The Fats That Love You Back
Probably one of the most damaging pieces of outdated science that still circulates in the nutrition space is the idea that fats make you fat. The low fat trend pervaded my childhood, and our family kitchen was always stocked with skim milk, nonfat yogurt, and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Little did we know that our low fat staples were actually high-sugar and minimally nourishing.
Today, you’ll find me putting heavy cream in my coffee, consuming whole milk cottage cheese, lathering my sourdough in grass-fed butter, and cooking with beef tallow. Fat is our friend for the following reasons:
Fat is good (read: essential) for our brain health
Fat is an incredibly satiating macronutrient, leaving us feeling full and calm
Fat tastes delicious! (and is especially good at making vegetables yummy)
We do, however, have a significant issue with a particular kind of fat consumption in this country. Since the early 1900s, industrial seed oils arrived on the market. Originally used for soap making, business owners soon realized that chemically extracted and modified oils such as cottonseed, canola, corn, safflower, sunflower, and soybean oil could be sold as cooking fats and used in virtually every processed food. They were cheap, easy to manufacture, and these “vegetable” oils soon became marketed as heart healthy. If you’re curious about the science behind these oils and the particulars about why they are so damaging to our health, I highly recommend this article. For the quick answers, keep reading here.
These inflammatory and industrial oils that are not readily available in nature (I mean, honestly, what is a canola??) are toxic to our health even if they’re good for the food industry’s bottom line. Avoiding them whenever possible is important for cardiovascular health, weight management, inflammation reduction, reducing diabetes risk, and so much more.
So, instead of cooking or buying foods with canola, soybean, safflower, sunflower, or rapeseed oil, instead cook and purchase items that are made with extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, beef fat, butter, or ghee.
If you’re struggling to wrap your head around this complete paradigm shift, think of it this way: We as a human race evolved and survived in nature for thousands of years eating whole animals (nose to tail, fatty bits and all). We churned butter, we drank milk and cream. We pressed olives and avocados for oil. Never in human history did someone squeeze a cottonseed and get oil from it. The same goes for sunflower seeds or soy beans. Getting back to the way our grandmothers or great-grandmothers cooked is almost always the secret to vibrant health and wellbeing.
Here’s your challenge! Go through your fridge and pantry on a hunt for these unhealthy oils. Check your mayonnaise, salad dressing, marinades, nut butter, crackers, dried fruits, hummus, nut milks, and dessert foods. I’m willing to bet that you will find many of these oils lurking in your favorite snacks. Make a commitment to find better alternatives once you use up what you have. I’m always sharing what I love in my newsletter and on Instagram, so follow me there!
Now go get your healthy fats on!
XO,
Kara
