It is not wise to have a lot of saturated fat in your diet. Thus, many people avoid food products such as red meat, whole milk, peanut butter, and full-fat cream. However, your diet should include plenty of healthy fat. Indeed, between 20 and 30 percent of your daily calorie intake should come from healthy fat.
Healthy fats are monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat.
Such fats help your body produce energy. Without healthy fat, you cannot absorb vitamins K, E, D, and A. Additionally, it makes you feel full, which can stop you from eating too many carbohydrates.
How can you make sure your diet includes enough healthy fat? Eating more of the following eight types of food will ensure your body is getting the fats that it needs for optimal functioning:
Avocado
Avocado packs a particularly mighty nutritional punch. It contains a lot of monounsaturated fat and is also an excellent source of B vitamins, vitamin C, potassium, folate, magnesium, and fiber. Eating them can lower your risk of heart disease and hypertension. Avocadoes are creamy and do not have a strong taste. If you are a fan, you should include avocadoes as part of your healthy, balanced diet.
Fatty Fish
Several types of oily fish contain omega-3 fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins. Omega-3 fatty acids can lower your risk of developing heart disease. They can also help treat auto-immune conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and eczema.
If you want more omega-3 fatty acids in your diet, increase your consumption of salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel, trout, and herring. However, be careful not to eat oily fish more than twice a week because it can contain mercury.
Eggs
Some people avoid eating eggs because the yolks contain some saturated fat. However, eggs have healthy fats and nutrients such as vitamins E, D, and A. Eggs are rich in protein, too. Eating eggs to excess is less than ideal. Yet you can consume up to seven eggs a week without impacting your cardiovascular health.
Nuts
Nuts that come from trees contain a lot of healthy fats. The good fats in nuts can help lower your LDL cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is dangerous if your levels are too high. It can lead to cardiovascular issues such as heart disease and stroke. To ensure your diet contains the healthiest nuts, opt for almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, macadamias, chestnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, and pecans.
Nuts are also an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. For instance, Brazil nuts are an good source of selenium. Selenium is an antioxidant mineral that helps your body metabolize food more efficiently.
How many nuts should you eat? Eating four to six servings of mixed unsalted nuts each week will boost your health. However, you should not make the mistake of eating too many nuts, as they are calorific. One serving of nuts a day is enough.
Seeds
Seeds contain all of the necessary components to grow into flourishing plants. Thus, they are highly nutritious. Including them in your diet will ensure your body gets many minerals, vitamins, and healthy omega fats. Flaxseeds are particularly beneficial for your health. Other nutritious varieties include chia, pumpkin, sunflower, and sesame seeds.
Olives
Olives contain a lot of healthy fats. Most of the fat in olives comes in the form of oleic acid. Including oleic acid in your diet can help you reduce your risk of heart disease. It can also help with inflammation. If you like olives, make sure you eat them regularly.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is an excellent source of oleic acid with many culinary uses. You can use olive oil to dress salads. Alternatively, use it for frying or roasting food. You might have read that you should not use more expensive brands of olive oil for frying and roasting, but this is untrue. Using higher-end extra-virgin olive oil for frying is healthy and will add more flavor to your food. However, do not let olive oil get excessively hot in a frying pan on high heat. Olive oil does have a lower smoking point than other types of oil.
Tofu
About 50 percent of the calories in tofu come from fat. Most of the fat in tofu is healthy. It has a lot of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. Tofu does not contain any cholesterol. Tofu is not just beneficial to your cardiovascular health. It also has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities.
A Healthier You
Now you know about eight types of food that contain healthy fats and are suitable for promoting cardiovascular health. All you have to do is include more of them in your diet to improve your overall health. If you need extra inspiration to help you add more of these foods to your diet, plenty of excellent recipes can be found online and in cookbooks.