The Benefits of Healthy Fats

Healthy fats can be a game changer for your diet and lifestyle—especially if you’re doing following a low-carb meal plan. This category of fat, which includes monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, positively impacts anti-aging, beauty and weight loss efforts while improving your overall health.

Here are a few of the benefits that healthy fats have on your body.

Weight Loss

Adding healthy fats to your diet bolsters weight loss efforts in several ways. They provide fuel for both your brain and body, while burning more calories in the process. This is because healthy fats digest more slowly than other nutrients. Healthy fats also satiate hunger pangs and make you feel more satisfied after meals. You’ll be less likely to overeat and snack on those empty calories that ultimately cause weight gain.

Remember This: Through the hormone insulin, carbs lead to the absorption and accumulation of fat. To enjoy the benefits of a low carb diet (by eating more fat), you have to cut carbs down to a critical level. This is where the recommendation of 20 gm per day of carbs comes in.

Improved Health

Healthy fats are beneficial to your entire body. They have been shown to improve heart health by preventing atherosclerosis, lowering blood pressure and reducing triglycerides levels associated with heart disease. Healthy fats decrease bad LDL cholesterol levels, while increasing good HDL cholesterol. They also reduce inflammation and lower the risk of strokes.

Beautiful Skin

Healthy fats provide optimal hydration while reducing inflammation that causes acne breakouts. The hydration helps plump up fine lines and imparts a healthy glow. Healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids are responsible for cellular membrane health—this membrane is important since it shields your skin from free radical scavengers and other environmental stressors. Healthy fats also promote healthy levels of collagen and elastin, the proteins responsible for skin’s firmness and elasticity.

Where do Healthy Fats come from?

Dietary fat is divided into several different subgroupings. They are first divided into saturated and unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats are further divided into mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats. Mono-unsaturated fats are generally regarded as healthy. These fats can be found in nuts, certain oils (olive and canola) and avocados. Poly-unsaturated fats include omega-6 and omega-3 fats. Omega-3 fats are healthy fats and are found in fatty fish (herring, salmon, sardines, lake trout, mackerel), flaxseed, chia and hemp seeds.

When you eat less processed foods, refined carbs and sugars, while increasing your intake of healthy fats, you’ll see a difference in your skin, waistline and overall health. Make it a point to incorporate some form of healthy fat into your daily routine and you’ll see results for your overall health and weight loss efforts over time.