It’s common for a person to hear a food is filled with fat and then avoid it like the plague (or at least try to).  When buying yogurt or other items at the grocery store, how many of you stare at the two choices of regular or “fat-free/reduced-fat” and just buy the “fat-free” version because it sounds better?  Or are you buying these options because you are trying to lose weight and obviously eating “fat free” means the pounds will fall of from eating it….WRONG!  When trying to lose weight what really matters is reducing calorie intake, not fat intake.  When fat is removed from food a lot of flavour is removed as well, meaning extra sugars and chemicals are often added to get the flavour; therefore fat free food can therefore be worse and more fattening that the regular full fat counterpart.  This being said, it is good to have some fat in your diet because the body depends on fat and oil intake for functioning at optimal health.  Intake of good fat sources is important as they are the building blocks for all the cells in the body and key to keeping certain hormones regulated.  High quality sources of fats and oils should be consumed on a daily basis and instead of sticking to the hips or stomach, your body actually uses these fats for energy.  The American Heart Association recommends that total fat intake should be around 25-35% of daily calories with less that 7% being from “bad” (saturated) fats and the rest from “good” (monosaturated and polyunsaturated) fats.

Some examples of sources of good fats include: nuts, seeds, fish, vegetable oils, eggs, fish oils, coconut oil, and avocado (my favourite).

Here is a great snack idea filled with good fats and a little protein:

Michelle’s Avacado Egg White Salad

*Makes enough for 1 serving

Ingredients:

½ Fresh Avacado

2 Hard Boiled Eggs (1 full egg, 1 egg just the white)

1-2 Teaspoon Mustard

Pepper to taste

Instructions: Mix avocado, 1 full hard boiled egg, the whites from the second egg, and mustard in a bowl until smooth.  Add pepper to taste as an option and eat with a fork, put on a salad, or spread on a piece of whole grain toast and enjoy!

Email Michelle@CORE-Condition.com for more information about good fat/bad fat consumption.

Michelle Roots BA Kin, CSCS, PES

www.CORE-Condition.com