ATHLEAN-X Guide to Fats

Fats – The Devil You Don’t Know

Fat is the macronutrient that gets the worst rap, one that may not be altogether deserved!

Everyone wanted to completely avoid fats in the 1990’s, largely due to some misinformation traced back to a few studies from the 60s and 70’s that pointed to dietary fat as the main cause of coronary heart disease and other related issues. More recent reports have revealed that the sugar industry paid for the research programs which gave this misleading information about dietary fat.

The fact is, fats are essential to keeping your body healthy and operating at its best. Not only do fats provide long sustained energy, they are also key in helping proper hormone function which is integral when trying to add muscle.

Not only do fats provide long sustained energy, they are also key in helping proper hormone function which is integral when trying to add muscle.

However, much like starchy carbs, fats need to be kept in check. If not, they can tend to…stick around. Simple thermodynamics state that fats are more than twice as calorically dense as carbs and protein on a gram per gram basis (with 4 calories/gram in protein and carbohydrates and 9 calories/gram in fat). This means that if you eat half as much fat as carbs or protein on an equivalent gram basis, you would still be ingesting more calories.

Thankfully, one major benefit fats have over starchy carbs is their ability to fill you up. A tablespoon of peanut butter or a glass of whole milk will tide you over longer than a handful of crackers. That’s largely due to the more intensive digestion required to break down and convert fat.

Satiety is a huge benefit that fat has over starchy carbs; pure fat tends not to come in the form of something you would want to binge eat. People can overdo pasta, breads and rice, but how much cream do you really want to drink?

When it comes to dietary fat, it’s best to stick with the healthiest sources. Here’s a list of foods that fall into the healthy fats category: