Eat the saturated fats! Yes, you read that correctly. I know it’s hard to wrap your mind around. For so long we have been told that saturated fats are bad for us and that they cause heart disease. Current research is showing that actually there is no connection between saturated fats and heart disease.
Where did the idea of saturated fats being bad come from?
In the 1950’s Ancel Keys did a study surmising that higher saturated fat intake meant a higher incidence of heart disease. This was based on 6 countries, while ignoring 16 other countries that did not fit his conclusion. The medical industry ran with Ancel Keys flawed study, which brings us to where we are today.
The oils that are touted by the mainstream as heart healthy are actually doing a good amount of damage. These seed oils and vegetable oils are not meant to be heated. Heating causes them to oxidize, making them toxic to the human body. They are also highly inflammatory, and inflammation leads to disease.
What are saturated fats?
They are fats that are generally solid at room temperature. All of the carbon atoms are ‘saturated’ with hydrogen atoms, hence their name. This saturation makes these fats more stable and less likely to go rancid even when heated for cooking. They also cannot undergo harmful oxidation in the human body because they lack double bonds.
What about cholesterol?
Saturated fats do increase cholesterol, BUT not in a bad way. They increase HDL, the good cholesterol. They also increase LDL AND change the shape of LDL cholesterol. Saturated fats make the LDL cholesterol larger and fluffier, which is protective unlike the dense, small, oxidized LDL cholesterol.
Benefits
- rich in fat soluble vitamins
- help absorb fat soluble vitamins
- important for cell membranes
- supports a healthy metabolism
- supports the immune system
- supports intestinal health
- better brain health
- reduced stroke risk
Good Sources
- cold pressed unrefined coconut oil
- clean lard
- grassfed tallow
- grassfed butter
- grassfed ghee
Learn how to make your own tallow here.
So what now?
Ditch the unsaturated fats for cooking and instead opt for grassfed butter, clean lard, grassfed tallow, grassfed ghee and cold pressed unrefined coconut oil. If your goal is to support your metabolism, which it should be, then ditch the seed oils and vegetable oils and instead go for mostly saturated fats with a little bit of olive or avocado oil. Preferably keep the avocado and olive oil for things other than cooking because they will oxidize with high heat.
Leave a Reply