Healthy Fats to Eat Often

Happy Presidents’ Day!

I’m enjoying a much needed Monday off. Traveling always takes it out of me a bit and I love that I had today and yesterday to recoup. Last night I was exhausted and passing out by 8 PM — helllooo jet lag! This afternoon is shaping up to be an active one: first we took Harley girl for an hour walk, then Adam and I played tennis together. Next up: food shopping and whipping up a fancy dinner!

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February is American Heart Month, which aims to raise awareness of heart disease, its unfortunate prevalence in our country, and the things people can do to prevent it. A few stats via the CDC about how heart disease affects people in the U.S.:

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women.
• 1 out of every 4 deaths is caused by heart disease.
• Cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, costs the U.S. $312.6 billion annually.

The important thing to know is that heart disease is preventable and controllable. The main ways to reduce your risk are to exercise regularly, maintain a healthy weight and eat a healthy diet. Speaking of a healthy diet, one of the major misconceptions about eating healthily is that all fat is bad. The truth is, we now know that not all fats are NOT created equal. While saturated fats and trans fats are thought to raise cholesterol and the risk for heart disease and stroke, other kinds of fats are heart-healthy and beneficial to eat often.

Types of ”good” fat include unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids, including avocado, olive oil and nuts. Eating sources of healthy dietary fat helps your body absorb key nutrients, reduces risk of heart disease and stroke, lowers bad cholesterol and raises good cholesterol, increases energy levels and strengthens your immune system, just to name a few! To reap these benefits, don’t be afraid to eat a few servings of good fat daily. To read more ideas of healthy fats to add into your diet, check out my latest Girls Gone Sporty article here.