Eat Fat and Lose Weight!

Most people know that eating fat is not good for you - the fat in fast food, the fat in fried/processed food etc. So, does that mean that if we want to lose weight, we should cut all fat from our diets?? that answer is no... we actually need fat! only certain kinds of fats though....
Fats are essential, they are responsible for providing EFA's (essential fatty acids), keeping our skin soft, delivering fat-soluble vitamins and are a great energy source. The problem is when people don't know what fats are healthy and what ones are bad.
People just assume that eating fat is the only reason for obesity - 'if you eat fat, you get fat', well, it is only part of the problem - there are a few other reasons for that, sugar being one. One reason why you do put on weight by eating fats and not so much from carbs, is because fat contains 9 calories per gram, whilst carbs only contain 4 calories per gram. It is easy to eat fat as it is in so many easy, readily available foods - fast food, pastries, chocolate, ice cream and more.
GOOD - Unsaturated fats - Raise good cholesterol, lower bad cholesterol, protect against build up of plaque in your arteries, help prevent belly fat.
These fats are what you want to eat! You can find them in olive oil, almonds, cashews, peanuts, peanut butter, avocados, salmon, mackerel, herring, canola oil, flaxseed, walnuts and tofu.
BAD - Saturated fats - Raise cholesterol, increase risk of heart disease
Don't eat these! - You can find them in red meat, cream, butter, chocolate, processed meats (sausages), whipped cream and hydrogenated oils (palm, coconut)
UGLY - Trans fats - Chemically altered to prolong shelf life of packaged foods, increase inflammation within the body, increase risk of heart disease.
NEVER BUY THEM! - Margarine, doughnuts, french fries, processed foods - cookies, crisps, cakes etc.