How to Lose Weight: #22: Eat More Olive Oil

Fat is bad. If you wish to lose weight, you must avoid fat, right? Wrong. This myth may be hurting your weight loss efforts! Your body needs some fat in order to function properly. It is true that Americans eat way too much fat, but the main problem seems to be that Americans eat too much of the wrong types of fat. Specifically, it seems that Americans eat too much trans-fat, saturated fat, and Omega-6 fats, and too little monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fats. In this article I will focus on monounsaturated fats, also known as Omega-9 fats. I will try to address Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish, in a later article.

Monounsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature, but solidify when refrigerated. They are present in olive oil, peanuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, avocados, and other foods. Technically they are not essential, but they are beneficial when consumed in normal amounts. Like other fats, monounsaturated fats are energy dense, containing 9 calories per gram. Some new research suggests that monounsaturated fats may help us lose body fat, specifically harmful belly fat, which I will address in a moment.

You may be inclined to think that body fat is body fat, but fat stored around the stomach and other internal organs, called visceral fat, is more dangerous to the body than fat stored near the hips. Belly fat (a "beer gut," "spare tire," etc) is associated with inflammation in the body, and puts you at risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other diseases. Thus, when losing weight, losing belly fat is important, if you wish to see a health improvement result from your weight loss efforts.

Okay, okay, now to my point. New research suggests that a diet high in monounsaturated fats may help you lose weight, specifically belly fat, more easily. In a 2007 study, participants placed on a high monounsaturated fat diet lost weight (and belly fat) without adding extra exercise to their routines, or restricting calories. This suggests that monounsaturated fats may have an important role in maintaining a healthy weight. It also may mean that dieting will be easier if you are consuming enough of these good fats.