Healthy fats as an important part of our diet? For many people, this is unthinkable, because fitness cults and diet concepts have given fat a bad reputation over the years. As public enemy number one, it is blamed for being responsible for obesity and seen as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. However, fats can also have a positive effect on our health, because they are important sources of energy and have indispensable functions in our body.
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In this article, you will learn why healthy fats are better than their reputation, in which foods you can find them and how you can cleverly integrate them into your daily routine.
What are healthy fats?
Fat, along with carbohydrates and protein, is one of the basic nutrients in our food. It provides us with energy and is an important building block for building and maintaining our cells. Therefore, it would be wrong to say that fat is unhealthy or bad per se. In fact, it is actually vital. However, we need to differentiate between two different groups of fats: saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.
Large amounts of saturated fat lead to more of the so-called LDL cholesterol, which settles in the arteries and increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. They are found, for example, in animal products such as butter, cheese, bacon, meat and sausage. (1)
Unsaturated fatty acids, on the other hand, help the body transport bad cholesterol to the liver, where it is broken down. They therefore have a positive effect on heart health and also protect the nervous system. This is why unsaturated fatty acids are an integral part of a healthy diet.
Unsaturated fatty acids can be further categorized into two groups: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. While the former are found in foods such as olive oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, avocados, and nuts, the latter are found in flaxseeds, nuts, canola oil, and fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel. They also include omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.
Why do we need healthy fats?
First and foremost, fat is an important source of energy, because one gram of fat provides a whopping 9 kcal, more than twice as much energy as protein or carbohydrates. But that's not the only role that fat plays in our body. For example, fat surrounds our organs and protects them from injury. In addition, healthy fats promote cell growth, protect our cells from disease and are needed for the transport of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.
What do healthy fats do?
Because healthy fats transport bad cholesterol out of our arteries, they reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. This is also shown by a 2018 study by Harvard University. (1)
Instead of the unhealthy LDL cholesterol, unsaturated fatty acids produce so-called HDL cholesterol. Its job is to absorb LDL and transport it to the liver, where it is broken down and ultimately excreted. However, for healthy fats to do their job, the consumption of saturated fatty acids must also be reduced.
The most important sources of unsaturated fatty acids
Healthy fats are not found exclusively in plant-based foods, but they are the main source. For example, nuts, seeds and vegetable oils contain a considerable amount of unsaturated fatty acids. However, fish such as tuna, salmon and mackerel are also among the best sources of healthy fats.
The nutrition facts table printed on packaging provides information about the fat content of various foods and whether they are saturated or unsaturated fatty acids.
Nuts and seeds as healthy sources of fat
Nuts and seeds are among the most popular sources of healthy fats. Hazelnuts, walnuts and the like contain few saturated fatty acids and a lot of healthy unsaturated fatty acids. The same applies to seeds in all shapes and colors, such as flaxseeds and chia seeds. Among other things, they supply the body with important omega-3 fatty acids, which help the heart and brain to function.
Healthy fats for breakfast
It's best to provide your body with healthy fats at breakfast time so that it is optimally supplied throughout the day. With Verival's breakfast products, this is very easy, because with our well-thought-out ingredients lists, you don't have to worry about getting enough nutrients.
For example, our popular Sport Protein Porridge Cocoa Banana not only contains high-quality vegetable protein but also a high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids.
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If that's not enough for you, you can go one better by adding nuts to your porridge as a topping. Nut butters, such as Verival's organic crunchy almond cream, are particularly recommended. If the almonds are finely ground, the nutrients they contain can be better absorbed by the body.
