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Are the fats in avocado and nuts healthy?
I thought avocado and nuts can cause weight gain in people who eat them but you recently tweeted that this is not true. Please explain. Lisa
Dear Lisa,
There has long been a misconception that fat in the food we eat is what makes people store fat and gain weight.
This is not true. While fat in the food can contribute to fat deposits on the body, it is actually the conversion of excess carbohydrates in the diet to fat. Any unused carbohydrates are stored as fat for future use.
But another misconception is that fat has no use except storage of energy. In fact, there are different types of fat, most of which are good. It is the type of fat in the various foods that determines whether the food is good or bad.
The two types of useful fat are called monounsaturated and omega-3. These help to reduce inflammation, improve metabolism, reduce the risk for clots, help improve blood flow, regulate blood pressure, blood sugar and blood cholesterol levels and are also good for brain health and immunity.
The type of fat in avocado is the monounsaturated fat and most nuts are high in omega-3 fats. So, these two foods are actually good for health and metabolism. They have actually been shown to help with weight loss and not cause it.
But fat also helps to keep you satisfied longer and, therefore, linked to eating less, not more. If you eat even one handful of nuts, you will realise that your appetite or hunger for food will reduce.
That said, just like with any food, we need to eat foods high in fat in moderation. Having one to two handful of nuts each day and up to about a quarter to a half an avocado each day will boost your health, reduce your risk for heart-related problems and likely be useful for weight loss and maintaining your weight.
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