By Denis Faye • October 27th, 2011

Within three days of my last post, former President Bill Clinton announced to the press that he’d walked away from animal protein, largely for health reasons.

Coincidence? Perhaps. Or it could be that the former leader of our great country is yet another faithful My Yoga Online reader. If that’s the case, Bill, buddy, I’m a little troubled that when sharing your nutritional strategy with CNN, you mentioned the fact that you eat “almost no oil.”

With all due respect, Mr. President, I think you might want to rethink that. It’s common in Western society to vilify fat. Admittedly, there are good fats and bad fats, but new vegans often tend to throw the unsaturated baby out with the saturated bath water, allowing their fat intake to drop to unhealthy levels.

Fat is a vital nutrient, just like carbohydrates and protein. It helps with the digestion of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K and it promotes a feeling of fullness after eating. It also plays an important part in the production of prostaglandins, hormone-like compounds that regulate blood pressure, heart rate, blood vessel constriction, blood clotting and the nervous system.

How much fat you should consume really depends on your own chemistry, but most people should shoot for a diet where 20% to 35% of their total calories come from fat.

For vegans, great sources of fat include avocados, olives, and raw nuts. Oils are also a good source – but don’t cook with them. Frying, especially at high heat, tends to damage the nutrients in oil. You’re better off baking, steaming, broiling, or grilling instead. Save the extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil, or grapeseed oil for drizzling, dipping, and salad dressing.

I’m not going to get too deep into the saturated fat versus unsaturated fat debate because it’s a nearly moot point with vegans. Saturated fat and cholesterol intake plummets when you stop eating animals. That said, there are produce-based sources of saturated fat, such as coconuts, so it’s worth a small mention. My take is that while recent research indicting that certain saturated fats aren’t bad for you is compelling, it’s overwhelmed by established research espousing the benefits of various unsaturated fats, so why take the chance? Furthermore, getting all your fat...

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Location:  Los Angeles, US

Starting out as weight challenged, Denis Faye dropped 50 pounds following a 5-year jaunt through Australia, a trip that helped him become the extreme fitness and sports enthusiast he is today. He includes...