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Why You Need To Eat Healthy Fats | Nutritionist Explains | Myprotein
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Jan 30, 2025
Healthy fats are explained by expert nutritionist. Not sure what healthy fats are? In this video of Nutritionist Explains, accredited nutritionist Jamie Wright, explains the role of healthy fats in a balanced diet and tells us why dietary fat is important to our body and health in the first place. *** Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 02:55 - Healthy fats 05:44 - Health benefits 07:21 - Saturated vs. unsaturated 09:09 - Cholesterol 10:49 - Outro ********************************* Subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MyproteinUK?sub_confirmation=1 ➡️ If you like this, you'll love this: https://youtu.be/POmb7_mej6o ➡️ Find more nutrition advice here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkb17OgnhB-E3HuYJuEacRqMjrokvPxpI
View Video Transcript
0:00
hi I'm Jimmy Wright an accredited
0:01
nutritionist and I specialize in helping
0:03
people all across the world achieve
0:05
their goals without silly fat diets in
0:07
this episode of nutritionist explained
0:09
I'm going to be discussing the role of
0:10
healthy fats in a balanced
0:13
[Music]
0:15
diet before diving into the role of
0:17
healthy fats in a balanced diet it's
0:19
worth understanding why dietary fat is
0:21
important to our body and health in the
0:23
first place dietary fats also known as
0:25
dietary lipids play a range of crucial
0:27
roles in our bodies one of the main
0:29
functions of fat in our body is to
0:31
provide energy fat is a concentrated
0:33
source of calories providing us with
0:35
nine calories per gram compared to four
0:38
calories per gram from carbohydrates and
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protein this means that fats can provide
0:42
a potentially longer lasting and
0:44
sustainable source of energy especially
0:46
during periods of prolonged physical
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activity when our calorie intake is
0:50
restricted another important function of
0:51
fat in the body is to support the
0:53
absorption of fat soluble vitamins
0:55
vitamins a d e and K are considered fat
0:59
soluble which which means they require
1:00
dietary fat for proper absorption and
1:02
utilization by the body without an
1:05
adequate intake of dietary fats our
1:06
bodies would struggle to absorb these
1:08
essential vitamins which may lead to
1:10
deficiencies and potential health
1:12
problems another important function of
1:14
dietary fat is the role it plays in
1:16
supporting healthy cell function and
1:17
structure you see every cell in our body
1:20
is surrounded by a membrane which is
1:21
essentially a kind of wall that is
1:23
comprised of fat molecules called
1:25
phospholipids these phospholipids which
1:28
to help on the visual side look a bit
1:30
like people lying side to side more or
1:31
less shoulder Tosh shoulder help to
1:33
maintain the integrity and the fluidity
1:36
of the cell membrane in doing so this
1:38
allows for proper communication between
1:40
cells as well as the transport of
1:42
nutrients and other substances in and
1:44
out of cells it's somewhat similar
1:46
function of fat is the role it plays as
1:47
a structural component of our nervous
1:50
system myelin a protective covering
1:52
around nerve cells is composed primarily
1:54
of fat this is often referred to as the
1:56
myin sheath and this protective cover
1:58
helps facilitate the the transmission of
2:00
nerve signals throughout the body
2:02
allowing for proper sensory perception
2:04
and motor coordination did you know that
2:06
fat is directly involved in the
2:08
production of hormones hormones such
2:11
as testosterone which we know that from
2:14
a previous video that you can find here
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is vital to the growth of your gains now
2:19
speaking of vital uh to highlight a
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final important role that fat plays in
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the body it also provides insulation and
2:25
protection for our vital organs adapost
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tissue commonly known as body fat acts
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as a cushioning layer around organs like
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the heart liver and kidneys protecting
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them from injury and providing
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insulation to maintain body temperature
2:37
are all forms of dietary fat created
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equal m not quite some types of fats
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appear to be healthier than others but
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which ones exactly just what are the
2:47
healthy fats the first of the healthy
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fats to highlight are monounsaturated
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fats these fats are liquid at room
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temperature and become solid when
2:55
refrigerated we often find these in
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various plant-based foods and oils
2:59
making them a great addition to a
3:01
balanced diet one of my favorite sources
3:03
of monounsaturated fats are avocados
3:05
surprisingly avocados are more than just
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an influencer's toast topping of choice
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when it comes to posting their daily
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brunch activities in fact avocados are
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actually quite delicious but are also
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packed with health promoting
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monounsaturated fats adding avocado
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slices to your salad or spreading some
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avocado on toast can be an excellent way
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to increase your intake of
3:23
monounsaturated fats another great
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source of monounsaturated fats are nuts
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particularly Ammons and C shoes snacking
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on a handful of these nuts between your
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meals having a portion with breakfast or
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adding to a salad can provide you with a
3:36
good dose of healthy fats olive oil is
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another fantastic source of
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monounsaturated fats including olive oil
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in your diet can not only improve the
3:43
taste of your maze but also boost your
3:44
intake of these mod unsaturated fats
3:47
other sources of these fats You may wish
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to consider including in your diet would
3:50
be the likes of nut Butters sesame oil
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and even sunflower oil the other major
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type of healthy dietary fat are the
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polyunsaturated fats polyunsaturated
3:59
fats are different to monounsaturated
4:00
fats as they tend to be liquid at room
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temperature these fats are made up of
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two or more double Bonds in their
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chemical structure which is what gives
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them their liquid consistency there are
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two main types of polyunsaturated fats
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Omega-3s and the omega-6 fatty acids
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these two types of fats are considered
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essential meaning that we simply can't
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produce them ourselves and so they have
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to be gained from our dietry intake
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let's talk omega-3 first omega-3 fatty
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acids are known for their
