Should We Avoid Fat In Our Diets?
I’m sure all of us moms that grew up in the 80’s, can remember the “fat free” era, when grocery stores were touting products that had zero fat on their label and fat was being demonized as the main reason why our nation had an obesity epidemic. We bought into the concept of products that claimed to be better then the original because they lacked fat, like the “I can’t believe it’s not butter” margarine, but we didn’t really question the additives these products had that replaced the fat they did not.
We may have also experienced the fat free cheese slices that never seemed to melt when heated or the deli meats that had the texture of rubber. We were all trying to fight obesity when the fat free craze ignited, but what did we really learn about the role of fats and their contribution to it? Did they really deserve to be demonized?
When it comes to our food and calories consumption in general, fats do provide the most calories per gram as compared to the other two macronutrients (fats are 9 calories per gram and proteins and carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram1). When we consume foods that are higher in calories, we risk going over our daily calories limit (otherwise known as our TDEE), and risking body fat gain if this is done consistently over time.
If we were to focus on our foods in terms of their calorie contribution alone, we would certainly place fats in a higher calorie bracket and possibly avoid them altogether, if it meant that we may supersede our daily caloric limits. However, the one area we overlook entirely when we do this, is the role that this macronutrient serves in our diet, when it comes to supporting our necessary physiological activities, especially as a mom.
Fats are incredibly important when it comes to supporting our hormonal health. Good fats also provide fatty acids that are important for our cell membrane health, regulating blood pressure and inflammatory responses2. As women and mothers, having a healthy hormone balance is critical, and fats play a big part in helping us obtain this stability. Our hormonal balance is essential when it comes to our fitness, allowing us to stay active and contributes to our vitality.
When it comes to fats, they can be categorized as “good” or “bad” in terms of their classifications and the risk they pose on our cholesterol. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can be considered “good” fats because they can help maintain healthy cholesterol levels and are good for your heart. These types of fats can be found in things like nuts, seeds, fish, some plant-based oils and avocado. Saturated and trans fats are considered “bad” fats, because they can raise your bad cholesterol (non-HDL) and increase your risk of heart disease. These types of fats can be found animal fats, margarines, fried foods, butter and margarines.
Oftentimes, “bad” fats are found in highly processed foods and baking goods, making these types of foods highly palatable, but having a high cost in terms of the amount of fats they contain. Additionally, these foods also contribute to our over-consumption of calories, as they also contain a high amount of carbohydrates in addition to their fat content.
When it comes to “good” fats, these can be found in foods that are more wholesome and less processed, which offers us a better macronutrient profile, in that they often have higher amounts of protein that supports our muscle tissue, versus empty calories in the form of carbohydrates (by “empty”, meaning they’re simple carbohydrates with little nutritional value like sugar, not complex carbohydrates that are important because they contain many nutrients that we need in our diets).
So, what’s the answer when it comes to eating a healthy, balanced amount of fats in our diets?
Our approach to fats should not be an “all or nothing” one, as they serve as an important part of our nutrition as Moms.
The answer lies in knowing how much fat we need to consume on an individual level, and making sure we gear our consumption around this value. This information can be determined by understanding one’s daily calorie limit (otherwise known as TDEE – Total Daily Energy Expenditure) and applying this value to the foods that we consume on a daily basis. From this TDEE value, we can then determine each of our macronutrient values. (In my book, “How to Reset, Reframe and Reshape…a mother’s guide to changing her mindset about fitness and her body”, I discuss this in great detail3).
Once we know our daily calories and the amount of calories that should be coming from our fats that contribute to this value, we can then determine how much we can consume, and apply this knowledge of “good” fat choices to make up these calories. For example, if we have a 2000 calorie diet, and we want to set our fat consumption percentage at 25% let’s say, we know that we have 500 calories designated for our fats. With this information, we can use our knowledge about “good” fats, to make up these calories and support the biological activities they’re responsible for, all while staying within our TDEE.
So, are we really avoiding fats when it comes to our diets? Yes and no. We are not cutting fats out completely, as we understand the importance they play in our overall health and wellness. However, we are doing our best to trim out the “bad” fat choices from our diet, as we know they don’t contribute to us reaching our fitness goals and optimal health. Our approach to fats should not be an “all or nothing” one, as they serve as an important part of our nutrition as Moms.
- Agricultural Library; https://www.nal.usda.gov/programs/fnic#:~:text=How%20many%20calories%20are%20in,provides%209%20calories%20per%20gram. ↩︎
- Learning Your Fatty Acid Profile: Shedding Light on Cellular Health and Inflammatory Responses; https://www.rupahealth.com/post/fatty-acid-profile-shedding-light-on-cellular-health-and-inflammatory-reponses#:~:text=help%20manage%20inflammation.-,Omega%2D6%20fatty%20acids%2C%2like%20linoleic%20acid%2020and%20arachidonic%20acid,in%20the%20body’s ↩︎
- “How to Reset, Reframe and Reshape…a mother’s guide to changing her mindset about fitness and her body”, Cassie Morell. 1st Ed – 9/7/24 ↩︎
