In addition to carbohydrates and protein, fat is one of the three macronutrients necessary for a balanced diet. Knowing which are the good fats and differentiating them from the bad fats will help us maintain weight or lose weight, depending on our needs, maintaining proper nutrition for the body.
Fats are essential components of any healthy diet, including weight loss diets. Unlike carbohydrates, our body cannot produce fats and proteins on its own and therefore depends on an adequate nutritional intake of fats that are not harmful.
Some foods that contain good fats can even increase feelings of fullness , making it easier to control calorie intake for effective weight loss. However, choosing unhealthy fats increases your risk of chronic diseases, such as high cholesterol and heart disease, among others.
List of good fats
Eating healthy fats in moderation ( omega-3 fatty acids ), during weight loss, meets your dietary fat needs without increasing the risks of chronic diseases.
Examples of heart-healthy fats include plant-based oils (such as olive, avocado, coconut, and flaxseed), nuts, seeds, avocado, and olives, and nut butters such as walnuts and peanuts.
Nuts and seeds are rich in heart-healthy fats, as well as fiber and protein, which increase satiety more than carbohydrates or fat, making them an ideal choice when you’re trying to lose weight. There are also oils of animal origin such as salmon oil that even comes in capsules.
Fats to Avoid
The bad fats are those that increase the risk of chronic diseases when consumed in excess. These include saturated animal fat – found in butter, lard, whole milk, ice cream, cream, cheese, and high-fat meats like bacon.
Plant-based fats and oils that have been hydrogenated (used for frying) and contain trans fats, are found in margarines, shortenings, vegetable oils (such as soy, canola, corn, sunflower), fried foods, and commercial baked goods, They also increase the risk of heart disease, which is why they should be avoided when trying to lose weight in a healthy way, and also to improve your quality of life.
Fat needs to lose weight
The amount of good fats you should eat during weight loss depends on your caloric needs.
Eating 500 to 1,000 calories less than your usual intake helps you lose 1/2 to 1 kilo (1 to 2 pounds) per week. However, women need at least 1,200 calories a day and men require a minimum of 1,500 calories a day to lose weight safely.
The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, for example, recommend that fat makes up 10 to 35 percent of your daily calories.
Recommended servings
Healthy fats are grouped under the group of natural foods with fat. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend consuming 1,200 calories a day, targeting 4 teaspoons of oil a day; If you follow a 1,600 calorie weight loss plan, take 5 teaspoons of the oil daily.
A portion of 1 teaspoon is equivalent to 1 teaspoon of a plant-based oil, it can be avocado, olive, coconut, which are extra virgin and first cold extraction; It could be, for example, 8 large olives, one sixth of an avocado, 1.5 teaspoons of nut butter, or one third of an ounce of nuts or seeds, according to ChooseMyPlate.gov.