John Myers
While fat used to have a generally bad reputation, we now know that certain high-fat foods are healthy and should be on the menu regularly. You can find out here what they are and what advantages they have.
These are healthy high-fat foods
We could not survive without fats in our diet, as some of them are essential for the body. High-fat foods can and should therefore be part of the diet and, despite their high energy density, should not be avoided out of misunderstood calorie saving. First of all, however, the following question usually arises: “What exactly are high-fat foods?”. The food law definition of this is that there is a high content of fatty acids if they provide 20 percent of the energy of the product. An example: sweet almonds have about 580 kcal per 100 g and consist of a little more than 50 g of fat. The term “high-fat” is therefore fully appropriate because the almonds make up a proud proportion of over 50%.
High-fat foods at a glance
There are both high-fat plant foods and animal foods. The distinction that only fat from cooking oils is healthy is now considered obsolete. The important omega-3 fatty acids, for example, are often found in animal foods, so oily fish can be considered superfoods. The following non-exhaustive list of high-fat foods can serve as a rough guide, some of which should only be enjoyed in moderation:
Regularly:
- vegetable oils
- nuts and kernels
- Seeds (e.g. poppy or flaxseed)
- fatty sea fish (mackerel, salmon, herring)
- avocado
Moderately:
- butter
- mascarpone
- Camembert
- Cream, crème fraîche
- Hard cheese (e.g. Emmental, Parmesan, Cheddar, Pecorino)
- Double cream cheese
- Fatty Meat
- sausage
- Fried foods like fries, chips
- Fatty pastries (like donuts or churros)
- margarine
- lard
Fat in combination with other macronutrients
Some diets recommend high-fat, non-carbohydrate foods to ensure adequate calorie intake. Low carb is a keyword here – and high-fat foods are also mandatory for “keto”. The idea: The body is made to metabolize fat and not glucose from carbohydrates. This is intended to keep the blood sugar level low without starvation crises, which in turn can prevent the development of civilization diseases. There are many varieties of the ketogenic diet, from strict to moderate. Other diets combine high protein with high-fat foods to build muscle. Strength athletes, for example, take advantage of this concept.
