Good VS Bad Fats

As many of you may well know, Americans are discovering the truth behind the fear of fats. This fear, which has been indoctrinated into us for years, has been misleading and detrimental to the overall health of our country, much like many other things!
For years the media and even the government has supported low fat, fat free, fat substitutes, and franken-fats (trans-fats). We now know that these are the very culprits of the rise of heart disease and body fat. If you just look at the data of the decrease in consumption of traditional fats vs the rise in consumption of hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated oils, and industrially processed liquid oils, the correlation speaks for itself! My sister Carey Kepler just posted about the dangers of canola oil. Get Educated on FATS!

From: Know Your Fats Introduction

Confused About Fats?

The following nutrient-rich traditional fats have nourished healthy population groups for thousands of years:

For Cooking

* Butter
* Tallow and suet from beef and lamb
* Lard from pigs
* Chicken, goose and duck fat
* Coconut, palm and palm kernel oils

For Salads

* Extra virgin olive oil (also OK for cooking)
* Expeller-expressed sesame and peanut oils
* Expeller-expressed flax oil (in small amounts)

For Fat-Soluble Vitamins

* Fish liver oils such as cod liver oil (preferable to fish oils, which do not provide fat-soluble vitamins, can cause an overdose of unsaturated fatty acids and usually come from farmed fish.)

The following newfangled fats can cause cancer, heart disease, immune system dysfunction, sterility, learning disabilities, growth problems and osteoporosis:

* All hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils
* Industrially processed liquid oils such as soy, corn, safflower, cottonseed and canola
* Fats and oils (especially vegetable oils) heated to very high temperatures in processing and frying.

From: The Oiling Of America

Vegetable oils are more toxic when heated. One study reported that polyunsaturates turn to varnish in the intestines. A study by a plastic surgeon found that women who consumed mostly vegetable oils had far more wrinkles than those who used traditional animal fats. A 1994 study appearing in the Lancet showed that almost three quarters of the fat in artery clogs is unsaturated. The "artery clogging" fats are not animal fats but vegetable oils.42

Benefits of Animal Fats

Foods containing trans fat sell because the American public is afraid of the alternative—saturated fats found in tallow, lard, butter, palm and coconut oil, fats traditionally used for frying and baking. Yet the scientific literature delineates a number of vital roles for dietary saturated fats—they enhance the immune system,54 are necessary for healthy bones,55 provide energy and structural integrity to the cells,56 protect the liver57 and enhance the body's use of essential fatty acids.58 Stearic acid, found in beef tallow and butter, has cholesterol lowering properties and is a preferred food for the heart.59 As saturated fats are stable, they do not become rancid easily, do not call upon the body's reserves of antioxidants, do not initiate cancer, do not irritate the artery walls.



If you want more information on all kinds of fat topics check out the many articles from Know Your Fats!

P.S. Many of you follow the paleo diet which does not support fats like butter or peanut oils. Although you may decide to skip these, my suggestion for this and all decisions, make your decision based on your own research!