Not all fat is bad: the myth that confuses fat with trans fat
For years we were sold the idea that "low-fat" means healthy. The science says something different: what type of fat you eat matters more than how much.
The short version
- The WHO doesn't recommend cutting out fat: it recommends keeping saturated fat under 10% of your daily calories and trans fat under 1%.
- Unsaturated fats —found in avocado, olive oil, nuts and fish— aren't the problem; they're linked to lower cardiovascular risk.
- Many "low-fat" products from the 90s replaced that fat with sugar and refined flour —which made things worse, not better.
Where the myth comes from
Through the 80s and 90s, the food industry heavily pushed "low-fat" and "fat-free" products as the healthy choice by default. The message stuck so well that many people still associate any fat in food with weight gain or heart damage. The problem is that message never distinguished between different types of fat —and that distinction is exactly what matters.
What the WHO actually recommends
The World Health Organization doesn't call for cutting fat out of your diet. Its recommendation is to keep saturated fat under 10% of daily calories and trans fat under 1% —ideally avoiding it entirely— while shifting toward unsaturated fats. It's a recommendation about the type of fat, not the total amount you eat.
The fat you should actually be eating
Unsaturated fats —found in olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds and fish— are linked to lower cardiovascular risk, not higher. Cutting them out isn't just unnecessary, it deprives your body of nutrients it needs to absorb vitamins and keep cells working properly.
The side effect of low-fat diets
When a product strips the fat out of a food, it almost always needs to replace it with something to keep it tasting good —and that something is usually sugar or refined flour. That's how a lot of "light" products from the 90s ended up less healthy than their original versions, despite the label.
The practical takeaway
It's not about eating fat-free, it's about choosing where your fat comes from. Swap lard and margarine for olive oil, prioritize fish and nuts over processed meats, and don't fear the avocado. If you want to see exactly how much fat —and what type— is on your plate, scan it with CalorIA Scan.
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This article is informational and not medical advice. Consult a doctor or registered dietitian before changing your diet, especially with a pre-existing condition.
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