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10 Foods High in Healthy Fats (What They Are and Why You Should Eat Them)

Healthy fats are needed for many vital functions of the body. But many do not know the difference between healthy fats and unhealthy fats. In this post we will discuss what makes a fat considered healthy or unhealthy, the functions of fat in the body, the benefits of eating healthy fats, and the 10 best foods high in healthy fats that you can begin incorporating into your diet. Let’s get into it.

Medical Disclaimer: This article is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. For medical and health advice, consult with a licensed healthcare professional.

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What are Healthy Fats?

So what makes a fat healthy or less healthy? This is typically determined by the levels of HDL (the “good” cholesterol) and LDL (the “bad” cholesterol), affected by the consumption of that fat. First, let’s talk about cholesterol and the differences between HDL’s and LDL’s.

Cholesterol is a lipid that is made by the body and is essential for life-supporting functions. It is the substance that makes cell membranes, nerve fibers, and many hormones. It is also used to “patch up” damaged blood vessels and tissues. Cholesterol is carried through the bloodstream by two lipoprotein particles known as HDL and LDL.

HDL’s are called the “good cholesterol” because it will remove excess levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream by carrying it to the liver to be processed and removed from the body.

LDL’s are called the “bad cholesterol” because instead of removing excess cholesterol in the bloodstream, it will deposit the excess into the walls of blood vessels. This can possibly lead to plaque (excess cholesterol) build-up in the blood vessels and can potentially increase the risk of heart disease.

Fats are used in the body for vitamin absorption and cell function. There are three main different types of fats; saturated fats, unsaturated fats, and trans fats. Each kind of fat affects the levels of HDL’s and LDL’s in the body differently.

Saturated fats are normally solid at room temperature. Some examples are animal products such as dairy, meat and eggs. These have been thought to be less healthy and raise levels of LDL, however, there is controversy on this subject. There are new studies that have shown that saturated fats are associated with an increase in HDL levels, and a decrease of overall cholesterol in the body.

Unsaturated fats are normally liquid at room temperature. There are two kinds of unsaturated fats; monounsaturated fats and ployunsaturated fats. Some examples are fish, vegetable oils, and nuts. Unsaturated fats are thought to be associated with increased or maintained HDL and decreased LDL levels.

Here is a quick chart to summarize the differences between saturated and unsaturated fats:

healthy fats; saturated vs unsaturated fats

Trans fats naturally occur in small amounts in some animal products, however, some are lab made. The artificial trans fats are made by adding hydrogen to liquid oils (usually vegetable oils) in order to make them solid at room temperature. These are more commonly known as “partially hydrogenated oils,” as listed on many processed food packages. The FDA, as of 2013, has since recognized these artificial trans fats as no longer “Generally Recognized As Safe” (GRAS) in foods. In June of 2015, the FDA ruled that after June 18, 2018 manufacturers can no longer add partially hydrogenated oils into foods. However, they may still be used outside of the United States.

Conclusion: fats are needed for many vital functions of the body. Both saturated and unsaturated fats can help maintain or raise HDL levels and decrease total cholesterol. Trans fats are generally unhealthy but only found in small amounts of some animal products, and artificial trans fats are no longer permitted for use in U.S. foods.

Healthy Fats Potential Health Benefits

Fats are used for many functions of the body. Eating healthy fats is associated with multiple potential health benefits including:

Healthy fats benefits

Now that you understand why healthy fats are an important part of your diet, let’s discuss some of the most common sources of healthy fats that you can begin to incorporate into your meals.

The 10 Best Foods High in Healthy Fats

1. Wild-Caught Fish

There are many different types of wild-caught fish, one of the most commonly eaten is wild-caught salmon. It has around 4.94g of fat per 3.5 ounce serving.

Farmed salmon tend to have more pollutants than wild-caught salmon. Farmed salmon has 16 times higher PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl, a persistent organic pollutant) levels than wild-caught salmon. That is why wild-caught salmon or other wild-caught fish is a safer alternative for adding more healthy fats to your diet.

Sources: USDA, Cleveland Clinic

2. Seeds

Many seeds such as flaxseeds, hemp seeds, and chia seeds contain good amounts of healthy fats, and are also a great source of protein and fiber.

Ground flaxseeds have 37.3g of fat per 3.5 ounce serving. Flaxseeds contain many minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, and sodium. As well as vitamins and other nutrients such as thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6, biotin, and folate.

Hemp seeds have 48.8g of fat per 3.5 ounce serving. Hemp seeds have good amounts of minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium. Hemp seeds also contain many vitamins and nutrients including vitamin C, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6, and folate.

