Dear Melissa,
I’m on Day 15 of my second Whole30, and I’m wondering if there is such a thing as eating too much dietary fat. Can I cook some eggs in avocado oil and top with hollandaise sauce? Or cook a skillet meal in ghee, but also drizzle it with a Whole30-compatible ranch? The Whole30 Meal Template says 1-2 thumb sized portions of fat per meal, so am I on the right track? -Megan, Calgary, AB
Hi Megan,
Technically, there is such a thing as eating too much dietary fat. Once I drank too much full-fat coconut milk in one sitting, and my digestion paid the price. But I suspect you don’t have to worry about this, for a few reasons.
Trust your body’s signals
First, it’s a lot harder to overeat nutrient-dense whole foods like eggs, avocadoes, and olives than high-fat ultra-processed foods like potato chips or French fries. It’s even harder to overeat if you’re sitting down at the table, chewing slowly, and allowing those satiety signals to catch up to your brain. (Compared to wolfing down your drive-through meal in the car between errands.)
Second, the Whole30 helps restore your body’s natural satiety signals, so after a few weeks on the program, you can actually hear (and trust) when your body says, “I’m hungry,” and stop eating when you’re full. That’s a lot harder to do with salty + fatty + sweet foods—what I called “food with no brakes” in my earlier book.
Third, if you do eat too much fat in one sitting, your body will let you know, just as mine did. You’ll likely experience delayed hunger signals, gas, heartburn, loose stools, or fatty stools. It’s unpleasant, and will probably prompt you to reflect on that meal and make adjustments in the future.
Where might you overeat fat on the Whole30?
On the Whole30, over-consuming fat can happen in the context of mindlessly snacking on roasted, salted nuts and seeds. If you’re spooning almond butter while watching a movie or snacking on salted cashews right out of the family-sized bag while you’re driving, you could eat more than feels good, especially if you’re eating quickly.
It can also happen with higher-fat liquid snacks, especially with full-fat coconut milk. If you add a can to a single-serve smoothie, as an example, and drink it quickly, your body may not enjoy all of that fat at once. Could it happen with Whole30 ranch? Not unless you’re drinking it. If you’re using ranch to dip or dress, you’re probably not using half a bottle at a time. And the “hugely overeating nuts and seeds” or “drinking too much coconut milk” doesn’t sound like your context either.
Don’t fear dietary fat
Honestly, it’s much more common that people under-eat fat on the Whole30. After decades of “fat is bad” messaging from health experts and the media, you may still be afraid of adding fat to your meals and snacks. So many people coming to the Whole30 are conditioned to shop for low-fat everything, and use the tiniest amount of cooking oil. Because of this, I often see people not eating enough fat (and therefore not enough energy or total calories) during their Whole30.
On the Whole30, dietary fat is an important part of our meal template. Fat keeps you satiated and energized between meals, aids in the process of fat adaptation (where your body is effectively running on fat as fuel), and helps you preserve muscle mass on the Plant-Based Whole30. In addition, as Chris Traeger so aptly says in Parks and Recreation, “Things with fat in them taste way better than things with no fat.” Your Whole30 meals should be exciting, flavorful, and satisfying—and fat plays a big role in that.
Added fat on the Whole30
While eating fat as part of a balanced Whole30 meal, you can generally assume that things even out in the wash. As a result of your protein, cooking method, and/or choice of sauce, one of your meals may be higher in fat while the next is naturally lower. Plus, some of the cooking fat you use stays in the pan, and if you’re cooking a few servings of meat in 1-2 tablespoons of fat (about 1-2 thumb-sized portions), you’re certainly not consuming all of it in one serving.
In addition, our recommendations for snacks and mini-meals are to include at least two of the three macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbs. That reduces the chance that you’ll mindlessly snack on that giant jar of almonds you bought at Costco, and thoughtfully put together a snack that includes almond butter plus deli turkey plus an apple. This helps to ensure a variety of micronutrients and a healthy balance of macros.
However, if you notice that your digestion is off (your stomach cramps or bloats after meals, you have extra-stinky gas, and/or your stools are soft and oily), or you end up eating so much dressing or dip in one meal that you’re not hungry for the next, keep a closer eye on your fat intake. Try drizzling a serving instead of dumping a cup, making snacks more balanced, and replacing the cashew “queso” on your veggie tray with a cauliflower or sweet potato “hummus.”
For now, if your hunger is appropriate (meaning you’re not overly stuffed after a meal, but not ravenous an hour later), your energy is rockin’ (or getting better), your digestion is smoothing out, and you are feeling satisfied with your food, just keep doing what you’re doing! Most people find by the second week of their Whole30, you’re able to trust the signals your body is sending you, including how much to eat.
Best in health,
Melissa
