unsaturated. Here’s a little more information on these two types of fatty acids:
Saturated
Saturated fats are saturated with hydrogen atoms, hence the name. The saturation makes these fats stable, which can give them a long shelf life. Saturated fats are solid or almost solid at room temperature. This fat is typically found in animal products, including butter, cheese, and chicken. There are a few plant-based foods containing saturated fatty acids as well, like chocolate and coconut oil.
Unsaturated
Unsaturated fatty acids have one or more double bonds between carbon atoms. Most of these come from plants and are liquid at room temperature.
Unsaturated fats are further categorized into monosaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). MUFAs have one unsaturated carbon molecule or double bond, while PUFAs have two or more.
Common sources of MUFAs are:
olive oil
Almonds, cashews, and other nuts
Avocados
Nut butters
PUFA sources include:
Walnuts
Flax oil
Salmon
Omega-3 and Omega-6 are both essential fatty acids and are both PUFAs too.
Both forms of unsaturated fatty acids are important for heart-healthy diets. According to this study, using these foods (or complex carbohydrates) in place of sources of saturated fatty acids and refined carbohydrates might reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
Trans Fat
Trans fats are another category of fatty acids. This is an artificial fatty acid made when hydrogen is added to liquid vegetable oils to create a product with a more stable shelf life.
Sources of trans fats include fried foods and margarine. This study concludes that, though some trans fatty acids affect the development of several health problems, some are beneficial too.
Fact or Fiction: Dietary Fat Makes you Fat
The idea that eating fat will automatically make you fat is fitness fiction. Dietary fat is important for your general health and well-being. While overconsuming this macro can lead to weight gain, the same is true for carbs and proteins too.
As stated above, dietary fats play some pretty important roles in the human body. Though they do contain more kcals than the other macronutrients, this doesn’t make them bad. We need to consume fat in order to get essential nutrients, keep our bodies moving, and metabolize fat-soluble vitamins, which can only be dissolved in fat.
An excellent point is made in this article, which I think is important for everyone to remember when you see something trying to villainize fat:
“To produce public health guidelines on which foods to eat or avoid to reduce the risk of chronic disease is complicated because dietary fats are typically mixtures of different types of fatty acids…Hence, conclusions about the health effects of saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids are unlikely to consistently translate to the health effects of the fats, oils, and foods in which those fatty acids are present.”
There’s no simple or one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to dietary fat. Some forms of fat might be more nutritious or beneficial than others. However, studies like this point out that what you use as a replacement is an essential consideration. While saturated fatty acids might be associated with negative health consequences, refined carbs and added sugars, common replacements, are as well. A solution isn’t as simple as you’d think!
The Takeaway
The biggest takeaway is that you shouldn’t be afraid of fat! Simply consuming dietary fat won’t make you fat. Ensure at least some of the dietary fat you consume is coming from plant based sources of unsaturated fatty acids, like avocados, olive oil, and nuts.
If we can destigmatize fat as a macronutrient, it can help us take the negative out of just being fat. As I’ve said before, and I’m sure I’ll say again, morals and weight aren’t connected. Being fat doesn’t make you a bad person, or worthy of less respect.
If you have any questions about this post or want to dig deeper into this topic, please feel free to contact me or sign up for your free consultation!