Best Dietitian-Approved Healthy High-Fat Foods for Weight Loss

The fat-free trend of the ’90s may be done and dusted, as high-fat diets like keto continue to remain popular. Since opinions on fat flip-flop often, you may be confused about how fat fits into a healthy diet for weight loss.  Rather than avoiding fat, including healthy fats in your diet, particularly the ones we highlight below, may help you lose weight.

Fat does contain more calories compared to carbohydrates or protein. One gram of fat has 9 calories, while 1 gram of protein or carbohydrate has 4 calories. It makes sense, then, that low-fat diets may help you consume fewer calories. However, not all fat is created equal, and losing weight is more nuanced than simply counting calories. Fat is a vital nutrient that provides energy, supports cell function and helps your body absorb nutrients and produce hormones. Fat also makes food more satiating and enhances its flavor.

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The Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes healthy fats, has been shown to support weight loss. A study found that people who follow the Mediterranean diet were twice as likely to maintain their weight loss than those who weren’t following the diet. In addition, interventional trials have confirmed the Mediterranean diet’s effectiveness in reducing waist circumference and visceral fat. This dietary approach is effective for individuals with overweight or obesity, particularly when paired with calorie restriction and physical activity.

Avocado

Now that low-fat diets aren’t as trendy, the popularity of avocados has grown tremendously. (We’re looking at you avocado toast!) Packed with fiber and monounsaturated fats, avocados are known for enhancing satiety, making them particularly helpful for weight management. Feeling full after a meal naturally curbs overeating, supporting healthier eating habits. Notably, a study found that while consuming one avocado daily for six months didn’t significantly reduce visceral fat, it did modestly improve diet quality and lower total and LDL cholesterol levels, reinforcing the benefits of avocados as part of a balanced diet.

Fatty Fish

Protein plays an important role in weight loss because it boosts post-meal fullness while also helping to maintain muscle mass when losing weight. Fish, including “fatty fish” like salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines and anchovies, are a naturally lean source of protein. The fat in fish includes the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. “EPA and DHA differ from the omega-3s available in plants, and eating seafood is one of the few ways to increase these essential nutrients, which our bodies cannot make on their own,” says Caroline Thomason, RD, CDCES, a Washington, D.C.-based dietitian and diabetes educator.

A review found that eating fish may support weight loss in a couple of ways. One, eating fish in place of other animal-based proteins has been found to reduce calorie intake by 4% to 9%. Two, consuming fish in a calorie-restricted diet seems to increase weight loss. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends consuming 8 ounces of fish (about two servings) per week.

Full-Fat Salad Dressings

If the thought of eating vegetables without your favorite dressing turns you off, don’t worry. The popularity of “fat-free” dressings is waning since it was based on outdated science. 

Full-fat salad dressing not only makes salad taste better, but the fat is essential for helping you absorb the fat-soluble vitamins in those vegetables, such as vitamins A, E, D and K. “Using a full-fat salad dressing is also a lot more satisfying than a fat-free one, and it is digested a lot slower than carbs or protein-rich foods, therefore providing you with a feeling of fullness for longer,” says Roxana Ehsani, M.S., RD, a Miami-based board-certified sports dietitian.

Nuts

If you are looking for a convenient and satisfying snack that also supports weight-loss goals, nuts are a great option. Nuts were on the no-no list for weight loss for a long time because they are a high-calorie food. (That’s thanks to all those healthy fats.) But in fact, they can help with weight control by keeping you feeling full and reducing how much you eat overall. Swapping out less healthy foods like chips or red meat for nuts is linked to less long-term weight gain and a lower risk of obesity. Plus, nuts can boost the overall quality of your diet and support better metabolic health, like improving cholesterol levels.

“Walnuts get my vote for the best healthy fat for weight loss,” says Samantha Cassetty, M.S., RD, a plant-forward nutrition and wellness expert. “A two-year study found that healthy older adults could incorporate 1 to 2 ounces of walnuts into their daily diet without leading to weight gain,” she says.

Full-Fat Yogurt

Doesn’t full-fat yogurt contain “bad” saturated fat? Yes, but hear us out. Not only is a full-fat yogurt full of protein, calcium, phosphorus, B vitamins and gut-healthy probiotics, it will also help keep you fuller for longer.

Research continues to link yogurt intake with a lower risk of weight gain over time. A review found that eating full-fat dairy foods, like yogurt, doesn’t cause weight gain. The studies showed that when eaten in moderate amounts, full-fat dairy can help maintain a healthy weight and support heart health. This means we should look at the bigger picture of how dairy fits into an overall healthy diet, instead of just focusing on the fat.

Need more convincing? A meta-analysis including data from over 30,000 individuals observed that for every 50 grams per day of yogurt consumed (a standard individual-size yogurt cup is 150 grams), the risk of being categorized as having overweight or obesity went down by 13%. From sweet to savory dishes, there are countless ways to help you incorporate more yogurt into your diet while reaching your weight-loss goals.

What Are Healthy Fats?

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults should aim for 20% to 35% of their calorie intake from fat sources, with less than 10% of daily calories from saturated fat. There are three main groups of fats: saturated fats, unsaturated fats and trans fats. The chemical structure of each type of fat is unique, which means they each function differently in our body. 

Saturated and trans fats are the so-called “bad” fats. Eating a diet that is high in saturated fat has been associated with higher risk of heart disease. Foods high in saturated fats include butter, whole milk, cheese, red meats, baked goods and oils that are solid at room temperature, such as coconut oil. That said, saturated fats shouldn’t be avoided and they do play an important role in keeping our body healthy. Instead of aiming to eliminate saturated fat, it’s more beneficial to focus on increasing unsaturated fats to promote a good balance of fats in our diet. Likewise, trans fats are also a risk to your heart health, as they raise levels of unhealthy LDL cholesterol.

The “good” fats are unsaturated fats, and there are two main types: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and have been linked to health benefits like lower “bad” LDL cholesterol levels and a reduced risk of heart disease.

• Monounsaturated fats: You’ll find these healthy fats in foods like olive, peanut and canola oils; avocado, nuts and seeds. 
• Polyunsaturated fats: These healthy fats are abundant in foods such as canola, sunflower, corn, soybean and flaxseed oils; walnuts, flaxseed and fish. 

The Bottom Line

Don’t be afraid to include fat in your diet anymore—even when you are trying to lose weight. Fat is not only an essential nutrient, but it also enhances the flavor of food and makes it more satisfying. Rather than avoiding fat—like we did in the ’90s—the goal is to include more healthy fats in your diet, such as nuts, avocado and full-fat yogurt.