Why Animal Fat is a Health Food

Fat is Essential to Life and To Good Health

Animal fat has certainly been regarded as the enemy over the years, hasn’t it? It wasn’t always that way, and it’s unfortunate since fat is essential to life and to good health. Fat provides energy, and is needed for hormone production. And fats are a fantastic tool in the battle of the bulge. Without fat, we are less likely to be satisfied and become hungry more quickly, because fat slows down nutrient absorption.

Minerals Need Fat to Be Absorbed

For minerals to be absorbed, fat is needed. Think of the implications of that when you are drinking low-fat dairy. The calcium in the milk needs saturated fat to be absorbed.

Which Fats to Use

Some fats are more suited to high heat cooking, others should never be heated. Empowered Sustenance breaks down which fats to use when in her post Choose and Use Good Fats.

Butter and Lard

I love butter almost as much as I love my kids. Making sure that it’s sourced from cows which are raised on pasture means it’s good for me!!! Food Renegade’s post Why Butter is a Health Food explains more. If you can’t find pastured butter in your area, it’s available online here.

But butter will make me fat! Well, eating anything in excess will make you fat. Holistic Squid covers this myth in her article Why Butter is Good for You.

After butter, I love lard. It’s a wonderful choice for cooking and a great source of Vitamin D if it comes from animals that have been raised out in the sun on pasture. Is it possible that the epidemic of Vitamin D deficiency we are seeing is because we’ve become afraid of fat? Unmistakably Food has lots more to say about it in her post Why I Eat Lard. If you’re wondering how to render your own, I show you how in this post.

What About Vegetable Oil

And if you’re wondering about vegetable oil, check out Thank Your Body’s post The Ugly Truth About Vegetable Oil. Yeah, for the most part, it’s not such a good choice.

Cholesterol and Heart Disease

I know what you’re thinking. But what about all that cholesterol? Our brains, in particular, are rich in cholesterol. It’s essential to life. Grass Fed Girl shares 10 Reasons You Need Cholesterol in her guest post at CarbSmart.

But surely all that fat will cause heart disease. Well, no. Read Our Nourishing Roots post Think Saturated Fat and Cholesterol Will Give You Heart Disease? Think Again. 

Make Sure Your Source is Pastured Animals

And in case you didn’t get the message in all the other posts I’ve mentioned, here’s one of mine on the The Benefits of Choosing Animals Raised on Pasture.

Doesn’t it make you so happy that eating healthy is also so delicious!!!

Recommended Reading: Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig.

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