We’ve all heard eating less sugar helps melt off spare pounds. Yet it often feels too darn hard. So we were excited when we heard a top doctor talking about a new, easy way to cut back on sugar: Eating more cravings-curbing dietary fat. Here, everything you need to know about how to use healthy fats for weight loss and appetite control. 

How sugar drives cravings and weight gain 

Half of what Americans eat these days is highly-processed foods loaded with high amounts of saturated fat and added sugar. Beyond candy and sugary drinks like cola, there’s sugar lurking in the ingredients list on products such as dressing, soup, fast food and countless items marketed as “healthy.” 

An average person consumes 152 pounds of sugar a year, plus 146 pounds of white flour. “Refined carbohydrates become blood sugar once you eat them,” explains Michael Aziz, MD, author of The Ageless Revolution. And the higher your blood sugar and insulin levels, the more body fat you tend to store and carry. (Discover what normal blood sugar readings are by age here.) 

But avoiding dietary fat in the past was the wrong metabolic move. For decades, as we were told to eat less fat, obesity rates soared. Finally, scientists figured out it was ultra-processed foods—typically high in added sugar—that drive overeating, obesity and many health woes.

How to cut out sugar: A healthy fat swap for weight loss 

Knowing processed foods are everywhere and tough to avoid, Dr. Aziz looked for an inventive hack. And it’s super easy and tasty. “As you reduce sugar, up your intake of natural fats,” says Dr. Aziz. Why this simple swap works: A new study found that eating healthy fats makes us want less sugar and processed food. “You’ll feel so satisfied, you won’t miss the junk.”

To get started, you might eliminate granola bars, ranch dressing and honey ham (which often have sneaky amounts of added sugars). Instead add options like olive and coconut oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, full-fat dairy and fatty fish to your lifestyle. “Before long, you’ll feel more satisfied with less food,” says Dr. Aziz.

How healthy fats aid weight loss and cure cravings 

Here, why natural fat works wonders for the body…

They work like Ozempic

According to Australian research, there’s evidence that healthy fats boost the hormone GLP-1, “mimicking weight-loss meds like Ozempic without the cost or side effects,” says Dr. Aziz. GLP-1s help kill “food noise” and improve blood sugar.

Drugs like Ozempic are also known to slow stomach emptying. Similarly, as dietary fat moves through the small intestine, it can activate the “ileal brake,” a mechanism that slows food’s movement in the GI tract—so we’re literally full longer and have more time to absorb craving-fighting nutrients from our meals.

They replace addictive junk

Food scientists have manipulated processed foods to get us to buy and eat more, says Dr. Aziz. Simply reaching for natural foods and natural fats as part of a healthy diet leaves less room for fare that triggers cravings, and your body’s true hunger-control mechanisms are able to take over. 

During a Drexel University pilot study, adults coached to replace ultra-processed foods with less-processed options cut sugar intake by 50 percent and ate 612 fewer calories a day. They also lost about a pound a week—without portion control.

They soothe your brain

Brain scans show sugary and processed foods activate the same craving-inducing region of the brain as hard drugs. Natural fats do the opposite: A Harvard-led study used scans to demonstrate that when participants sipped a walnut-enriched smoothie, an area of the brain that suppresses cravings literally lit up. And when the same test subjects sipped smoothies that contained no good fats, their appetite-control centers remained dark and inactive. “It’s a powerful effect,” says Dr. Aziz. 

Healthy fat for weight loss success story: Yvette lost 58 pounds

For decades, New York mom Yvette Cruz, 55, was drawn to extreme diets. “If I lost weight, it was a struggle,” she says. Eventually she’d end up eating bagels and doughnuts again. Then the mom of four was diagnosed with prediabetes. “My family history isn’t great. I worried I was on a bad road,” she shares. Reading everything she could about healthy eating, she found Dr. Aziz and made an appointment.

Encouraged to eat more natural foods, Yvette began trading sugary, processed meals for cheesy scrambles, avocado-and-chicken-topped salads, salmon with veggies and potato, even full-fat yogurt piled with fruit. The first month, “I lost around 10 pounds!” That’s equal to a pant size in 30 days.

After six months, “I saw a huge difference,” says Yvette, now down six sizes. She reversed her prediabetes and eliminated joint pain and GI issues. Today, “avocados are my obsession and I’m never afraid to use butter. I feel satisfied and energized, and for the first time ever, maintaining weight loss has been easy!”

Healthy fats that quiet sugar cravings 

Will this approach work for you? If you stay consistent and listen to your body, Dr. Aziz says it works for a surprising number of us. “My approach is about eating natural food and finding balance.” 

To try his technique, skip added sugar and ultra-processed foods. Instead, emphasize protein, produce, fiber-rich starch and natural fat. And reach for these healthy fat sources:

• Nuts like cashews or walnuts
• Nut butter
• Edamame
• Avocado
• Olive oil
• Full-fat dairy
• Fatty fish
• Coconut oil
• Flaxseed or chia seeds

Healthy fat recipe: DIY avocado pops

Blend 1 ripe banana, 1 avocado and 1⁄3 cup of whole Greek yogurt; add to ice pop molds and freeze.

Healthy fat recipe: Whipped feta dip

Ingredients:

• 8  oz. feta cheese
• 3⁄4  cup whole Greek yogurt
• 1  Tbs. lemon juice
• 1  tsp. minced garlic
• 1  Tbs. olive oil
• Red pepper flakes, optional
• Assorted sliced veggies

Blend feta, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and oil in blender or food processor until silky smooth. Add salt to taste. Garnish with pepper flakes. Enjoy with veggies. Serves 8.