Do Healthy Fats Make You Fat? What I Wish I Knew Sooner About Hormones, Gut Health, and Avocados
For years, I avoided anything with more than a drop of oil. I’d cut the yolks out of eggs, pick nuts off salads, and only use “lite” dressings. Why? Because I honestly believed eating fat meant gaining fat.
The whole “fat is bad” narrative was everywhere growing up, and honestly, it stuck with me for a long time.
But here’s what I now know as a health coach: our bodies need healthy fats. Not just a little, and not just sometimes. We need them daily, and avoiding them can do more harm than good.
Let’s talk about why.
So, does eating fat make you gain fat?
Short answer, no. Eating fat by itself doesn’t cause weight gain. It’s more about the type of fat you eat, what the rest of your diet looks like, and how your hormones and metabolism are functioning.
Fat is more calorie-dense than carbs or protein, but that doesn’t make it unhealthy. In fact, the right fats are essential for energy, brain function, hormone production, and keeping your gut lining strong.
Not all fats are the same
This was a big shift for me. Learning that fat isn’t just one thing.
Some fats nourish your body. Others disrupt it.
Healthy fats include things like avocados, extra virgin olive oil, nuts, seeds, fatty fish like salmon or sardines, and even moderate amounts of coconut and flaxseed oil. These support your hormones, reduce inflammation, and help your body absorb key vitamins like A, D, E and K.
Unhealthy fats are the processed kind. Think trans fats, or an overload of omega-6 fats from vegetable oils, margarine, deep-fried food, and many packaged snacks. These tend to increase inflammation and throw your hormones and gut out of balance.
I used to lump all of this together as “fat = bad”, but once I understood the difference, everything changed.
Fat and hormone health
Your hormones are built from fat. Every single cell in your body has a fat-based membrane, and your sex hormones are made using cholesterol, which is a type of fat.
If you’re not eating enough healthy fats, your body may struggle to make the hormones it needs. This can lead to irregular periods, low libido, mood swings, breakouts, or just feeling flat and fatigued.
When I was still avoiding fat, I also had gut issues and no period. Once I started including healthy fats daily, things shifted. I felt more balanced, more satisfied after meals, and my period actually came back.
The gut connection
Healthy fats aren’t just for your hormones. They also support your gut health.
Fats help reduce inflammation, protect the gut lining, and even encourage the growth of good bacteria in your microbiome. Omega-3 fats, especially, are amazing for this.
If you’re dealing with digestive issues, food sensitivity, or low immunity, cutting fats might actually be working against you.
My story
I used to limit olive oil to a teaspoon. I’d only eat egg whites, and I was scared to even look at an avocado. I thought I was being “good”.
But when I finally started adding fats back in, my entire relationship with food changed. I was fuller, more satisfied, less obsessed with what I was going to eat next. And I didn’t gain an excessive amount of weight like I feared. I felt nourished for the first time in a long time.
How to ease into eating healthy fats again
If you’re still nervous about eating fat, you don’t need to overhaul your whole diet. Just start with one change.
Try this
Add a few slices of avocado to your toast or salad
Use a tablespoon of olive oil on roasted vegetables or as salad dressing
Include nut butter in a smoothie or on oats
Eat a whole egg, not just the white
Have salmon or sardines once or twice this week
Sprinkle hemp or flaxseeds on your meals
Also keep an eye out for highly processed oils in packaged foods, like soybean or canola oil. These don’t do your gut or hormones any favours.
Fearing fat is something a lot of us were taught, but that fear doesn’t support your health. When you give your body the nourishment it actually needs, things start to shift, your energy, your hormones, your mood, and your digestion.
It’s not about eating more of everything. It’s about eating what supports you.
Pick one fat you’ve been avoiding and add it to one meal a day. Notice how you feel after a few days.
With love and balance, my Friends x
