Consuming healthy fats is key to reaching ketosis and supporting weight loss. Some effective fats for keto include using oils and butter on roasted vegetables, adding nut butter into smoothies, and using ghee in meals.
Avoiding unhealthy fats is essential, as they can elevate levels of LDL or “bad” cholesterol and raise the risk of cardiovascular disease. Read on to discover which are the best healthy fats for keto.
Monounsaturated Fats
Fat has long been maligned as an unhealthy source of energy; however, the keto diet challenges this myth. Based on the belief that unsaturated fats, particularly healthy unsaturated ones like olive oil or avocado oil are vitally essential to our wellbeing; choosing which kind depends on where your carbs come from as well as any individual needs and macronutrient goals you wish to meet.
There are various kinds of fats, but the ones best suited for keto dieters come from plant sources like nuts, seeds and avocados. These plant-based sources contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids that our bodies can utilize as energy while also helping lower harmful cholesterol levels.
Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) are found in food such as avocados, olive oil and nuts like peanuts and almonds. At nine calories per gram, MUFAs provide energy for your keto diet while increasing good cholesterol, decreasing inflammation and improving insulin resistance – making them heart-healthy fats!
MUFAs differ from saturated fats by not raising LDL cholesterol and can help you reach the recommended blood cholesterol level for heart disease prevention. Furthermore, their antioxidant properties protect against oxidative stress.
Coconut oil is an ideal keto-friendly food rich in medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which have many health advantages beyond weight loss, such as antimicrobial, antiviral, and cancer fighting properties.
Other sources of MUFAs include vegetable oils, nuts and fish. According to the PREDIMED study, increasing intake of MUFAs was associated with lower risks of cardiovascular disease; additionally they help with inflammation reduction and blood sugar regulation.
Polyunsaturated fats provide our bodies with essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids they cannot produce on their own, such as those found in fish, avocados and nuts. A diet rich in these polyunsaturated fats may help lower harmful cholesterol levels, lower risk for heart disease and promote healthy brain function.
The keto diet suggests you consume 55%-60% of your total daily caloric intake from healthy fats, according to your body’s needs. Aiming for this ratio can ensure maximum results from the keto diet; eating from various sources will ensure this. All fats contain 9 calories per gram; so, be aware when selecting processed and fried food which may contain trans-fats; to stay on track with your goals use apps such as MyFitnessPal or another nutrition tracking app to keep track of what you eat; these apps can help set and track exercise goals as well!
Polyunsaturated Fats
Fats are essential components of our bodies, providing energy and helping absorb vitamins. Fats also protect brain and muscle function while aiding insulin regulation. There are two primary healthy fats – monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats – considered good for heart health when substituted in place of unhealthy saturated or trans fats in diet.
Common sources of monounsaturated fats include olive oil, canola oil, avocados and nuts – foods best eaten raw as heating can alter their structure and destroy their beneficial properties. They’re great for lowering cholesterol levels and relieving inflammation.
These fats are vitally important to any keto diet as they contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that the human body cannot produce itself; thus it must obtain them through diet. Omega-3s can reduce inflammation, improve mood and cognitive function and increase brain cell growth; whereas balancing blood sugar levels using omega-6s is also possible.
There are many foods that contain both omega-3 and omega-6 fats, such as walnuts, flax seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds. You should strive to incorporate these items into your meals regularly.
Saturated fats have long been misunderstood as unhealthy, but new research proves they’re actually quite nutritious and may even help raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels. Furthermore, they improve insulin utilization so are great help for people living with type 2 diabetes.
Meat and full-fat dairy products offer some of the healthiest saturated fats to include in a keto diet; grass fed and organic varieties offer greater health advantages.
Unhealthy fats to avoid include processed and fried foods, lard, ghee, tallow, suet and butter. Try to limit their consumption as much as possible and opt for healthier options such as oil from rapeseed, olives or avocados; oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines as well as flax seeds, chia seeds and pumpkin seeds as alternatives.