GardenofLife.com has added a new feature to their website – the Garden of Life Blog.  I’ve been asked to contribute, you can find my first blog here on their website, and I’ve added it below as well.

What Fats Have You Eaten Today?

Let’s start with the fact that eating fat in foods does not make you get fat.

Fat does need to be included in your healthy daily diet. And doing so won’t make you fat; just make sure you’re choosing the right kinds of fat, and staying away from the rest.

Inside and out, the benefits of good fats are many. They leave us feeling full between meals, which helps avoid snacking. They help alleviate depression and preserve memory. Good fats keep your metabolism high and improve your immune system. Healthy fats even lower our “bad” cholesterol and raise the “good” cholesterol. Outside, healthy fats do wonders for our skin and hair.

Not sure where to start?

Here are my top 10 Healthy Fats to consume:

• Extra Virgin Coconut Oil*
• Olive Oil
• Nuts and Unprocessed Nut Butters (almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews)
• Seeds (flax, chia, sunflower, sesame, pumpkin)
• Avocado
• Olives
• Cold water fatty fish (salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, or sardines)

If you’ve been avoiding fats for a while, take this opportunity to start incorporating the above foods into your daily meal plan.

 Here are some ways to add healthy fats to your diet:

• mix almond butter in with your oatmeal
• add ground flax seeds to Greek yogurt
• break out your blender; make a smoothie with almond milk, protein powder, blueberries and peanut butter
• grill pecan crusted salmon
• slice an avocado and add to your salad
• skip the bottled salad dressing, add dried herbs such as Italian seasoning and minced onion to your salad, dress with oil and balsamic vinegar
• a handful of nuts makes a great snack
• replace cooking spray with coconut oil

Looking for a special treat?  Give this a try:

Joey’s Chocolate Mousse

extra virgin coconut oil
cocoa powder
raw honey
almond milk

Mix all ingredients together in a blender. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

*A note on coconut oil – Be careful, not all coconut oils are created equal. Most are highly refined and can be hydrogenated. Garden of Life produces extra virgin coconut oil that contains meat from only the freshest, organically grown coconuts. It’s 100% vegetarian, non-GMO, not hydrogenated, refined, bleached or deodorized. An excellent high quality choice.

While you are adding healthy fats to your diet, make sure you eliminate the unhealthy ones. It’s not difficult, once you feeding your body the fat it needs, you will no longer crave the unhealthy stuff.

 Foods to avoid at all cost:

• Margarine
• Fried foods
• Commercially prepared baked goods
• Packaged snack foods
• Fast food
• Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil
• Candy bars
• Pre-mixed products (cake mix, pancake mix)

Make sure you don’t miss any of my upcoming Garden of Life Blogs – follow them on Twitter @gardenofliferaw