What 'healthy fats' actually are — and how to choose the right ones for your diet

• The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans have a prominent place for "healthy" fat.
• The guidelines still suggest limiting saturated fat.
• Nutrition experts say it's smart to prioritize fat sources like olive oil, nuts, and avocados.

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says his diet message is clear: "Eat real food."

That was his main mantra during a White House press briefing on the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released Wednesday.

The new guidelines feature an inverted pyramid, with protein, dairy, and so-called "healthy fats" as the foundational corner of the new American diet.

"Protein and healthy fats are essential, and were wrongly discouraged in prior dietary guidelines," Kennedy said.

If you're trying to eat healthier, the problem isn't that you need more fat — it's that "healthy fat" is a vague term that means very different things depending on the source.

But what is a healthy fat, exactly? Here's how nutrition experts say to tell the difference, and how to use that information when you shop, cook, and eat.

A 'healthy fat' isn't just about fat — it's about the whole food

The new federal guidelines don't provide a strict definition of "healthy" fat, only saying that healthy fats come from whole foods.

Business Insider reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services multiple times, asking for a clear definition of "healthy" fat, but didn't get an answer.

Typically, when nutritionists talk about healthy fat, what they mean is sources that have:

• More unsaturated fat and less saturated fat
• Other nutrients traveling with the fat

Take olives. An olive is a fruit that includes a mix of both unsaturated and — to a much lesser extent — saturated fats. It also has other nutrients in it, including fiber, iron, and vitamin E, plus plant chemicals called polyphenols, which are good for your brain. That's why olive oil is widely regarded as a healthy choice.

The same goes for chia seeds. They're high in omega-3 fatty acids, an essential fatty acid that we need to consume because we can't make it on our own. They're naturally low in saturated fat, and also provide other nutritional benefits, including decent doses of both fiber and protein.

Walnuts provide another great example. Until the 1990s, they were thought to be bad for your heart, due to their high fat content. It turns out the opposite is true: walnuts are packed with polyunsaturated omega-3s, making them actively good for your heart.

Dr. Joan Sabaté, who pioneered that walnut research in the 90s, said the key is to think about your fats in a broader context, not just focusing on one metric.

"It's not only the type of fat, but the source of the fat, and how the fat is together with [other nutrients]," Sabaté, a Blue Zone epidemiologist who directs the Center for Nutrition, Lifestyle and Disease Prevention at Loma Linda University, told Business Insider.

What's the deal with saturated fat?

Unveiling the new guidelines, Kennedy said, "We are ending the war on saturated fats."

The new food pyramid features beef, butter, and whole milk high up.

"Eating a little bit of animal products is good," Sabaté said. Red meat and full-fat dairy are packed with nutrients like vitamin B12 and iron, for example, which is hard to find in plants. Experts agree that a little saturated fat is not that bad for your body.

Still, it's controversial that the new guidelines front-load meat and animal products as "healthy" fats, and mention them first.

Meat and dairy contain significantly more saturated fat than plants like olives and avocados. Research has linked diets rich in red meat and dairy to a higher incidence of chronic health issues, including heart disease and cancer. Animal products are also more pro-inflammatory than whole grains and vegetables.

"That is not the way to go," Sabaté said, echoing concerns that many health experts shared this week.

(Plus, the new guidelines still recommend limiting your saturated fat consumption to 10% of total daily calories, which means you can't actually live on a diet of butter, red meat, and cream.)

The takeaway: How to apply this to your diet

So, what should you cook with tonight?

Most days, consider swapping butter for olive oil in your frying pan. That will mean more heart-healthy fats get in your system.

The best change you can make, though, is to curb ultra-processed snacks. Packaged cakes and cookies are often loaded with saturated fat from cooking oils. If you had a buttery steak for dinner, and skipped after-dinner snacks, that could be a good thing.

Don't fear fat — but don't center your diet on it either.