Health Tip: Why Your Body Needs Fat

While many people try to avoid fats in an effort to lose weight, certain fats are healthy and necessary.

Womenshealth.gov explains these essential functions of fat:

• Fat provides an energy source.
• Fat helps your body absorb vitamins from the foods that you eat.
• Healthier unsaturated fats include: olive oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil and canola oil.
• Limit unhealthy saturated fats, found in red meats, butter and whole milk.