Do you avoid fat like it’s more poisonous than a cyanide and arsenic sandwich?

Image: Kai Dahms, Unsplash

So many of my clients avoid fat. Some are so scared of it they can’t even consider eating it. Is this you? But it’s not your fault. We’ve been fed fat demonising news, public health campaigns and advertising for years. It’s time to update this thinking, because science has moved on, we have a better understanding and we now know that fat is good. In fact, we can’t thrive without it.

And it’s essential for our skin to be happy. It’s needed for proper skin barrier function, moisture retention, skin elasticity and reduction of inflammation when our skin struggles with eczema, psoriasis and acne.

We also need fat to absorb important fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K. Vitamin A and E are powerful antioxidants that help repair cell damage caused by our daily lives, and you definitely want these if your skin is in struggle. And vitamin D and K are essential for our immune systems to function well, which is crucial not only for our general health, but also our skin.

The fatty acids we want to consume are omega-6 and omega-3. We can get omega-6 from nuts and seeds, like walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and from evening primrose oil. And from animal products like meat, dairy and eggs if you eat it. And the richest source of omega-3 is oily fish like salmon, mackerel, anchovies, herring, sardines. If you hate eating oily fish there are very good non-fishy supplements available – and if you’re vegan, you can take supplements made from algae. Nuts and seeds also contain omega-3, as do flax seeds and dark leafy greens.

The ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is 3:1, which means that we want to consume 3 times more omega-6 than omega-3. But most people consume a much higher ratio, 15:1 is not uncommon, which is way too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3. This is because we cook with omega-6 loaded vegetable oils like corn, sunflower, rapeseed oil and eat processed and fast foods cooked in vegetable oils - and we don’t eat enough omega-3 rich foods. Olive oil does not disturb the balance as it mainly contains omega-9 and is therefore a good choice for cooking.

I always look at my clients’ overall fat and omega-6 / omega-3 intake, and sometimes recommend testing to be able to make an evidence based personalised nutrition plan. If you’re worried that your fat consumption (or rather lack of it) is upsetting your skin, get in touch to have a chat about how I can help - just go to Work with me.