Fats in meal planning

[Mmurray19]

Hey there! My fiance and I are starting Whole30 to kick off a healthier year as we prepare for our wedding in June. The only part of meal planning that is confusing to us... FATS! I have put off posting a question as I scanned the forum but I have not found the answers to our specific questions. I  have a couple questions on how to incorporate these into our meals in the right way especially with a picky eater (me). We realize using them to cook is a way to incorporate them but is that enough if it stays in the pan?! HELP!

1) Using Coconut milk in our coffee- would that count as a fat with breakfast?

2) If we made and are using the Whole30 Ranch Dressing from the book on our salad or drizzled over our roasted veggies... would that count as the fat for that meal?

3) Would eating a hand full of nuts count if it is not incorporated in the recipe. OR eating spoonful of nut butter... even if it is not cooked into the recipe?

 

Thanks in advance! Sorry for the first-timer questions!

 

 

[ShannonM816]

Yes, those things all count. You generally want to pick one or two fat options in addition to what you cook in. Some meals may have a little more, some may have a little less -- that's fine. The thing to pay attention to is how you feel after the meal and how long you stay satisfied between meals. If you feel overstuffed or miserable after a meal, you ate too much of something. You should go 4-5 hours between meals, so if you're hungry 2-3 hours after a meal, you want to have a bit more at meals, maybe more fat, maybe just more in general. 

[Mmurray19]

So one issue I am going to have with waiting 4-5 hours between meals.... I am a teacher. So, I have breakfast around 7-7:30 before I head to school and then my lunch time is at 10:30. I won't eat again until dinner around 6. I know snacking isn't part of whole30, I will say snacking is one of my issues. Could I add a handful of nuts later in the day to hold me over from lunch to dinner? As long as it is a small Whole30 compliant snack? 

[ShannonM816]

It's fine to eat a small something between meals in a case like this. Ideally, this would look like a mini-meal with some protein, some fat, and some vegetables, but try to have at least two of the three. Nuts are really best limited and not eaten every day. Other possible options -- compliant jerky or meat bars, hard boiled eggs,  meatballs, carrots or celery with ranch or mayo or guac, maybe a thermos of blended soup, leftover frittata/breakfast casserole, chicken (cut it into strips if you need it to be easy to pick up and eat). I don't know exactly what your situation is, so some of those may work better than others.