A lack of wholesome fats in your diet can show up in more ways than one. If any of these signs sound familiar, it might be worth upping the almonds…
By Nutritionist and GoodnessMe Box Health Editor Melissa Fine.
1. You’re Never Full After a Meal
Do you find that despite eating three main meals a day and some snacks in between, you’re constantly thinking about what you’re going to eat next? A lack of good fats with each meal could explain this. Why? Fat delays stomach emptying, and also provides a lingering, well-rounded mouth feel that makes you feel content.
Unsure if you’re eating enough fat? Here are a few telltale food habits…and some simple swaps you can make:
- You have jam on your toast for breakkie. Swap this with a tablespoon (or two!) of a 100% nut spread like almond butter…delicious on sourdough with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
- Your coffee order is a skim latte/flat white. Switch to full cream milk.
- You pour fat free vinaigrette on your salad. Go for a drizzle of olive oil with some balsamic or red wine vinegar instead, and perhaps a sprinkle of your favourite seeds or chopped nuts…our current favourite is Earth’s Bounty Activated Almonds.
- You boil your veggies; why not roast them instead, and brush with olive or coconut oil before popping them in the oven. Roasting really brings out the flavour of your veg as well.
- You skip the egg yolk…and the chicken skin! It can be worth adding these back into your diet; these are the bits that help keep you full and they’re also full of nutrients, not to mention flavour!
2. Your Sugar Cravings are through the Roof
You try making healthy choices for breakkie, lunch and dinner, but these end up going alongside a muffin mid-morning, a couple biccies with your afternoon cuppa and a bowl of sugary cereal for a late night snack…Sound like you? Be your own experiment and see if upping the fat content of your breakfast, lunch and dinner cuts the sweet cravings.
If you do need a snack, skip the low fat muffin and eat something with quality fats instead. A sugary snack will likely prompt you to eat another sugary snack later, whereas a handful or two of nuts will help stabilise your blood sugar and make your brain register you’re full.
3. You have Dry Skin
If you religiously slather your skin with moisturiser but still feel super scaly, the solution may be in your diet. Feed your skin from the inside out with healthy fats, peeps! Oily fish is great because of its essential omega-3 fat content, required for healthy cell membrane structure and the production of our skin’s moisturising oil barrier, which also plumps up the skin. Don’t do fish? Walnuts, ground linseed and chia are good vegetarian sources of the stuff.
4. You Skip the Salad Dressing
This old school diet habit may not be doing you any favours; while we aren’t fans of vegetable oil laden salad dressings at GMB (they’re high in inflammatory omega-6 fats), we do love salad dressings made with extra virgin olive oil; not only does it make our lunches taste that much better, it also helps us absorb more of the fat soluble vitamins from our raw veg. Yep, vitamins A, D, E and K rely on fat for absorption, which means oil free vinaigrette won’t cut it, either.
My go-to salad dressing combo: 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard, pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
5. You’re Struggling to Lose Weight
If you’re cutting back on fat to lose excess weight but aren’t having much success, the fat free foods in your pantry and fridge might explain it. Per gram, fat has more energy than protein and carbs, BUT we need less of it to feel satisfied.
If you’ve tried diet yoghurt before, you’ll be familiar with its watery consistency and chemically aftertaste…you’ll probably also be familiar with feeling unsatisfied after a 200g tub of the stuff. With quality full fat, unsweetened yoghurt on the other hand, a couple dollops on your muesli are more than enough, thanks to the fat and the creaminess it provides. No more bland fat free food, thanks!