Are Healthy Fats Actually Good for You? (+ Salmon, Avocado & Mango)
For years, fat was something we were encouraged to avoid.
Low-fat yoghurts, low-fat spreads, reduced-fat everything — and if you were trying to eat "healthily" or lose weight, choosing the option with the least fat often seemed like the obvious thing to do.
Nutrition conversations have moved on, but there's still plenty of confusion around dietary fat.
Is fat bad for you?
Does eating fat make you gain fat?
And what do people actually mean when they talk about "healthy fats"?
Today's recipe gives us the perfect opportunity to talk about it.
This Salmon, Avocado & Mango recipe combines salmon and avocado with sweet mango, lime, chilli and fresh coriander. It takes just 10 minutes to prepare and provides 26g of protein per serving. Her Fitness Hideaway Light Bite…
And yes, at 17g of fat per serving, it's higher in fat than some of the recipes we've recently featured.
That isn't automatically a bad thing.
First Things First: We Need Dietary Fat
Fat isn't simply something that makes food higher in calories.
It's an essential part of our diet.
Dietary fats have several important roles in the body, including helping us absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Fat also provides essential fatty acids that our bodies can't make themselves.
So trying to eliminate fat from your diet isn't the goal.
Instead, it makes much more sense to think about the types of fat we're eating and our overall diet.
What Do We Mean by "Healthy Fats"?
You'll often hear foods such as salmon, avocado, nuts, seeds and olive oil described as sources of healthy fats.
That's useful shorthand, but it can sometimes make nutrition sound more black-and-white than it really is.
Different foods contain different combinations of fatty acids.
Generally, we're encouraged to replace some saturated fats in our diet with unsaturated fats, rather than simply trying to eat as little fat as possible.
Foods such as avocado and oily fish can help provide those unsaturated fats.
That doesn't mean foods containing saturated fat are suddenly "bad foods" that you can never eat.
As always, it's the bigger picture that matters.
Why Salmon Gets So Much Attention 🐟
Salmon isn't just a source of protein.
It's an oily fish, which means it also provides long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega-3 fats are one of the reasons oily fish is regularly included in healthy-eating recommendations.
So when we look at the 17g of fat in this recipe, simply seeing that number doesn't tell us very much about the nutritional value of the meal. The recipe contains both salmon and avocado, alongside mango, lime and herbs.
Nutrition is rarely as simple as deciding that a smaller number on the label must be better.
And What About Avocado? 🥑
Avocado is another food that sometimes causes confusion because it's relatively energy-dense compared with many other fruits and vegetables.
But again, higher calorie doesn't automatically mean less nutritious.
Avocado provides predominantly unsaturated fats alongside fibre and a range of micronutrients.
In this recipe, you only need ¼ of an avocado, which adds creaminess alongside the salmon and sweet mango.
Rather than asking whether avocado is "fattening", a more useful question is:
Does the amount I'm eating work within my overall diet and goals?
That's a much more helpful way to think about any food.
Does Eating Fat Make You Gain Body Fat?
This is probably where the word fat causes the most confusion.
Dietary fat and body fat aren't the same thing.
Eating a food containing fat doesn't mean that food simply turns directly into body fat.
Changes in body weight are influenced by your overall energy balance over time.
Fat does contain more calories per gram than protein or carbohydrate, so portions can matter when you're managing your overall calorie intake.
But that isn't a reason to fear foods containing fat.
It simply means context and quantity matter — just as they do with the rest of our diet.
Why You'll Love This Recipe 💗
✔️ 26g of protein – A substantial amount of protein in one serving.
✔️ Ready in just 10 minutes – No lengthy preparation required.
✔️ Fresh and colourful – Salmon, avocado, mango and coriander make this completely different from your standard lunch.
✔️ Sweet, savoury and slightly spicy – Mango and honey balance beautifully with lime and chilli.
✔️ Contains oily fish – An easy way to include salmon in your diet.
✔️ No complicated ingredient list – Just a handful of fresh ingredients.
✔️ Something a little different – Ideal if your usual lunches are starting to feel repetitive.
Perfect For
🥑 Anyone wanting more variety in their lunches
🐟 Getting some oily fish into your week
💪 A protein-containing light meal
⏰ Days when you don't want to spend ages preparing food
🥭 Anyone who loves sweet and savoury combinations
💗 Breaking out of the same-old-lunch routine
💗 Her Fitness Hideaway Tip: Don't judge a food by one number on its nutrition label. Something being higher in fat or calories doesn't automatically make it a poor choice. Look at what the food actually provides and how it fits into your diet as a whole.
