If you read my recent post 3 Steps to a Balanced Meal, you may have noticed that one major player was missing… fat. Since then, I’ve gotten a lot of questions about how this macronutrient fits into the equation. Can you eat fat at every meal? Is fat bad for you? Does eating fat make you gain weight?

Fat is just as important to our health as protein and produce. Fat increases the body’s absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, improves brain function and reduces hunger. Then why, you might, wasn’t fat included in 3 Steps to a Balanced Meal? It’s simple—most meals already contain a source of fat, which means the work is done for you. Fat is naturally woven into most protein foods, such as meat, seafood, cheese, eggs, nuts and seeds. Fat is also used to flavor and cook our foods, like cooking with coconut oil or dressing a salad with olive oil. Therefore, you rarely need to worry about getting enough fat at each meal. 

To clear up any confusion, let me break it down for you.

Can you eat fat at every meal?

Yes, you can (and should) eat fat at every meal. I encourage most people to have at least one serving of fat at every meal. That can look like:

• 1 tablespoon of butter or oil
• 2 tablespoons of nut butter
• ¼ cup of coconut milk
• 1 ounce of cheese
• 4-6 ounces of fatty fish
• 4 tablespoons of nuts or seeds

Is fat bad for you?

No, fat is not bad for you—but the type of fat does matter. Healthy sources of fat should be the main sources of fat that you eat. These types of anti-inflammatory fats include:

• Good quality oils
• Good quality meats and seafood
• Avocados
• Organic plain whole dairy yogurt
• Eggs
• Nuts and seeds

Unhealthy sources of fat are extremely inflammatory for the body. These sources of fat should be avoided or limited:

• Highly processed/refined oils
• Fried foods
• Trans fats (cakes, pies, cookies, etc)

Does fat make you gain weight? 

The short answer is, no. When eaten properly—healthy, anti-inflammatory fats in reasonable portions—fat actually does the opposite.