When it comes to fats, what you need to know is simple: some fats are good, some are bad.

Will I get sued for using this image?

And fats are necessary. So what’s a simple runner to do? The Harvard School of Public Health recommends 5 Quick Tips that I will paraphrase (and if it’s from Harvard it has to be right, right?):

• Use liquid plant oils for cooking and baking. Whether in a sauce pan, frying pan, baking pan, or salad bowl eschew the temptation of shortening, bacon fat, melted butter and the like. Yes, the bad fats taste ever so good, but they’ll shave 60 years off your life. So stick with plant oils.
• Ditch the trans fat. Remember that restaurants are the likely purveyor of trans fats, especially in fried foods. If you can remember that trans fats are the devil incarnate, and read labels at the grocery store, you might regain some of the 60 years you just lost in case you ignored Tip #1.
• Switch from butter to soft tub margarine. Again with the trans fat! Check the label for saturated fats and “partially hydrogenated” oils. If you can avoid these your margarine will be healthy-ish. Think of it this way, butter or margarine, who can say “no” to a tub?
• Eat at least one good source of omega-3 fats each day. Walnuts, fatty fish like salmon, and canola oil are all good sources. Paul says eat some fish once a week like a can of tuna. It’s easier than remembering how and where to get your omega-3s every day.
• Go lean on meat and milk. If it has hooves, it has saturated fats. Humans have saturated fats, the behooved have them. When we consume beef, pork, lamb, and dairy products, we are taking in more than our bodies need or want. Choosing low-fat dairy products and lean meats will make your arteries smile.