Why Low-Fat Diets Aren’t All They’re Cracked Up to Be

We created the Health Hacks on a Budget video course series to make it as easy as possible for everyone to save time and money while living a healthy life. In this series, we share simple recipes, easy tips, and educational information to help you and your family Thrive.

First things first: Fat isn’t bad for you. Some types of fat are necessary for our health, and saturated and unsaturated fats can be found in some of the most nutritious foods on the planet. But other types of fat, namely trans fats, aren’t so great for you.

Your body needs dietary fat for many reasons. Fat calories produce tons of energy—they contain more calories per gram than carbohydrates and protein, which means they offer your body more fuel. Healthy skin, nails, hair, and muscles all require a dosage of dietary fat.

But that doesn’t mean you should be slathering Crisco all over your meals—too much trans fat can cause hardening of the arteries, raise bad cholesterol levels, and cause other serious health issues.

Our host Sara Snow breaks down where you can find healthy fats in your favorite foods, how to avoid bad trans fats, and tells us all about why eating low-fat or nonfat doesn’t make you skinny.

This is one video in a series that’s free for all Thrive Gives recipients. See the rest of the videos here. Applying for a free membership through our Giving program is easy—just click here.