Salmon Tartar with Avocado & Mango
Serves: 1 Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 0 minutes
Important food-safety note
The original recipe uses raw salmon and does not include a cooking step.
If you're making salmon tartare, don't assume that any fresh salmon fillet is suitable for eating raw. Use salmon specifically intended/suitable for raw consumption from a reputable supplier and follow the supplier's storage and preparation instructions.
People who are pregnant, immunocompromised, older, or otherwise at increased risk from foodborne illness should be particularly cautious about raw fish and follow current NHS/Food Standards Agency advice.
Ingredients
1 small salmon fillet (100g), cut into cubes
¼ avocado, cut into cubes
30g mango, cut into cubes
1 tbsp lime juice
⅓ tsp honey
Chilli pepper, to taste
Handful of coriander, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
Wash and dry the salmon, then cut it into small cubes.
Cut the avocado and mango into cubes and add them to the salmon.
Mix in the lime juice, chilli pepper and coriander, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
Set aside in the fridge to chill for at least 10 minutes before serving.
The original recipe suggests serving it with toast, although the toast is not included in the nutritional information below.
Nutrition Per Serving
282 calories
26g protein
9g carbohydrates
17g fat
Is 17g of Fat Too Much for One Meal?
There's no universal amount of fat that every meal needs to stay below.
Your needs depend on your overall diet, energy requirements and individual goals.
It's also worth remembering what we've just discussed: the number alone doesn't tell you the whole story.
This recipe contains salmon and avocado, so fat is naturally part of the meal.
At the same time, portion size still matters if you're working towards a particular calorie target.
We don't need to swing from "fat is bad" to "healthy fats don't count."
They still provide energy.
The goal is simply to stop treating dietary fat as something that automatically needs removing.
Is This Enough for a Full Meal?
Maybe — but not necessarily.
The recipe provides 282 calories and 26g of protein, and the original recipe suggests serving it with toast, which isn't included in those nutritional values.
That gives you plenty of flexibility.
If you want a light bite, you may enjoy the recipe as it is.
If you're having it for lunch or after a busy morning and need something more substantial, adding toast or another carbohydrate source may make more sense for you.
Your appetite isn't something you need to ignore just because you've reached the end of the recipe.
Easy Ways to Adapt It
If you enjoy the basic combination, there are plenty of ways you could make it your own.
Try:
Adding cucumber for extra crunch
Increasing the mango if you like a sweeter flavour
Adding extra chilli if you prefer more heat
Serving it alongside toast
Adding a simple side salad
Adding extra lime and coriander
Serving it as part of a larger lunch
Remember that any additions or substitutions will change the nutritional information from that listed for the original recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use any fresh salmon?
Not for the raw version.
The original recipe doesn't cook the salmon, so you should use salmon specifically suitable for raw consumption and follow appropriate storage and handling guidance.
If you're unsure whether your salmon can safely be eaten raw, don't use it raw.
Can I use cooked salmon instead?
That would no longer be the tartare recipe as written in the Light Bites collection, but cooked salmon, avocado and mango can certainly be combined as a meal.
The flavour, texture and nutritional values may differ from the original.
Is avocado good for weight loss?
There's no individual food that causes fat loss.
Avocado can absolutely be included in a diet when fat loss is your goal. Your overall calorie intake over time is much more relevant than whether one particular meal contains avocado.
Is salmon high in protein?
The complete recipe provides 26g of protein, with the salmon being its primary protein-containing ingredient.
Does the nutrition include the toast?
No. The original recipe specifically states that the suggested toast is not included in the nutrition information.
Fancy Something Warm Instead? 🍕
If you'd rather have a warm savoury snack, try our Easy Courgette Pizza Bites.
Made with courgette rounds, tomato purée, melted mozzarella and Italian herbs, they're ready in around 20 minutes.
They're also the recipe we used to answer another common nutrition question: does every snack really need to be high in protein?
More Light Bite Inspiration 💗
This Salmon Tartar with Avocado & Mango comes from the Her Fitness Hideaway Light Bites Recipe Collection, designed to give you plenty of inspiration when hunger hits.
Inside you'll find a huge range of ideas, including dips, lettuce wraps, crispy tofu, courgette fries, salmon dishes, pizza-inspired recipes and more.
So if you're tired of reaching for the same few snacks and lunches every week, you'll have plenty of new ideas to try.
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