Healthy Fats You Can Feel Good About Eating

You’ll regret avoiding these heart-healthy fats.

If you lived through the low-fat craze of the 1980s and ‘90s, you were probably at least a little perplexed the first time you heard the phrase, “Yeah, but avocados are the good kind of fat.”

Nutrition gurus now know that not all fats are created equal. Good fats—monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats—can help lower your cholesterol levels, as well as your risk of heart disease and stroke, according to the American Diabetes Association. 

But that’s not all. Good fats can also provide energy and help you absorb vitamins and minerals from other foods. Omega-3 fatty acids, a type of unsaturated fat, support brain development and function. 

If you want to include healthy fats in your diet but don’t know exactly where to start, try these seven foods.

1. Olives and olive oil: Use olive oil for vinaigrettes, dipping bread, and cooking.

2. Nuts and nut butters, especially cashews, peanuts, and walnuts: Add to salads or sprinkle on oatmeal.

3. Avocado: It’s great on toast, chili, and—well—just about anything.  

4. Edamame and other soy products, like tempeh and tofu:

5. Fatty fish, like salmon, tuna, sardines, and mackerel. For maximum health benefits, the EPA and FDA recommend two to three servings of a variety of fish a week.

6. Seeds, like sunflower, sesame, or flax seeds, and seed butters, like sunflower seed butter or tahini. Try these in granola or on top of avocado toast, or use tahini to make a homemade salad dressingfor sauteing veggies.

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