What Are Fats, Really?
• The Good, the Bad, and the Balanced
• So, What Should I Eat?
• Fake Fats & Lab Oils: Should We Be Worried?
• Real Food Fats: Where to Find Them
• For the Budding Scientist: What Makes a Fat Saturated or Essential?

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What Are Fats, Really?

Let’s start simple: Fats are not the enemy. In fact, your body absolutely needs them. They help make hormones, support your brain, and keep your heart and immune system running smoothly.

You’ve probably heard of omega-3s and omega-6s—but what do they actually do? And what’s the difference?

Here’s the catch: your body can’t make essential fatty acids (EFAs) like omega-3 and omega-6. That’s why they’re called essential—you have to eat them.

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The Good, the Bad, and the Balanced

Back in the day, humans ate a fairly balanced ratio of omega-6 to omega-3—about 4:1 or less. Today, thanks to processed foods, that ratio has climbed to around 20:1 in favour of omega-6.

Why does that matter?
Because too much omega-6, and not enough omega-3, leads to chronic inflammation in the body—which is linked to everything from heart disease to depression.

Omega-6s aren’t “bad,” but many of the industrial seed oils we find in everyday foods are packed with them. Think:
• Sunflower oil
• Soybean oil
• Canola oil
• Corn oil
• Cottonseed oil

These oils are in everything from salad dressing to biscuits to pre-made meals. They’re cheap, refined, and stripped of balance.

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So, What Should I Eat?

Food writer Nina Planck describes it like this: omega-6s are “yellow oils” (like in corn chips), and omega-3s are “pink oils” (like in salmon). She says: eat less yellow, more pink.

Here’s what that looks like in your kitchen:

Real-food sources of omega-3s:
• Flaxseeds and flaxseed oil
• Chia seeds
• Sardines (yes, the tinned kind!)
• Fatty fish: mackerel, snoek, salmon
• Good-quality fish oil supplements

Balanced or better-for-you omega-6 sources:
• Eggs from free-range, pasture raised
chickens
• Grass-fed beef and lamb
• Walnuts
• Butter and milk from grass-fed cows
• Expeller-pressed sunflower or
safflower oil (look for “cold-pressed”
or “hexane-free”)

Want a treat? Fry your chips at home using grass-fed tallow or real butter. Delicious and packed with a type of omega-6 (CLA) that’s actually good for you.

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Fake Fats & Lab Oils: Should We Be Worried?

New “climate-friendly” lab-made fats are showing up in some vegan butters and margarine products. They’re made by rearranging carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen molecules to mimic real fats. Sounds clever—but is it the same?

Here’s the thing: just because a fat has the same structure as a natural one, doesn’t mean your body uses it the same way. We’ve already seen how ultra-processed food can throw the body out of balance. It’s hard to say if synthetic fats are any better.

As the saying goes: time will tell. But if you want to play it safe, stick to what nature made.

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Real Food Fats: Where to Find Them

Good fats don’t need to be expensive or fancy. Look for whole, unrefined foods, and cook with fats that have been around for generations.

Some local options to add to your shopping list:
• Pasture-raised eggs and chicken (with the skin!)
• Grass-fed beef, lamb, and tallow
• Fresh snoek, sardines, and mackerel
• Full-cream yoghurt, milk, and butter from free-range farms
• Avocados and cold-pressed olive oil
• Raw nuts and seeds, especially walnuts and chia

Keep it simple: the less tampered-with, the better.

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For the Budding Scientist: What Makes a Fat Saturated or Essential?

Here’s a quick breakdown for those curious minds:

Fats are made of building blocks called fatty acids—chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms. These chains can be:
• Saturated: All the carbon atoms are “saturated” with hydrogen. These fats are solid at room temp (like butter or beef tallow).
• Monounsaturated: There’s one “kink” in the chain—a double bond. These are usually liquid (like olive oil).
• Polyunsaturated: There are two or more kinks, making them even more fluid. These include omega-3 and omega-6 fats.

We call omega-3s and omega-6s essential because we can’t make them ourselves. They’re critical for brain function, hormone production, inflammation control, and more.

But here’s the twist: we need them in the right ratio. Too much omega-6 and too little omega-3 can lead to inflammation, mood disorders, and chronic illness.

If you’re a visual learner, imagine building blocks. Saturated fats stack neatly, like bricks. Unsaturated fats bend and twist—they’re fluid and flexible. Your body needs both—but in the right forms and ratios.

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References:
• Simopoulos, A. P. (2002). The importance of the omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio in cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases. PubMed
• Planck, N. (2006). Real Food: What to Eat and Why. Bloomsbury USA.
• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Fats and Cholesterol – The Good, the Bad, and the Healthy Diet. Link
• Cleveland Clinic. Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Link
• National Institutes of Health (NIH). Omega-3 Fatty Acids Fact Sheet for Consumers. Link