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anti-inflammatory properties as well as
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a whole host of other benefits which
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we'll touch on later can be found in
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fatty fish like salmon mackerel and even
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sardines these fats can also be obtained
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from plant Bas sources such as flax
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seeds chia seeds and walnuts it's
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important to highlight though that
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plant-based omega-3 sources don't score
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too well when it comes to
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bioavailability however if you're
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determined to go plant-based on this
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algae oil based Omega-3 supplements do
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appear to be uniquely beneficial to
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increasing our omega-3 index for
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reference the omega3 index is simply how
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we measure the levels of Omega-3 in our
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blood omega-6 6 fatty acids are the
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other form of essential polyunsaturated
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fats and we actually tend to have plenty
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of omega-6 fatty acids in our current
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diet and so I wouldn't be overly
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stressed about you needing to include
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more of them in your current day-to-day
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diet in fact the worry would be more so
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about having too much as that's been
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associated with chronic inflammation
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hypertension and blood clotting tendency
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that increases the risk of heart attack
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and stroke where can you find them well
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omega-6 fatty acids are found in
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vegetable oils like soybean oil
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sunflower oil and corn oil they're also
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present in nuts and seeds like almonds
5:30
cashews and sesame seeds while omega-6
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fatty acids can be converted into
5:35
omega-3 fatty acids the conversion rate
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is pretty poor and so you often see
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vegetarians and vegans here on
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supplementing their diet having lower
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levels of omega-3 fatty acids so just
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what are healthy fats good for well
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healthy fats are not only delicious but
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also incredibly beneficial for your
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overall health one of the most important
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benefits of healthy fats is their
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positive impact on heart health
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consuming foods rich and healthy fats
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can help lower bad cholesterol levels
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and reduce rce the risk of heart disease
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our healthy mod unsaturated and
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polyunsaturated fats are known to
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promote heart health by improving blood
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pressure and reducing inflammation in
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addition to heart health healthy fats
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can also play a crucial role in
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promoting the health and performance of
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our brain fun fact our brain is made up
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of nearly 60% fat and consuming healthy
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fats can support optimal brain function
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omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish
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like salmon and walnuts have been linked
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to improved memory focus and overall
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cognitive function including plenty of
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these fats in our diet can help enhance
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our learning abilities and protect
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against cognitive decline as we age when
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it comes to training performance and
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body comp healthy fats are a must have
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Beyond providing a concentrated source
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of energy and helping to sustain
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endurance during physical activities
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healthy fats in particular have a range
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of unique benefits for athletes and
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fitness fici andad for instance there is
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evidence to show that these fats help to
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reduce muscle soreness while
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contributing to Muscle Recovery by
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reducing inflammation and promoting
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tissue repair there's also also some
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evidence to suggest that including more
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healthy fats can also help with exercise
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performance an in-depth review paper
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looking at the benefits and end points
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of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in
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a sporting context found that athletes
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who increased or were eating more
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omega-3 fatty acids each day had
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improved performance outcomes in both
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cardiovascular and strength exercise
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saturated fats and dietary cholesterol
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we've spoken about healthy fats but now
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we're getting into more murky
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territories of difficult to distinguish
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kinds of fats it wouldn't be accurate to
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say that they were alog together healthy
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but they're not necessarily completely
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unhealthy either the two more confusing
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members of the dietary fat family
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saturated fats and dietary cholesterol
