Can We Eat Too Much Healthy Fat?

We’re big fans of healthy fats.  We recently talked a lot about the health benefits of canola oil, have talked about healthy omega-3 and touched on coconut oil and saturated fat in the past.

But with all the talk of fat, comes a question that I got just last night while giving a talk …

… can you eat TOO much healthy fat?

Great question.  And how do you define "too much?"

All fats are certainly not created equal.  That’s an undisputed fact.  Sometimes, though, when people hear x is good, they go overboard and think more is better.  For example, while olive oil is fantastic for you … drizzling it on top of every food you eat is not.  I’ve seen this done, though.

Fat, regardless of the type, still has calories.  In fact, it weighs in at over double that of carbohydrates or protein, providing 9 calories/gram (carbs and protein both provide 4 calories/gram).  While carbs are often demonized and people think solely cutting carbs is the answer to their weight loss needs.  They’re wrong.

You can’t simply add olive oil to all your foods, include avocado, nuts, salmon, whole eggs and other sources of healthy fat with reckless abandon.  Again, fat contains calories.  And while we don’t believe all calories are created equally … that doesn’t mean they’re unimportant.  At the end of the day total calories still matter.  If you’re eating more than you’re burning through exercise and just general "living" you will not lose fat.  This doesn’t mean we’re advocating a low fat diet.  It’s the right types of fat and the right quantities.

Mohr Results Bottom Line: We suggest aiming for around 25-35% of calories from healthy fats.  Again, the sources of this fat are key — wild salmon, fish oil, egg yolks, olive and canola oils, avocado, nuts and nut butters are all great sources.

Just remember these are all very easy to over eat and we often suggest measuring the amount of oil used.  It’s tough to estimate the amount of oil when poured into a pan — just when you think you’re adding 1 TBS, you suddenly have 2 or 3.  And, at the end of the day, you still need to keep a handle on total calories.

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