Comments on: Healthy Fats: Is There Such A Thing?

By: Natalie Trowbridge

Natalie Trowbridge — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 04:55:49 +0000

Do you have references? I loved this article. I’m looking for more sources and studies to convince my extended family and share with my doctor husband.

By: Andrew G

Andrew G — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 03:49:04 +0000

I just read this post, and I have to say I’m happy to know that saturated fats are good for you.
But the reason I’m commenting is because I have a question: What about walnuts?
According to my bag of unroasted, unsalted walnuts, there’s 12 mg of Polyunsaturated fats in 16 nuts.

Should I avoid walnuts because of their polynusaturated fat content?

By: Kofimama

Kofimama — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 22:49:09 +0000

I’m all over this saturated fat thing and I can’t tell you how happy it makes me! I grew up on a farm eating raw dairy, fresh bacon, etc. and we never worried about the fat content. And we were so healthy!

Here’s my question: I have a 2.5 yr old who has had growth issues his whole life (to the point of having a feeding tube!). At this point his system is reacting to all sorts of things, including dairy. We’ve tried raw, but it’s still not happening. So, we’re cooking most of his food in bacon grease or coconut oil in hopes of adding good fats into his diet. We’ve been using coconut oil for a long time, but the bacon fat is new and he’s been pretty constipated. Could it be the bacon fat? I’m curious if you’ve heard of people adjusting to new fats like this.

Love, love, love your site! Diane

By: KristenM

KristenM — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 21:26:25 +0000

I would use beef tallow from grass-fed cows to fry foods in. Another great possibility (but one which I don’t have easy access to) is duck fat from wild ducks.

By: bio-music

bio-music — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 20:54:47 +0000

Great post and site! I am a big advocate of cocoanut oil, not just in the smoothies but also on my body as a moisturizer.
However, I found that it doesn’t work so well for frying, especially meat which needs a bit of time to cook and the oil burns rather fast.
What oil do you suggest for steaks, chicken or even french fries?
I want let go of the vegetable oils but haven’t figured how to make the switch.
Thanks!

By: MM

MM — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 06:29:08 +0000

Do you think refined coconut oil is as good (healthy) as unrefined? That might help some people who object to the coconut flavor, as refined coconut oil does not have a strong coconut flavor.
I just want to add one more good fat to the list, although I realize this is not available to everyone. I use a lot of bear fat in cooking. I live in an area where there are LOTS of black bears, and lots of people who hunt them. We don’t hunt bears ourselves (though we do hunt other kinds of meat) but lucky for us we know some people who do, and this year we were given about 70 pounds of fat from a freshly butchered bear. Some of these fat chunks were 4-5 inches thick! I rendered 3 gallons and have been feeding the rest to my chickens bit by bit. They go NUTS for fat. So we end up eating it through the eggs too. Maybe some readers also live in bear country–if so, just ask around and find a hunter who is willing to hook you up. I don’t know what the saturation profile is but bear fat is similar to lard in its hardness. It has a very mild, pleasant flavor, you can use it in delicate-flavored stuff like pie crust just fine. The ultimate pasture-raised, or rather forest-raised fat.
I am new to your site, and I love it. It is so nice to find someone with exactly the same food views. I’m not crazy after all!

By: Murph

Murph — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:24:25 +0000

Also, I forgot to mention goose, duck, and chicken fat, also known as Schmaltz. These fats are common to Jewish and other culinary traditions.

By: Murph

Murph — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:16:13 +0000

Excellent post, Kristen! I have a suggestion for you. In your list of healthful fats, you seem to have omitted sesame oil, which has been used for millennia by humans. Just a thought!

Thanks for your writing !

By: dlm

dlm — Sun, 30 May 2010 17:29:01 +0000

Just found your site and totally agree with your post on fats. After Gary Taubes “Good Calories, Bad Calories” masterpiece, there is no doubt we’ve been badly misled for the last 50 years. The enemy is carbs: starch/sugar.

By: KristenM

KristenM — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:58:55 +0000

MJ, I didn’t mention Canola oil because I don’t believe it’s a healthy fat. The vast majority of Canola oil comes from rapeseeds genetically-engineered to be Round-Up resistant in the 1990s. Even those that aren’t are still varieties of rapeseed invented in laboratories in the 1970s. In other words, Canola oil is a completely new oil in the human diet.

On top of the fact that it’s not a traditional fat (and by “traditional,” I mean we’ve been eating it for thousands of years), most Canola is also high-temperature/high-pressure extracted. The use of heat and/or pressure in the extraction process causes the delicate poly-unsaturated fats (Omega-3s and 6-s) to oxidize. The oils then smell and taste bad, so they’re chemically deodorized before being put on store shelves.

There are very few varieties of Canola oil available that are cold-pressed at low pressures. While that’s arguably a more natural processing method and helps prevent the oxidization of the polyunsaturated fats, you still have to contend with the fact that the non-GMO Canola oil is completely new to the human diet (only in existence since the 1970s).

Hope that answers your question!