Contrary to what so many of us believe, we actually need to eat fat in order to burn fat. However, this is all about hormones (no, not testosterone or oestrogen) and not about calories!

Unlike carbohydrates and to a small extent protein, fat actually has no effect on our insulin levels.

If you have not already read my previous tip – Insulin Friend or Foe? – go and read it now. Carbohydrates are the main foods that drive up our insulin levels, not fat, and it is an excess of insulin that leads to us storing fat.

And it gets even better!

Fat actually slows down the entry of carbohydrates into our blood stream, and therefore moderates or controls the overproduction of insulin.

Obviously, the slower the carbohydrates (or glucose) enters our blood stream, the less likely that our insulin levels will shoot up. The lower the insulin levels, the more likely that you will actually be able to release stored fat in the body rather than adding more to it!

And the final thing with fat is that it actually helps to send an important message to the brain – to stop eating!

So obviously if you work hard to eliminate fat from your diet, and simply replace it with carbohydrates, you are increasing the likelihood that you will eat too much and store more fat!

However, this is not a message to overindulge – you don’t need to eat much fat to get the benefits – and we need to always be mindful of the amount of saturated fat that we eat.

What we do need are polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats – but the right ones. These are the building block of our hormonal systems and it is our hormonal systems that control everything that actually happens in our body.

So which are the right ones?

Well not arachadonic acid – the name alone seems to tell you it is bad – which is associated with many chronic diseases. This comes in fatty red meats, egg yolks and organ meat. And not too much Omega 6 – essential fatty acid – which comes primarily in oils such as sunflower, safflower and soyabean.

What we need is a regular supply of Omega 3 – fatty acids – the best source being fish oil but failing that flax seed.

We also need monounsaturated fat – a neutral fat – but one of the best to help burn fat. This is found in olives, olive oil, avocado, and some nuts especially almonds, cashew, macadamia and pistachio!

So how much?

Well take your thumb and imagine it is hollow. Fill it up with foods containing Omega 3 and Monounsaturated fat and eat about 2 thumbs a day – a little with every single meal or snack.