How to get More Healthy Fats Into Your Diet

These 8 simple tricks will show you how to get more healthy fats into your diet with ease. From salad toppings, snacks, breakfasts, shakes and so much more!

Over the past few decades, fats have been vilified by the diet industry. We've been taught that fat is bad. You'll gain weight by eating fat. Fat causes heart disease. And so on.

Instead, we created low-fat and fat-free products and promoted a low-fat lifestyle. The downside? To compensate for the lack of fat in those products (i.e. to make them taste good), the companies filled them with chemicals, additives and sugar. Not really something you want to eat.

So here's the truth: a healthy amount of fat is actually GOOD for you! And we need it to live our healthiest life.

Fat has a few primary functions in our body. It's mainly used for energy production, but also a little for construction (like the building of muscles, etc.). The largest deposits of fat are found mostly beneath the skin, as well as around our organs, which provides insulation from heat loss and protects our bodies from trauma. Fats also help our body make vitamin D, steroid hormones as well as cell membranes which are all essential functions.

Now there is no one-size-fits-all approach to how much fat you need, but in today's post, I wanted to share a few different ways for how you can add some of these healthy fats into your diet. I personally like to make sure that I have a healthy fat at every single meal (including snacks), and these are some of my favorite ways to sneak them in!

1. Roast with a high-quality oil

I'm a big fan of roasted veggies, whether tossed in a grain bowl, served with a salad or even just eaten as a side dish. By roasting your vegetables in a high-quality oil, you are able to add in some really lovely healthy fats. My favorite roasting oils are coconut and avocado since they are high heat oils and had a really nice flavor.

Recipes to try: Curry Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Bowls, Roasted Leek & Broccoli Quinoa Salad, Balsamic Tempeh & Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Bowls

2. Drizzle nut butter on your smoothie bowl

You know how much I love a good smoothie bowl, and one of my fave parts of it is the toppings. I tend to go a little crazy with my toppings, but one thing I never miss is my drizzle of nut butter! Depending on what the flavor of your bowl is, you can choose any nut butter you like. Personally, I love peanut, almond and cashew best!

3. Make a fat-filled (tasty) salad dressing

I'm all about my bowls and salads for quick and easy meals! One of the best ways to jazz up a salad is to make a delicious dressing. My two favorite bases are tahini and olive oil, but you could also make one using almond butter, avocado oil or even just avocado! It's a great way to not only add flavor, but also make sure you're getting in those healthy fats!

Recipes to try: Vegan Kale Caesar Salad, Tahini Dressing: 4 Ways, Avocado Crema, Lemon-Turmeric Vinaigrette, Almond Butter Thai Quinoa Salad

4. Add avocado to your smoothies

If you're a thick smoothie lover like me, you've GOT to try adding avocado into your next recipe! Adding avocado to your smoothie not only makes the most velvety smooth texture but of course, you're also getting all the incredible health benefits of avocados! I typically add 1/4 – 1/2 of an avocado PER smoothie, and if you're sensitive to the taste, you might want to try pairing it with a strong flavor like chocolate or coffee!

Recipes to try: My Favorite Green Smoothie, Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie, The Ultimate Green Smoothie Bowl

5. Make your own coconut yogurt

This is one that I've just recently been experimenting with and I am LOVING it! I use the 2-ingredient Coconut Yogurt recipe from Minimalist Baker and it's incredible. Not only does this save me a ton of money – those non-dairy yogurts are expensive! – but I'm also controlling ALL of the ingredients. No weird fillers, gums, sweeteners. Just coconut and good, healthy bacteria for your gut! To make it, I use this brand of coconut milk and this brand of probiotics.

Note: If you like sweeter yogurt, stir in honey, syrup, fruit puree, etc. after it has finished fermenting.

6. Use cashew cream in your soups

Rather than heavy creamy, since I don't eat dairy and am not a fan, I like to make my soups super duper creamy by adding in cashew cream. It's a cinch to make; all you do is soak some raw cashews and blend them up with water! It has a mellow flavor but an incredible texture. And you're getting that same creaminess you'd get from heavy cream, without the dairy and tummy aches.

Recipes to try: Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Chowder, Creamy Italian Quinoa Soup, Vegan Roasted Broccoli Chowder

7. Snack on fat

Snack time is when it's super important to have some healthy fats. Why? Because fat is more satiating than carbs or sugar. Meaning if you have a snack with some healthy fats in it, you're going to feel more satisfied, less hungry and your energy levels are going to stay more consistent. For specific snacks, I love making rice cakes with avocado, my own trail mix, almond butter + sliced apple, or you can make DIY granola bars/energy bites. And honestly? Sometimes I just eat a spoonful or two of nut butter straight from the jar! All are easy, portable and packed with nutrition!

Recipes to try: Quinoa Granola Bars, Superfood Brownie Energy Bites, How to Make Nut Butter: 3 Ways

8. Sprinkle nuts/seeds into your salad

And finally…when you aren't sure what else to do, just throw some healthy fats on top of your salad! I'm all about texture and crunch in my salads, and sometimes a nice handful of nuts or seeds is all you need! My favorites are chopped almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds, all of which are packed with healthy fats, but also vitamins, minerals and protein. Of course, you can really add any nuts/seeds you like ???? and just a sprinkle is all you need!

Recipes to try: Tropical Kale & Quinoa Power Salad, Roasted Brussels Sprout Quinoa Salad, Apple Pecan & Arugula Salad