Optavia Healthy Fats

Healthful Vitality | 10/25/2022 | By NP Contributor| Optavia Healthy Fats

Obesity is a significant problem in the US. About 70% of the population is overweight, and 40% is obese. However, the US is among the first nations not to consider obesity merely a risk factor for other health conditions but a disease that must be treated.

Being overweight occurs due to wrong dietary choices and a sedentary lifestyle. Therefore, dietary corrections are the most effective ways to overcome obesity.

However, making dietary changes is highly challenging as it requires much learning. Therefore, most people are looking for more straightforward ways. One such straightforward way is opting for Optavia diet plan. It is a proprietary diet plan but based on well-known scientific principles.

For example, one of its most popular diet plans for weight loss is 5 &1 program, which means eating six times a day. Five meals are prepared by and delivered by the organization. These are meals high in proteins and prebiotics and low in carbs and fats. People are allowed to cook one meal a day and eat.

This one meal must mainly contain lean proteins and greens to promote gut health and maintain lean mass. However, it may contain fats in small amounts.

Understanding health fats

Fats are essential nutrients, and they are high in calories. Therefore, it means that one should regularly consume fats to stay healthy, but in smaller amounts. For example, one gram of fat contains twice more calories as an equal amount of carbs or proteins.

However, fats are also needed for many body functions. For example, more than half of the human brain is made of fats. Fats are also required for hormone production, producing cell walls, and more.

It means that fats should be a part of the daily diet. However, one should consume fats in smaller amounts and eat good fats. Yes, not all fats are equally good; some are quite beneficial for human health, and others harmful.

Thus, Optavia also recommends including more healthy fats and avoiding unhealthy fats. Optavia healthy fats are:

The good fats

Monounsaturated fats are good fats, abundant in olive oil, avocadoes, nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, and more. They are also plentiful in certain seeds like pumpkin seeds and sesame. Monosaturated fats are in abundance in the Mediterranean diet.

Another good example of healthy fats is polyunsaturated fats, though one should consume them sparingly as they are high in calories. Some of the sources of such fats are fish oil, seafood, corn oil, and sunflower oil. In addition, omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are kinds of polyunsaturated fats.

The not-so-good fats

Saturated fats are somewhere in between. It means they might be bad for health if consumed in massive amounts. Some good sources of saturated fats are coconut oil and butter, which one can consume in small quantities.

Bad fats

Trans fats are produced synthetically and are only present in small amounts in nature. Thus, they must be avoided completely. They are not included in the Optavia healthy fats for reasons understood.

One can learn more about Optavia’s healthy fats here.

Related Article: How to Lose Weight Faster on Optavia?