Hug-a-Fat Month

Katie over at Chocolate-Covered Healthy has been celebrating fats for the month of May. In her post, "Fat Talk", she discusses the many pros of fat: benefits in health, appearance, and (of course) flavor! Fats are necessary to absorb fat-soluble nutrients, to satiate cravings, and to add flavor to some inarguably healthy foods you may not like to eat plain. Consider steamed broccoli and broccoli sauteed in olive oil: which sounds more appealing? I like both, but there are many people who would only take the latter and that is not a bad thing. If some olive oil helps you eat your veggies, then by all means, use the olive oil! It's good for you!  Here I am hugging an avocado, a delicious and nutritious fat!  (Did you know that it's actually a fruit?!)

That's not to say that all fats are created equally. I would not recommend chicken fried in lard or pretty much any animal fats. Trans-fats are even worse and often veiled in processed foods. If there's less than a certain amount (I can't remember how much) manufacturers are not required to list them on nutrition labels. You may consume a large amount of these fats without even knowing it. This is yet another reason why it's important to always read labels. If you see hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated on an ingredient list, that means that there are trans fats in the product. Yuck!

But Hug-a-Fat Month is not about the evils of fats. It's about celebrating good fats and all the good they do for us! If, after reading Katie's post, you're still not convinced, just think about the Tin Man! Yes, from the Wizard of Oz. Oil (a fat) is what keeps him running - just like us!

Here are some other fats that I would hug if they weren't so messy:

A little less healthy, but that cake is full of healthy fats in the form of peanut butter (it's a peanut butter cup cake!!!  Voracious Vegan posted the recipe as a teaser from Sweet Utopia).  Plus some canola oil, which is a pretty healthy fat and certainly better than some of your other options.  Plus, cake is delicious, satisfying, and makes you happy.  :]