Fat's not the enemy! The issue is sugar & refined carbs

If you're a fan of eating foods with fat, you're going to like what a Cleveland Clinic doctor has to say. He says you can jump off the low-fat bandwagon.

After decades of being told to avoid fat or use low-fat products, that mindset may be changing.

"Fat doesn't actually make you fat and it doesn't cause heart disease. There've been troves of studies that prove that fact, that not all calories are the same, that fat calories actually help speed up metabolism, suppress the appetite, cut cravings and help you lose weight," Dr. Mark Hyman says.

Dr. Hyman says sugar and refined carbohydrates are the real enemies when it comes to your health. They store fat, make you hungry, slow metabolism and lead to heart disease.

"Most Americans need to shift their diet from the152 pounds of sugar and 146 pounds of flour that they eat every year to a diet higher in good healthy fats," he suggests.

Not all fats are created equal, though.Dr. Hyman breaks fat down into three categories: bad, in-between and good fat.

Bad fat is trans-fat and shouldn't be eaten. It's been linked to heart disease, obesity, dementia, type 2 diabetes and even cancer.

In-between fat is saturated fat and oils like vegetable, corn and soybean oil.

Good fats are omega-3 fats from fish, nuts, seeds and olive oil.

Dr. Hyman says eating the right fat can boost metabolism and weight loss. 

"Weight loss is not a math problem. It's a hormone problem and a metabolic problem, and when you eat fats you turn on the right hormones. When you eat sugar and refined carbs you turn on the wrong hormones and cause weight gain," he explains.

According to Dr. Hyman, the bottom line for weight loss and heart health is to cut out sugar and refined carbs and instead eat more foods that contain healthy fats, like avocados, salmon and coconut butter.