Eating for healthy aging does not mean eliminating fat.
The type of fat matters.
The Nordic diet provides a useful example.
It includes fat from rapeseed oil, fish, nuts and seeds rather than relying heavily on butter, fatty meat and other foods rich in saturated fat.
Why is rapeseed oil used in the Nordic diet?
Rapeseed oil — also called canola oil in some countries — is rich in unsaturated fats.
It contains relatively little saturated fat and provides both monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats, including the plant omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid.
It is also widely available in Northern and Central Europe.
What about butter?
Butter can be eaten, but it should not be the main source of dietary fat.
Butter contains considerably more saturated fat than rapeseed or olive oil.
Replacing some saturated fat with unsaturated fat is more useful than simply adding healthy oils on top of an already energy-rich diet.
That distinction matters.
A healthy diet is not improved simply by eating more fat because some fats are considered “healthy.”
Fish and nuts provide more than fat
Fish provides protein as well as unsaturated fats. Fatty fish can also provide the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA.
Nuts and seeds provide unsaturated fats together with fiber, protein, minerals and other nutrients.
This is one reason it is better to think in terms of whole foods and dietary patterns, rather than individual nutrients alone.
Nordic or Mediterranean?
The Nordic diet commonly uses rapeseed oil.
The Mediterranean diet characteristically uses olive oil.
These oils are not nutritionally identical, but both provide predominantly unsaturated fats and can fit into healthy dietary patterns.
The important principle is not that everyone must use the same oil.
It is to favor sources of unsaturated fat while limiting excessive intake of saturated fat.
