I used to not use cooking oils when I cooked.

I would always dry-fry foods.

I'd never add butter to things.

Never add olive oil to salads.

My food would be plain.

Because I was sure that those extra 'hidden' calories were the reason I was unhappy and overweight.

I was wrong.

I didn't understand the energy balance. I was looking at one food group rather than what I ate overall throughout the day!

Here are some interesting facts perhaps you didn't know about fats...

- Fats are a major source of energy having 9 calories per 1g of fat.

- There are 4 types of fats, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated (considered healthy fats) trans-fats, industrially made considered bad and saturated fats which are somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.

-Trans-fats are considered bad as they are a byproduct of a process called hydrogenation, which turns liquid fats to solid to preserve them.

- You want to ideally get a mix of your daily dietary fats in the ratios of 1/3 poly, 1/3 mono and 1/3 sat.

So if you have been avoiding cooking oils and butter because you think fats are bad, I encourage you to rethink your beliefs around food.

Ask yourself what dietary fat you've consumed that day if you're not tracking. If you are tracking and you have fats remaining then start to incorporate oils and butter back into your cooking.