Fat. Good? Bad?

One of the age old questions: is fat good or bad? Another byproduct of growing up as a millennial is being told by everyone and their mother that fat is bad! Cholesterol is bad!

I know these ideas are deeply-rooted in my brain and it’s been a journey to unlearn. I have found it so fascinating, and completely against all of my own preconceived notions, that women actually NEED fat to keep their bodies healthy and aid in hormone balance!

As a woman who suffered from irregular menstrual cycles and struggled to conceive who had previously had gone down the vegan pathway, it was completely mind blowing for me to throw everything I thought I knew about healthy eating out the window and embrace high quality meats, full-fat dairy, and healthy fats as a potential key to my body’s puzzle.

It turns out, that for women of childbearing age, those who consume more monosaturated and saturated fat often have better ovulatory function, as well as overall menstrual cycles, and overall improved quality of life in terms of fewer cravings, less PMS symptoms, less anxiety, back pain, mood changes, headaches… the list goes on. (109) It’s worth noting that many types of dietary fats are usually part of a “package deal” with protein (think: egg yolks), which are also micronutrient dense superfoods.

It seems that many dietary guidelines we’ve been given have been rescinded (low/no fat diets of the 90s anyone?!) or twisted without proper context to fit different narratives. Trying to wade through all of the contradictory information can be so confusing, so its always important to keep learning and trying!