Should I avoid fats in my diet?

Oils and fats, known collectively as lipids, are an energy dense substance contributing 9 calories per gram as opposed to 4 calories per gram for carbohydrate and protein, so they are an important source of fuel for our body.

Fat gives structure to all our cell membranes and provides us with energy for bodily functions each time we digest our food. A whole food plant based diet contains 10-12% of fat compared to a standard western diet which contains 30-50% fat provided by animal-based foods and added fast foods and oils.

Our body can produce all but two of the fatty acids we need for good health. The two we need to ingest from food are linoleic acid (LA, an unsaturated omega-6 fatty acid) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, a polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid).  

Despite our need for both kinds of fatty acids, these families are often regarded very differently. Omega 3 fatty acids are widely seen as "healthy" fats, and we are urged to consume more of them. omega 6 are viewed as problematic, and we are told to consume less of them. 

Omega 3 fats have been found to have good anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower disease risk. However when consumed as supplements they have no benefit on health and indeed may increase risk of cancer, type 2 diabetes and potentially other chronic conditions.

Omega 3 effects are co-dependent on the activity of omega 6 however, which also exists naturally in a plant diet but much higher in animal diets. Omega 6 fats  are pro-inflammatory so have the effect of increasing inflammation rather than reducing it.

A whole food plant based diet contains a ratio of between 1:1 to 3:1 of both omega 6 and 3 respectively. Whereas a common ratio in a standard western diet is between the range of 20:1 to 50:1 i.e., creating a high inflammatory response for the body to deal with which over the long term is how inflammatory disease can occur.

By consuming a whole food plant diet naturally containing the correct ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fats we can improve our health and indeed potentially mitigate harm to our body without using supplements.

The crucial element of preventing disease and enhancing health is getting the righ balace of these two fats rather than avoiding them. For example omega 6  elevates blood pressure whereas omega 3 reduces it, omega 6 promotes blood clotting; whereas omega 3 discourages it, omega 6 and 3 produce different (but complementary) hormone messengers, omega 6 oxidises arterial cholesterol whereas omega 3 functions as an antioxidant.