Nutrition 101: Here's What You Need To Know About Fats

When it comes to healthy eating, it can be tough to know what to do sometimes — a food that's on the do-not-eat list one day can become a healthy-eating must overnight. After a proliferation of no-fat and low-fat diet fads, we now know that some fats are good for us — we just need to know which to choose.

Elle Penner, MPH, RD, and food & nutrition editor at MyFitnessPal, recommends choosing "more plant and fish-based fats. Add foods like avocados, nuts, seeds, nut butters, and fatty fish — like salmon — into your weekly menu. Cook with oils like olive or grape seed instead of butter or lard. Make salad dressings with flaxseed oil for a healthy dose of omega-3s." She also recommends using avocado instead of butter when you're baking.

Looking to learn more about fats? MyFitnessPal, the world's leading health and fitness app with a community of over 65 million members worldwide, has a rounded up a few key pieces of information.

For more from MyFitnessPal, visit their blog. Or, click here for more on healthy eating.

Elle Penner MPH, RD, is a registered dietician and food & nutrition editor at MyFitnessPal, the world's leading health and fitness app with a community of over 65 million members worldwide. Elle holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Boston College and a master's degree in public health nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a member of the California Dietetics Association and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Elle resides in San Francisco with her husband, where she's an active runner, food-lover, and healthy lifestyle blogger.

Kristie Collado is The Daily Meal's Cook Editor. Follow her on Twitter @KColladoCook.