Unsaturated fats

Eat foods rich in unsaturated fats.

Unsaturated fats -- monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats -- are the healthy fats that you've probably heard are great for your heart. They're found in foods like olives and olive oil, avocados (and guacamole!), nuts, seeds, fish, like salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines, and other vegetable and seed oils, like canola, safflower, sunflower, corn and sesame oils. But not only are these types of fats good for your heart and arteries, they also help boost your leptin levels, so they're more satisfying than saturated fats (found in meats, eggs and dairy foods).

Eating foods high in saturated fats doesn't raise leptin levels nearly as much as foods high in unsaturated fats. So while gram for gram both types of fat contain 9 calories apiece, unsaturated fat calories are actually working in your favor -- both for your heart and your waist line.