In my last Substack article I wrote about the building blocks we need to stay healthy. I know it was a while ago so I will link here. One of the basics are MACRONUTRIENTS which are Protein, Fats and Carbohydrates. Our bodies need all three in certain amounts to keep it fueled properly.
So let’s start with FAT.
‘Hunters and gatherers as far back as 2 million years ago valued animal fat more then protein and carbohydrates. The reason is that animal fat contain 2-5 times as much energy as protein and 10-40 times as much energy as fruit and vegetables’ -
quote from Apocalypse Never -Michael Schellenberg
Fats should make up at least 20-25% of our daily food requirements. And that should be good quality fats and mostly animal fats. But we can also include avocadoes and coconut oil in that category. As with everything there is always exceptions to the rule.
We use fat for primarily energy, but also for components of cell membranes, protection of organs from trauma, temperature change and regulation of body temperature.
What FAT is best?
Let’s define the types of oils:
Saturated (solid at room temperature such a butter, tallow, lard, coconut oil) or unsaturated (liquid a room temperature and are usually refined and highly processed from olive, safflower, canola. These can also be called seed oils and I will delve into this topic in another article).
For years we have been told that animal fats are bad and the major cause of cardiovascular disease and that unsaturated fats are better for you. But as always there are 2 sides to the story or in this case 2 sides to the medical studies. And lately I been delving into this topic to learn more. In our media, they only talk about the studies that fat is bad and for whatever reason, they never talk about the studies that say fat is good. Now if you do your research there are a lot of studies that show the animal fats ARE NOT the cause of cardiovascular disease or there is just not enough evidence to strongly say they are the cause.
Here are a couple of studies.
Watch this video from Dr. Paul Saladino where he also references studies about animal fats.
So what does this all mean? Well first we should do our own research and not always take things at face value, but it also means (to me anyways), that we can get back to basics and to not be afraid to use animal fats in our diets.
Our western lifestyle is busy and food manufacturers are progressing to feed everyone conveniently. We should really take a step back and think is convenient really what is healthy for me and my family. Could I support local farmers, make better choices and get back to basics of food which include animal fats? The answer is yes. Small steps can definitely make big changes to health. Cook in butter/tallow rather then olive oil for your first step. Add 3 days a week of red meat for step 2.
Now you ask the question, what about the vegans/vegetarians? A topic for another day as that is a whole new can of worms..
If you are looking for more studies/evidence, let me know and I will pass them on.
Also please follow my Instagram at @back.2.basics.nutrition for more tips and information on the go.
Thanks for reading….
Danni