Chia seeds have 30.7g of fat per 3.5 ounce serving. Chia seeds contain various minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin C, thiamin, niacin, and folate.

Sources: USDA (ground flaxseed), USDA (hemp seeds), USDA (chia seeds)

3. Avocados

A 3.5 ounce serving of avocados contain 15.4g of fat.

Avocados are one of the most popular sources of healthy fats, since they are easy to incorporate into many delicious recipes. They are also a great source of calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, and vitamin C.

Source: USDA

4. Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is one of the most unique sources of healthy fats since it contain large amounts of both saturated and unsaturated fats. It has 90.5g of fat per 3.5 ounce serving. It breaks down to 82.5g of saturated fat and 8.01g of unsaturated fat (both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated).

Coconut oil can easily be added into your diet by using it as a substitute for butter or oil in many recipes, adding a little into your morning coffee, adding some into your protein shake, and more.

Source: USDA

5. Nuts

There are many types of nuts that are great sources of healthy fats including walnuts, cashews, and almonds.

Walnuts have 69.7g of fat per 3.5 ounce serving. Walnuts are a good source of calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and biotin.

Cashews have 38.9g of fat per 3.5 ounce serving. Cashews also provide calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium.

Almonds have 51.1g of fat per 3.5 ounce serving. Almonds also contain the minerals calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium. As well as many vitamins and other nutrients such as thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6, and biotin.

Sources: USDA (walnuts), USDA (cashews), USDA (almonds)

6. Whole Fat Dairy Products

Whole Fat Dairy Products are great for adding in healthy fats to your diet, since they are used in so many different ways and can be consumed on their own. A few examples are whole fat milk, cottage cheese, and greek yogurt.

Whole fat milk contains 3.2g of fat per 3.5 ounce serving. It is also a great source of many vitamins and minerals including choline, vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, and sodium.

Full fat cottage cheese provides 4.2g of fat per 3.5 ounces. It also provides good amounts of calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, iodine, thiamin, niacin, and vitamin B-6.

Full fat greek yogurt has about 4.4g of fat per 3.5 ounce serving. Greek yogurt is also a great source of calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin B-6.

Sources: USDA (whole fat milk), USDA (full fat cottage cheese), USDA (full fat greek yogurt)

7. Grass-Fed Butter

Using grass-fed butter is another great and easy option for incorporating healthy fats into your diet. Butter is needed to cook many different recipes and is a staple food in many homes.

Based off of Irish Grass-Fed Butter as provided by the USDA; grass-fed butter contains 78.6g of fat per 3.5 ounces.

Source: USDA

8. Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is a versatile food. It can be used in protein shakes, sandwiches, toast, granola bars, eaten alone, and many other options.

Peanut butter has 49.4g of fat per 3.5 ounces. Along with healthy fats it is also a great source of protein, containing 24g of protein per 3.5 ounces.

Source: USDA

9. Meats

Meats such as chicken, turkey, and beef are great sources of healthy fats, however, as mentioned before they do contain trans fat but it is found in very small amounts.

A 3.5 ounce serving of chicken breast has 1.9g of fat. Chicken also provides calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, and sodium.

A 3.5 ounce serving of ground turkey contains about 9.6g of fat. Turkey is a great source of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, and zinc.

A 3.5 ounce serving of ground beef provides 19.4g of fat. Ground beef contains good amounts of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, and zinc.

Sources: USDA (chicken breast), USDA (ground turkey), USDA (ground beef)

10. Natural Cooking Oils

Natural cooking oils, such as olive oil, are full of healthy fats and can be used in so many different ways. Replacing manufactured cooking oils with natural alternatives can help you lower your trans fat intake, as manufactured cooking oils tend to have trace amounts of trans fat.

Olive oil contains 93.7g of fat per 3.5 ounces. Olive oil, unlike the manufactured oils, does not contain any trans fat. The fat content of olive oil is mostly made up of monounsaturated fat.

Sources: Coconut Mama, USDA

Final Thoughts

Sources of healthy fats are more abundant than many people think. This list of foods can be easy to incorporate into your diet because of their versatility. In fact, you may even have many of these foods in your pantry already.

Fat is a very important macronutrient needed in the body for creating many hormones, maintaining energy, vitamin absorption, cell function, keeping you full, and much more. Both saturated and unsaturated fats can help prevent heart disease by raising HDL levels and lowering or maintaining LDL levels in the bloodstream.

However, remember that healthy fats are only one part of a healthy and balanced diet. Cardiovascular disease is a lifestyle disease and there are many other factors than fats that play a role in it. It is important to know that to live a healthy lifestyle you need more than just proper nutrition such as hydration, sleep, exercise, clean air, stress relief, etc. Everything is about balance.

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References

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