Contrary to popular belief, eating fat doesn’t make you fat. It’s all about eating the right type. If you do this then it actually helps you to burn fat!

If you don’t have any fat in your diet I predict you’ll be eating low fat products, which nearly always have been substituted with something to make them taste better.

This something is more than likely to be sugar or a sugar equivalent (sweeteners etc.) Both will mess with your hormones and will not help in your fat loss/health mission.

Here are a few important roles of fat in the diet:

* Provides essential fatty acids our bodies need to function

* Delivers fat soluble vitamins n Increases brain function

* Keeps our skin soft n Is a great source of energy

* Helps to ease joint pain

* Decreases the amount of inflammation in our bodies

* Helps us to recover more quickly from exercise n Helps with our emotional health

* Helps with our physical health Your fat consumption needs to come from monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, and omega 3s.

You can get all these from real food (non processed) and great sources are oily fish, avocados, olive oil, real butter (ideally grass-fed), nuts, whole eggs and coconut oil (this is great to cook with).

Fats to avoid are the saturated kind and trans fats found in a lot of processed foods and low fat butter equivalents. For example, margarine is one of the worst. Heart disease, increased cholesterol, clogging of the arteries, heart attacks and obesity aren’t caused by eating the correct fats but by eating the bad ones and too much sugar – not in just the obvious such as cakes, pastries and bread, but the hidden sugars in low fat products.

These hidden sugars are in foods such as sauces and fruit juices.

Also, drinking too much alcohol and eating too much cheese and cream can cause big problems.

Look after your heart. Eat fresh, non-processed food, consume good fats, take daily exercise and keep the bad foods down to a minimum.

The result?

You’ll be fitter and stronger for longer.