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Healthy Fats

Obviously, this list isn’t all-inclusive.

If I’ve left your favorite healthy fat off, feel free to yell at me (in a nice way!) in the comment section ;).

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  • nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, macadamias, hazelnuts…)
  • avocados
  • non-hydrogenated oils (such as olive, canola, flax, hep, peanut, sesame…)
  • nut butters/seed butters
  • non-hydrogenated spreads
  • olives
  • peanuts (not actually a nut, but a legume)
  • coconuts (like peanuts, not actually nuts)
  • seeds (pumpkin, flax, sesame…)

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Some of these are no-brainers.

But I really loved how Robert Cheeke put together a list of high-protein foods, all in one place.

So I wanted to do the same with fats.

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Reader Interactions

10 Comments

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  1. devyn says

    earth balance uses palm oil which is the habitat for orengatangs (sp) which are going endangered so I don’t advocate eating that

  2. devyn says

    earth balance uses palm oil which is the habitat for orengatangs (sp) which are going endangered so I don’t advocate eating that

  3. Katie says

    I echo what devyn says, and would add that the recent increase in the use of palm oil (because it is being used much more for trans-fat free products) is also contributing to rainforest destruction and deforestation. Palm fruit trees are grown in the tropics in huge plantations, and trees that naturally occur are being cut down to make room for the increasing demand.

    Lots and lots of nut butters have added palm oil too – even organic and natural nut butters. Check the label!

  4. Katie says

    I echo what devyn says, and would add that the recent increase in the use of palm oil (because it is being used much more for trans-fat free products) is also contributing to rainforest destruction and deforestation. Palm fruit trees are grown in the tropics in huge plantations, and trees that naturally occur are being cut down to make room for the increasing demand.

    Lots and lots of nut butters have added palm oil too – even organic and natural nut butters. Check the label!

  5. Laura says

    Re the palm oil: some companies who include palm oils in their products state that their oil comes from sustainable plantations which haven’t undergone deforestation (involving killing and driving away orangatangs), in order to clear enough land for the crops to grow- they usually have an organgatang icon on their products- or state it in writing. Also- you can always contact the company- I don’t know how plausible this is, but hope that helps!

  6. Laura says

    Re the palm oil: some companies who include palm oils in their products state that their oil comes from sustainable plantations which haven’t undergone deforestation (involving killing and driving away orangatangs), in order to clear enough land for the crops to grow- they usually have an organgatang icon on their products- or state it in writing. Also- you can always contact the company- I don’t know how plausible this is, but hope that helps!

  7. Chocolate-Covered Katie says

    Thanks, girls, for letting me know about this. Honestly, I’d never even heard a thing about it until you brought it up.
    I don’t want to be promoting something that contributes to rainforest destruction and deforestation, so until I learn more about the issue, I took EB off the list for now.

  8. Chocolate-Covered Katie says

    Thanks, girls, for letting me know about this. Honestly, I’d never even heard a thing about it until you brought it up.
    I don’t want to be promoting something that contributes to rainforest destruction and deforestation, so until I learn more about the issue, I took EB off the list for now.

  9. trajayjay says

    they keep saying that palm oil is bad for you and shown to raise LDL. Also, some people say coconut oil is unhealthy because of its very high sat fat content.

    Somehow, I don’t feel as compelled to say that these oils are unhealthy, yes they may contain more satfat than butter but here’s what i’ve learned about coconut oil.

    The fat in animals usually exist in long stiff chains that the body has a hard time breaking down, and get stuck in the heart due to their rigidity, as they travel like rods.

    Unsaturated fats are more flexible and wiggle like chains through veins and arteries

    However most of the fat in coconut oil (albeit, the rigid saturated stuff) exists in shorter chains that move through blood vessels more like links of a chain. Most of what i’ve seen on the internet doesn’t call it dangerous, and i doubt it is, but i have seen some people malign it, along with dark chocolate.

    I know that not all saturated fat affects you the same.

    People don’t say anything good about palm oil though, so…

    • trajayjay says

      But, im guessing that it is not as harmful as something out of burger king. On the other hand, ive heard bad things about palmitic acid, a type of saturated fat. And the fatty acid appears to ne named after palm. Well, i cant even find it at walmart anyways, but if it were not destroying rain forests, i would probably get myself some, ad it probably is not expensive as hell like coconut oil

      • trajayjay says

        Im surprised you left chocolate of the list! But i think carob chips are also good fat. I find carob chips yucky though

        • Trajayjay says

          I’m not for using highly processed oils such as canola or soybean. High temperatures and toxic solvents are used to extract these oils. The hi temps make the oils rancid and creates free radicals and the oil is often refined of its taste. The solvent hexane, which is used to extract oil, may also remain in some oils.

        • Trajayjay says

          I’m not for using highly processed oils such as canola or soybean. High temperatures and toxic solvents are used to extract these oils. The hi temps make the oils rancid and creates free radicals and the oil is often refined of its taste. The solvent hexane, which is used to extract oil, may also remain in some oils.

      • trajayjay says

        Im surprised you left chocolate of the list! But i think carob chips are also good fat. I find carob chips yucky though

    • trajayjay says

      But, im guessing that it is not as harmful as something out of burger king. On the other hand, ive heard bad things about palmitic acid, a type of saturated fat. And the fatty acid appears to ne named after palm. Well, i cant even find it at walmart anyways, but if it were not destroying rain forests, i would probably get myself some, ad it probably is not expensive as hell like coconut oil

  10. trajayjay says

    they keep saying that palm oil is bad for you and shown to raise LDL. Also, some people say coconut oil is unhealthy because of its very high sat fat content.

    Somehow, I don’t feel as compelled to say that these oils are unhealthy, yes they may contain more satfat than butter but here’s what i’ve learned about coconut oil.

    The fat in animals usually exist in long stiff chains that the body has a hard time breaking down, and get stuck in the heart due to their rigidity, as they travel like rods.

    Unsaturated fats are more flexible and wiggle like chains through veins and arteries

    However most of the fat in coconut oil (albeit, the rigid saturated stuff) exists in shorter chains that move through blood vessels more like links of a chain. Most of what i’ve seen on the internet doesn’t call it dangerous, and i doubt it is, but i have seen some people malign it, along with dark chocolate.

    I know that not all saturated fat affects you the same.

    People don’t say anything good about palm oil though, so…

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