Think twice about bacon on everything or its saturated fat can fry you with insulin resistance

Joanna Kriehn, MS, RDN, CDCES - Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES)

Did you know that the pesky saturated fat in your favorite cheesy pizza or bacon-loaded breakfast could deliver its next slice of insulin resistance to your body? Don’t worry—you don’t need to give up satisfaction for good health. Let’s break down the link between saturated fat and insulin resistance, and explore some tasty swaps that are better for your body (and still delicious).

What’s the deal with saturated fat and insulin resistance?

Insulin resistance occurs when your body doesn’t respond to insulin as it should, making it harder to keep blood sugar levels in check. It’s a key player in the development of type 2 diabetes.

When blood sugar stays high for too long, it starts quietly damaging your body—think kidneys, eyes, heart, and more. Saturated fat can contribute to this problem, leading to insulin resistance, so it’s worth paying attention to where it’s creeping into your meals and how it’s adding up over time.

Where saturated fat hangs out

Saturated fat can be sneaky. You might be eating more of it than you think! Common culprits include:

Full-fat cheese
Sausage and bacon
Fatty cuts of beef (hello, rib-eye)
Whole milk
Ice cream
Butter and cream
Lard
Coconut oil
Palm and palm kernel oil

Sure, these foods can be tasty, but eating too much of them, too often, can raise your risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Decrease insulin resistance with these healthier fats

Good news: you don’t have to ditch fat entirely! Swapping out saturated fat for healthier fats—like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats—can boost your heart health and lower your diabetes risk. Try adding more of these to your diet:

Nuts and nut butters
Avocados
Olives and olive oil
Vegetable oils
Tofu and soybeans
Flaxseeds
Coldwater fish (like salmon and sardines)

These fats not only taste great, but they also support a healthy body from the inside out.

MyNetDiary makes total fat and saturated fat tracking easy

Not sure how your fat intake stacks up? MyNetDiary can help! It breaks down your daily fat intake—including saturated fat—so you can see where your calories come from.

The app’s default goal is to keep saturated fat under 10% of your daily calories. If you are managing diabetes or have a higher risk for heart disease, your doctor might recommend an even lower amount. To view your fat breakdown, just head to the Diet Tools tab and scroll down to Nutrient Analysis > All > Fat-related.

Our favorite healthy-fat swaps

Cut back on saturated fat and lower your insulin resistance without sacrificing flavor with these swaps:

Avocado instead of cheese on your sandwich
Salmon instead of a rib-eye steak
Walnut-crusted chicken breast in place of fried chicken
Plant-based milk or reduced-fat creamer instead of heavy cream in your coffee
Peanut butter on waffles instead of butter (yum!)
Avocado oil and applesauce in baking instead of butter
Cashew milk ice cream (like So Delicious®) or reduced-fat versions in place of regular ice cream.

Small swaps like these can add up to big health benefits over time.

Give diabetes the detour with our formula

While research around saturated fat, insulin resistance, and their ties to diabetes is still evolving, we already know a lot about how to reduce your risk. Here’s the winning formula:

Aim for a healthy body weight.
Cut back on added sugars.
Enjoy whole grains, lean proteins, plenty of veggies, and heart-healthy fats.
Get moving—150 minutes of moderate activity per week is the goal.
Keep up with regular doctor visits and screenings.

Every healthy choice you make–like reducing saturated fat– is a step toward feeling your best and lowering your diabetes risk by decreasing insulin resistance. And hey—if you can do it with a delicious avocado toast in hand, even better.