Susan's Top 5 Healthy Fat Picks

When I first started studying nutrition it took me a while to wrap my head around the concept of “healthy fats”. From the time I hit my 30s it seemed that ‘fat free’ foods (Nabisco’s Snackwell cookies, chips, et al) took over the shelves of my local supermarket.

Funny thing is the more fat-free foods I consumed, the heavier I became!!

These days I focus on staying away from any foods that are packaged in colorful cardboard boxes and actually make certain to include healthy fats as part of my daily calorie intake.

My favorites include:

1) Olive Oil. If you’ve read Dr. Udo Erasmus’s book, Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill, you know that any oil that is heated is chemically altered and thus potentially un-healthy. With that said, I simply choose to not live on steamed foods alone and thus use Extra Virgin Olive Oil when cooking (sorry Dr. Erasmus!). Studies have shown that olive oil offers protection against heart disease by lowering LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels while raising HDL (the "good" cholesterol) levels. No other naturally produced oil has as large an amount of monounsaturated as olive oil -- mainly oleic acid.

2) Fish Oil. I consume 1800 mg of Omega-3 daily and my fish oil of choice is Life Extension Super Omega-3 for reasons I outlined back in November 2008. Why supplement with Fish Oil? Data from the University of Western Ontario shows that fish oil supplementation increases lean body mass (during non-dieting conditions), increases BMR (by up to 400kcal/day), decreases inflammation, and improves the ratio of fat/carb oxidized (sparing carbs, burning fat).

3) Salmon. I’ve addressed several times on Catapult Fitness Blog that I’ve become somewhat addicted to canned salmon since I started watching my tuna intake. My newest addiction in regards to this is Vital Choice canned salmon. Love the flip top can, the taste and when I order in bulk, the price is as good as I can get locally.

4) Nuts and Seeds. Nuts and seeds are just an ideal snack as they’re easily portable and readily available when I travel. They are one of the best plant sources of protein; are rich in fiber, phytonutrients and antioxidants such as Vitamin E and selenium. Because nuts and seeds are high in healthy fat (Omega-3), you should limit serving sizes to 1 – 2 oz/day, and use them as a replacement for other high fat foods you may be consuming (not in addition to!).

5) Avocado. The Avocado also made my Top 5 Fruit List. I simply adore them. In addition to tasting good, avocado’s can actually keep your skin looking good! Avocado oil strengthens the skin by stimulating collagen, thereby reducing wrinkles and improving skin texture. Avocados are also rich in vitamin E, a free radical scavenger that will assist in slowing the aging process.

Train hard; stay strong.

Peace.

Susan