5 Healthy High-Fat Foods That You Can Eat

Have you ever heard that fat isn’t good for your body? Over the years, people began to demonise fat as solely responsible for health problems and being overweight.

The truth is that our bodies need fat. Not consuming them sabotages your metabolism and disrupts many of your body’s vital functions. So you need to understand how to distinguish between good and bad fats and which foods can provide the best for your body.

Here are 5 healthy high-fat foods that you can eat. Let’s go!

Read other useful articles to boost your results:

Why do I need to eat fat? Know the facts about fat

First of all, we need to understand a key concept. Fats are an essential macronutrient to keep the body functioning at its best. Its purpose is to help the body develop, provide energy, supporting the absorption of vitamins, hormone production, and organ protection.

According to the Dietary Reference Intakes, we should consume 20% to 35% of our daily calories in fat. You can use this calculator to find how many calories you should be ingesting daily.

Remember that each organism is unique, and balancing your diet can affect your health, so we highly recommend that you consult a nutritionist. Nothing will be as assertive as the look of an expert.

Good fats vs bad fats: How to choose the healthiest fat

We’ve written another article about this before, but to keep it simple, there are three types of fat:

1. Trans fat

Here’s our bad guy. Simply avoid it. Trans fat can be found in margarine, baked goods, doughs and fried foods. Always look at the label of the products and if you find trans fat, try to avoid it. In short, trans fat raises your “bad cholesterol” (LDL) and lowers your “good cholesterol” (HDL) at the same time.

2. Saturated fat

Saturated fats increase your cholesterol levels and, consequently, your risk of developing heart disease. Saturated fat is found in animal proteins such as beef, lamb, pork, butter, and cheese. According to the American Heart Association, only 5% of your daily calories should be saturated fat. If you need 2000 calories a day, you should only consume 13 grams of saturated fat daily.

3. Unsaturated fat

Unsaturated fat is healthy as it can improve blood cholesterol levels, ease inflammation, and reduce heart disease risk. It can be found in plant sources such as avocado, nuts, seeds, olives and oils. You can also find them in fish, like salmon, sardines, and tuna.

5 healthy high-fat foods to add to your diet

Now that you understand all about fat, let’s go for practice. Remember that our goal with all these articles is to indicate accessible foods to everyone, so although there are many good food options for healthy high-fat foods, here are some of the best:

1. Avocado

An avocado is an excellent option because it is highly versatile and high in a monounsaturated fatty acid called oleic acid, which acts as an anti-inflammatory and may prevent cancer. In addition, avocados also contain lutein (which is related to eye health) and are a good source of Potassium.

Here are some nutritional facts:

100g Serving	160 kcal
Carbs	8.5g
Sugar	0.7g
Fibre	6.7g
Total Fat	14.7g
Saturated Fat	2.1g
Protein	2g

2. Chia Seeds

Chia Seeds are another good option because, besides being one of the best plant-based sources of omega 3, which has many benefits for the body, it is another highly healthy food. You can mix it with sweet, savoury, or even salads.

In addition, chia seeds also provide protein, antioxidants, fibre, iron and calcium. If you don’t like Chia Seeds, you can replace them with Flaxseeds – as it is another excellent option.

Here are some nutritional facts about the chia seeds:

100g Serving	490 kcal
Carbs	43.9g
Sugar	0g
Fibre	37.7g
Total Fat	30.8g
Saturated Fat	3.2g
Protein	15.6g

3. Eggs

In addition to being an excellent source of protein and good fat, the egg yolk contains vitamin D, B, lutein and other nutrients.

Sometimes it’s hard to eat well at breakfast, so eggs have become an excellent option to make a complete meal – with proteins and fats in a single food. You can eat it with toast or complement your breakfast with another carbohydrate.

Here are some nutritional facts:

100g Serving	143 kcal
Carbs	0.7g
Sugar	0.4g
Fiber	0g
Total Fat	9.5g
Saturated Fat	3.1g
Protein	12.6g

4. Salmon or fatty fishes

Salmon or fatty fishes are excellent fat sources since they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and protein. According to the American Heart Association, we should eat two servings of fatty fish per week. This can include fresh tuna, herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines or trout.

Here are some nutritional facts about salmon, for example:

100g Serving	206 kcal
Carbs	0g
Sugar	0g
Fiber	0g
Total Fat	12.4g
Saturated Fat	2.5g
Protein	22.1g

5. Nuts

Nuts have several benefits for your health. They are rich in healthy fats, protein, fibre, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. You can eat it as a snack or just mix it with a salad.

Here are some nutritional facts about walnuts, for example:

100g Serving	653 kcal
Carbs	13.7g
Sugar	2.6g
Fiber	6.7g
Total Fat	65.2g
Saturated Fat	6.1g
Protein	14.9g

Final considerations about choosing healthy fats

As we said before, there are several other sources of good fats, but those are some options of healthy high-fat foods that you can eat, considering cost-effectiveness.

A good strategy is to plan your diet using foods rich in more than one macronutrient – such as fatty fish, which are excellent sources of protein and fat. This can make you more consistent in your food planning and may help you save money.

Remember that there are many other sources of good fats, such as olives, olive oil, yoghurt and even dark chocolate, so it’s important to keep learning and focus on what works for your body and your taste buds.

Nothing is more frustrating than eating something you don’t like every day, so make your life easier and pick foods you like!

William Ferrari

Founder and Editor of TheLifesty. Passionate about Health & Fitness and enthusiast about changes. Interested in everything that improves the quality of life.