Fats: Not Necessarily Evil

It does seem like advice on what to eat and losing weight changes all the time, making it hard for us mere mortals to keep up. But for years, we were told that fat was the enemy and that we should cut as much of it out of our diet as possible.

Well, that’s all changed, with many people now looking to healthy fats to lose weight. It may seem weird to many of us to eat fat to shift fat, but there is method to the madness. People who follow the ketogenic diet or ‘keto’ to its friends rely on fats to fuel them through the day.

Eating the keto way means cutting out the carbs, because this is where the body goes for a quick source of energy. Without this ready supply of blood sugar, the next port of call is ketones, which are produced by the liver from fat.

This switches your body into a fat burning machine, going beyond just the fats you’ve eaten, but others that you’ve already stored. That’s how people lose weight on the keto diet and why it’s become so popular with everyone from Kim Kardashian to Megan Fox.

Keto can be useful for losing weight and helping to reverse type II diabetes, but it’s always good to think carefully before starting a new diet. If you’re breastfeeding, have high blood pressure or are taking medication, then you should talk to a doctor before going down the keto route.

When it comes to the keto diet, it’s as much about what you don’t eat as what you do. It’s all about keeping carbs at a minimum, so step away from the pasta, potatoes, bread, rice and beer. Instead, fats and proteins are your friends. So we’re talking meat, seafood, eggs, cheese, avocados and nuts all the way.

Eggs are a great way to start the day whether you’re doing the keto diet or not, as they’re jam packed with vitamins B2 and D, zinc, iron and copper, as well as healthy protein and fats. Have a go at Cast Iron Keto’s shakshuka recipe, which will help to fuel you through the morning and keep you from feeling hungry.

Yes, we did say pizza, which sounds totally bonkers when you’re trying to cut out carbs, but it is possible. You just have to think outside of the box (and that includes the takeaway pizza box!). Tasteaholics shows you how to make pizza dough that doesn’t break all the keto rules and once you’ve got that nailed, you just choose the toppings.

Keto dieters are nothing if not inventive and No Bun Please has come up with an ingenious way to enjoy Mexican food without the carbs. You may think a floury tortilla is an essential part of an enchilada, but think again. Simply wrap your tasty filling mixture in chicken slices and you’re good to go.

While the keto diet certainly has its fans, we all know these trends can go just as quickly as they arrived. It’s important to have a balanced diet and enjoy regular exercise to keep fit. Fat should be part of the mix and choosing healthy options like avocados, eggs and nuts are known to have their benefits.