The Best Healthy Fats for Weight Loss, Recommended by Dietitians

Not all fat should be avoided—especially these nutritious, good-for-you picks.

Reviewed by Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD

The fat-free trend of the '90s may be done and dusted, while high-fat diets like keto continue to remain popular. Since opinions on fat flip-flop often, you may be confused about how fat fits into a healthy diet for weight loss.

Fat does contain more calories compared to carbohydrates or protein. One gram of fat has 9 calories, while 1 gram of protein or carbohydrate has 4 grams, according to the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Information Center. It makes sense, then, that low-fat diets may help you cut calories. However, not all fat is created equal, and losing weight is more nuanced than simply counting calories. Fat is a vital nutrient that provides energy, supports cell function and helps your body absorb nutrients and produce hormones, according to the American Heart Association. Fat also makes food more satiating and enhances its flavor.

How to Lose Weight When You Don't Know Where to Start, According to a Dietitian

Rather than avoiding fat, including the right fats in your diet may help you lose weight. The Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes healthy fats, has been shown to support weight loss. A 2019 study published in Nutrition & Diabetes that followed 32,000 people over 12 years found that those who followed a Mediterranean-style diet were almost 10% less likely to become overweight or obese versus those who did not. The Mediterranean diet may also help with weight-loss maintenance. A 2020 study from The British Journal of Nutrition found that Mediterranean-diet eaters were twice as likely to maintain their weight loss than those who weren’t following the diet.

Since fat-free isn’t the way to go, you may have questions about incorporating the right kind of fats into your diet to help you reach your weight-loss goals. In this article, we’ll review the best healthy fats for weight loss recommended by dietitians.

What Are Healthy Fats?

First off, what do we mean when we say you should eat more healthy fats? The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults should aim for 20% to 35% of their calorie intake from fat sources, with less than 10% of daily calories from saturated fat. There are three main groups of fats: saturated fats, unsaturated fats and trans fats. The chemical structure of each type of fat is unique, which means they each function differently in our body.

Saturated and trans fats are the so-called “bad” fats. Eating a diet that is high in saturated fat has been associated with higher risk of heart disease. Foods high in saturated fats include butter, whole milk, cheese, red meats, baked goods and oils that are solid at room temperature, such as coconut oil. That said, saturated fats shouldn’t be avoided and they do play an important role in keeping our body healthy. Instead of aiming to eliminate saturated fat, it’s more beneficial to focus on increasing unsaturated fats to promote a good balance of fats in our diet. Likewise, trans fats are also a risk to your heart health, as they raise levels of unhealthy LDL cholesterol, per the Mayo Clinic.

The “good” fats are unsaturated fats, and there are two main types: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and have been linked to health benefits like lower “bad” LDL cholesterol levels and a reduced risk of heart disease.

• Monounsaturated fats: You’ll find these healthy fats in foods like olive, peanut and canola oils; avocado, nuts and seeds.

• Polyunsaturated fats: These healthy fats are abundant in foods such as canola, sunflower, corn, soybean and flaxseed oils; walnuts, flaxseed and fish.

The Best Healthy Fats for Weight Loss

Avocado

Now that low-fat diets aren’t as trendy, the popularity of avocados has grown tremendously. (We’re looking at you avocado toast!) The powerful duo of fiber and monounsaturated fats in avocados adds to their satiety factor and makes them especially beneficial for weight loss. A 2018 clinical trial published in Nutrients, conducted with 31 relatively healthy overweight and obese adults, “found that eating a whole avocado as part of a breakfast meal, compared to a meal with no avocado, suppressed hunger and improved meal satisfaction,” says Kristen Carli, M.S., RD, owner of Camelback Nutrition and Wellness.

Fatty Fish

Protein plays an important role in weight loss because it boosts post-meal fullness while also helping to maintain muscle mass when losing weight. Fish, including “fatty fish” like salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines and anchovies, are a naturally lean source of protein. The fat in fish includes the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. “EPA and DHA differ from the omega-3s available in plants, and eating seafood is one of the few ways to increase these essential nutrients, which our bodies cannot make on their own,” says Caroline Thomason, RD, CDCES, a Washington, D.C.-based dietitian and diabetes educator.

A 2019 review from Nutrition Research Reviews found that eating fish may support weight loss in a couple of ways. One, eating fish in place of other animal-based proteins has been found to reduce calorie intake by 4% to 9%. Two, consuming fish in a calorie-restricted diet “seems to increase weight loss,” according to the study. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends consuming 8 ounces of fish (about two servings) per week.

Full-Fat Salad Dressings

If the thought of eating vegetables without your favorite dressing turns you off, don’t worry.

The popularity of “fat-free” dressings is waning since it was based on outdated science.

Full-fat salad dressing not only makes salad taste better, but the fat is essential for helping you absorb the fat-soluble vitamins in those vegetables, such as vitamins A, E, D and K. “Using a full-fat salad dressing is also a lot more satisfying than a fat-free one, and it is digested a lot slower than carbs or protein-rich foods, therefore providing you with a feeling of fullness for longer,” says Roxana Ehsani, M.S., RD, a Miami-based board-certified sports dietitian.

Nuts

If you are looking for a convenient and satisfying snack that also supports weight-loss goals, nuts are a great option. Nuts were on the no-no list for weight loss for a long time because they are a high-calorie food. (That’s thanks to all those healthy fats.) However, research shows that nuts don’t hinder weight-loss goals. For example, a 2019 study in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention, & Health, which included over 100,000 healthy adults, observed that swapping out less-healthy foods—processed meat, desserts, potato chips—for nuts was associated with less weight gain over time, as well as less obesity.

“Walnuts get my vote for the best healthy fat for weight loss,” says Samantha Cassetty, M.S., RD, a plant-forward nutrition and wellness expert and co-author of Sugar Shock. “A two-year study found that healthy older adults could incorporate 1 to 2 ounces of walnuts into their daily diet without leading to weight gain,” she says.

Full-Fat Yogurt

Doesn’t full-fat yogurt contain “bad” saturated fat? Yes, but hear us out. Not only is a full-fat yogurt full of protein, calcium, phosphorus, B vitamins and gut-healthy probiotics, it will also help keep you fuller for longer.

Research continues to link yogurt intake with a lower risk of weight gain over time. A 2019 review published in Advances in Nutrition concluded that whole-fat dairy foods were not associated with weight gain, and that eating dairy improved lean body mass and helped decrease body fat. The researchers also compared sweetened versus plain yogurt and found that plain yogurt was more strongly associated with weight loss.

Need more convincing? A meta-analysis published in 2022 in Advances in Nutrition, which included data from over 30,000 individuals, observed that for every 50 grams per day of yogurt consumed (a standard individual-size yogurt cup is 150 grams), the risk of overweight/obesity went down by 13%. From sweet to savory dishes, there are countless ways to help you incorporate more yogurt into your diet while reaching your weight-loss goals.

Bottom Line

Don’t be afraid to include fat in your diet anymore—even when you are trying to lose weight. Fat is not only an essential nutrient, but it also enhances the flavor of food and makes it more satisfying. Rather than avoiding fat—like we did in the '90s—the goal is to include the right kind of fats in your diet, such as nuts, avocado and full-fat yogurt. Get ready to dig in.

Read the original article on Eating Well.