The Oils of Your Life

3 picks that are as delicious as they are fantastic for your health.

We all know by now that the right healthy fats deserve a prominent place on your breakfast, lunch, and dinner plates. As the body’s preferred fuel, fats—yes—can actually make you thin! They also serve to help prevent or manage depression, diabetes, heart disease, chronic fatigue, allergies, arthritis, psoriasis and eczema. But you might not know which fats do what and which are the best to drizzle on a salad vs use for baking.

Here are three powerhouse picks that I know you’re going to love.

The Incredible Olive

Extra virgin olive oil is considered by many to be the healthiest and tastiest oil in the world. The benefits of extra virgin olive oil are unrivaled, and research reveals more benefits nearly every day. After all, the Greeks, Turks, Italians, French and Spanish all have a diet that is at least 40% fat, most of it from omega-rich sources, yet these populations are slim and boast the lowest rates of heart disease in the world.

Many of the health-promoting effects of the Mediterranean diet have been credited to the addition of a healthy dose of olive oil at every meal. As a rich source of omega-9 fatty acids, olive oil is also known to a number of positive effects throughout the body including lowering the risk of some cancers. In fact, the latest research suggests that adding a mere four tablespoons of olive oil a day to a Mediterranean diet slashes the risk of invasive breast cancer by a whopping 68%.

Olive oil also prevents flare-ups of certain autoimmune diseases, speeding cell regeneration and wound healing, aiding the body in eliminating microbial infections, as well as reducing inflammation. One of its primary ingredients, a substance known as oleocanthanal, has even been called an alternative to Ibuprofen.

The Amazing Avocado

The fat in avocados and avocado oil is another source of adiponectin-nourishing monounsaturates. Among their other healthy perks, avocados possess the uncanny ability to fire up fat burning—to the tune of six pounds in two months. And, the monounsaturated fat content can hold you over for a good three hours!

Surprisingly high in potassium, a typical avocado contains 12 to 17 grams of fiber. With an incredibly high smoke point of 520 degrees F—the highest smoke point of any of the healthy fats—avocado oil is ideal for searing, frying, and sautéing. In addition, it contains high levels of beta-sitosterol, which is a type of plant sterol that can lower cholesterol and is helpful in protecting prostate health.

Avocado oil is also a great source of Vitamin E. This fat-soluble vitamin has been shown to rev up your immune system, improve skin and eye health, as well as give your digestion a much-needed boost to remove toxins from the body.

The Marvelous Macadamia

Macadamia nut oil fires up your metabolism while packing an amazingly rich taste at the same time. The oil that comes from these nuts is pretty incredible. The fatty acid composition of macadamia nut oil makes it perfect to use in many recipes, especially high-heat cooking. This oil is nearly 80% monounsaturated with very little polyunsaturated content and even trumps olive oil—which contains anywhere from 70-75% monounsaturates.

Since macadamia nut oil has such an extremely high oleic acid content, it can be used to help balance your cholesterol levels and reduce triglycerides. Both the omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids are perfectly balanced which makes it an optimal cooking choice. This oil can stand serious heat, up to 400 degrees F, and serves up considerably more antioxidants than any other cooking oil I know of. It is great for making popcorn or stir-frying some veggies, all the while helping you achieve your weight loss goals.

Head over to The New Fat Flush Plan or Eat Fat, Lose Weight to find some fat-fueled recipes that use the incredible olive, amazing avocado, and marvelous macadamia!