Here's why you should start your day with healthy fats (2024)

New Delhi,UPDATED: Jul 14, 2023 18:02 IST

In recent years, the importance of incorporating healthy fats into our daily diet has been increasingly recognised. Particularly, starting your day with a source of healthy fats can have numerous benefits for your overall health and well-being.

Healthy fats are essential nutrients that our bodies need to function properly. They provide us with sustained energy, help clear out brain fog, and enhance our cognitive abilities, making us more productive in the morning.

This is especially beneficial as our bodies naturally produce cortisol, a stress hormone, in the morning. Consuming healthy fats helps us utilise this cortisol effectively, thereby reducing stress levels and promoting mental clarity.

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It's best to consume foods high in saturated fats, such as cheese, butter, eggs, full-fat coconut milk, and red meat, in the morning, according to a study from Texas A&M University, which found that consuming saturated fats in the morning can have positive effects on our health.

Moreover, replacing carbohydrates with healthy fats in the morning can stabilise blood sugar levels and curb unhealthy cravings throughout the day. This is because, unlike carbohydrates, which can cause rapid spikes and drops in blood sugar levels, healthy fats do not result in an increase in blood glucose.

This can be particularly beneficial for individuals with diabetes or those at risk of developing the condition.

Healthy fats also improve insulin resistance and contribute to increased vitamin absorption. They also play a crucial role in maintaining the health of the gut lining, which is vital for nutrient absorption, immune function, and the maintenance of the gut microbiome.

Some examples of healthy fats include avocados, nuts, egg yolks, bacon, olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, butter, ghee (clarified butter), and coconut.

Nutritionist Rashi Chowdhary shared a post on the "fat first" rule in the morning.

She wrote, "One extra Tsp of ghee coconut oil or butter is not going to raise your cholesterol levels. If you are following the other 3 basic food principles, your high cholesterol levels will come down even with fat first."

Another important point to remember, as per the nutritionist, is that fat first itself is not a must if you don’t have a gap between waking up and breakfast.

"Just stick to a protein and fat breakfast to achieve the same goal of stable blood sugar levels," she wrote.

In the case of acid reflux, the nutritionist advised to start with a teaspoon of ghee with or without turmeric as it "is one of the best things you can do to heal and get rid of nexium or any antacids that you’ve been having for years."

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Sharing that people with endometriosis can also benefit from having the fat first regime, Rashi Chowdhary wrote, "I really believe starting your day right most often sets the tone of the day. I use to wake up to a fruit earlier and that didn’t go well with me. If you are sensitive to carbs or struggling with PCOS, diabetes, acne, endo or have impaired glucose tolerance, chances are you won’t either."