I follow a low carb, high fat, cyclic ketogenic diet. Some of my friends are literally shocked when they see me with a bottle of extra virgin olive oil or a jar of coconut butter. I’m serious… I don’t hold back.

Once I began eating more fat and less carbohydrates I’ve seen noticeable and sustained weight loss. Yes… weight loss… really without even trying to be honest. In the past year I’ve lost five kilograms and I didn’t spend one day measuring my oil consumption – or measuring anything actually – think Jamie Oliver’s “good glug of olive oil”… that’s me.

Saturated fat comes predominantly from animal sources, but can be found in plants too. This is where it’s important to do it correctly. While I’m not a vegetarian or vegan, I eat very little meat. Which means plant based sources of saturated fat have become a key element to my diet. Plant foods such as olives, nuts, seeds and avocados contain very small amounts of saturated fat, however there isn’t enough to classify these as saturated fats (they are predominantly made of mono and polyunsaturated fats). This is where coconut oil comes in… my favourite dietary source of saturated fat.

Cacao Fat Fudge

It’s my fave oil to cook with, I put it in my coffee every morning and I use it as the base to my Fat Fudge. There is ALWAYS a batch of Fat Fudge in my freezer… it’s how I finish off my lunch every day, yep… every day. I don’t like snacking as I like to give my digestion a break in between meals, so it’s important that they are substantial and fill me up. A little dose of saturated fat after lunch means I can go until dinner without thinking about food all afternoon or falling into that 3pm sugar craving hole.

If I don’t have any fat fudge in the freezer, a tablespoon of organic coconut butter is my post lunch treat… Or two or three tablespoons…

Cholesterol… it always comes up. To be frank, I don’t buy into the whole saturated fat and cholesterol and heart disease thing #sorrynotsorry – there’s a heck load of shonky associations in the health recommendations so I tend to deduce my own conclusions and follow my own rules. If you’re really worried about it.. Simple… don’t do it! I’m just sharing what works for me.

Check out one of my fave authors Dr Mark Hyman and his thoughts on coconut oil and cholesterol.