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saturated fats in the RO plan our health
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has long been fiercely contested and
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while you can find saturated fats in
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many plants you will also find them in
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dairy products as well as other
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animal-based products such as red meat
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while earlier observational studies
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showed that people who consumed high
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amounts of saturated fat at higher rates
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of death from heart disease more recent
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data has contested that conclusion
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individual lifestyle factors the actual
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food sources of the saturated fats in a
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person's diet what saturated fats are
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replacing or being replaced within a
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person's diet and more are all important
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contextual factors to take into account
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rather than making a sweeping
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generalization that saturated fats are
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bad and we shouldn't be eating them at
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the end of the day with everything in
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nutrition moderation is key speaking of
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it's also important for us to practice
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moderation when it comes to cholesterol
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similarly to saturated fats it would be
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inaccurate to claim that cholesterol is
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bad for you in fact our bodies need
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cholesterol to function properly you see
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cholesterol is intricately involved in
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hormone production and serves as a
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building block for cell membranes what
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is also important to know is that not
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all cholesterol comes from the food that
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we eat in fact our liver produces most
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of the cholesterol in our bodies and we
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have effective mechanisms to control
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cholesterol levels in our body so what
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does that mean even if you cut out all
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dietary sources of cholesterol your body
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will still make it and well vice versa
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if you were to start taking in more
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cholesterol from your diet your body
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would simply produce less basically what
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I'm trying to get around to is you don't
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have to throw out the egg yolks anymore
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they're totally fine and to be quite
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honest they're jam-packed full of so
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many beneficial nutrients that would be
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a crime to Chuck them out anyway just
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before we finish up this video I quickly
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wanted to highlight the unhealthy fat
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trans fats these unhealthy fats are
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formed when liquid oils are partially
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hydrogenated making them more solid and
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giving them a longer shelf life you'll
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find trans fats in Ultra processed foods
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like your biscuits cakes and fried food
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and snacks like crisps and within many
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fast food restaurants you really do want
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to steer clear of trans fats where
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possible as they have been found to have
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numerous negative effects on our health
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they raise our levels of bad cholesterol
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while lowering our levels of good
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cholesterol which essentially increases
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our risk of heart disease trans fats
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have been linked to an increased risk of
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obesity diabetes and even certain types
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of cancer if you're going to make a
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concentrated effort to reduce any kind
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of fat I would recommend you prioritize
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trans fats first and foremost trust me
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your body will thank you for it we need
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dietary fat to maintain a healthy body
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and mind we also however need to be
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considered as to what types of dietary
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fat we're ingesting as well as the food
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sources of dietary fat that we're
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including in our diets increasing our
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intake of Omega-3 Rich fat sources
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alongsid prioritizing predominantly
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monounsaturated and po unsaturated
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dietary fat sources with a moderate
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intake of omega-6 saturated fat and
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dietary cholesterol would all be welcome
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focuses to have within a balanced diet
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you'll also likely want to minimize your
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intake of trans fats as these aren't
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particularly great for our health but
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obviously you'll still want to have some
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flexibility with your diet to include
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the foods you enjoy from time to time
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hopefully this video helps you to move
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closer to a healthy balanced diet and as
10:53
always don't forget to like this video
10:55
And subscribe to the my protein YouTube
10:57
channel for more helpful content and be
10:59
sure to keep asking the team questions
11:00
so that we can keep providing you with
11:02
more evidence-based
11:06
[Music]
11:08
answers
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