The Complete Fat Guide: What Lifters Actually Need for Health and Performance

In this episode of the Bodybuilding Dietitians podcast, we delve into the often-overlooked topic of dietary fat and its role in health, performance, body composition, and bodybuilding nutrition. While protein and carbohydrates tend to receive most of the attention in the fitness space, dietary fat plays an important role in hormone production, brain health, cardiovascular health, cell function, and the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. We discuss why fat should not simply be viewed as the macro to push as low as possible, especially for physique athletes and lifters aiming to optimise both performance and long-term health. We explore practical fat intake ranges, the differences between saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, omega-3, omega-6, and trans fats, and how to think about fat quality across the whole diet. We also unpack saturated fat, cholesterol, APOB, lipoprotein(a), fibre intake, omega-3 supplementation, and using bloodwork to guide more individualised decisions. The conversation also covers practical swaps for improving fat quality, including how to incorporate more olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, oily fish, and other nutrient-dense fat sources without becoming overly restrictive or dogmatic. As always, we wrap up with what we learned this week. Whether you’re a physique athlete, gym enthusiast, or someone who wants to level up their nutrition and training knowledge, this podcast will educate and guide you forward. Enjoying the podcast? Make sure to subscribe, share the episode, and leave us a five-star rating or review, it really helps us grow and reach more listeners. ⸻   Links & Resources Coaching Services – https://www.thebodybuildingdietitians.com/enquirenow  Website – https://www.thebodybuildingdietitians.com/   Instagram The Bodybuilding Dietitians – https://www.instagram.com/thebodybuildingdietitians/?hl=en Team TBD – https://www.instagram.com/_teamtbd_/?hl=en Jack Radford-Smith – https://www.instagram.com/jack.radfordsmith/?hl=en  Damien Cox – https://www.instagram.com/dietitian_damiencox/?hl=en Lauren Stevens – https://www.instagram.com/thephysiquedietitian_/?hl=en   ⸻