Despite the fact that tasteless, fat-free foods are being shoved down the throats of the American public, our country keeps getting fatter and fatter. Yet the TV keeps trying to convince us that fat-free foods make us thin and healthy. So, in the futile attempt to do the "right" thing, most people are cutting all the fat out of their diet and wondering why they aren't losing weight. There are a few reasons for this.
2. Reducing your fat reduces your metabolism. When you deprive your body of fat, it kicks into "starvation mode" and your metabolism drops accordingly to conserve energy. When you no longer can stand the lowfat diet and resume your former eating habits, your metabolism has not yet returned to its former levels and you therefore gain more weight back than you lost in the first place.
3. Low-fat = higher carb. Lowfat diets tend to be higher in carbohydrates, and high-carb diets will trigger the release of insulin, which drops your blood sugar and tells your body to store fat. Not to mention your energy level drops along with your blood sugar, so you will most likely lack the energy you need to exercise. Including good fats with every meal helps to keep your blood sugar stable. This maximizes your metabolism by providing your body with a steady supply of fuel to burn throughout the day.
Butter is a rich source of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. The saturated fat in butter actually enchances our immune function, protects the liver from toxins, provides nourishment for the heart in times of stress, gives stiffness and integrity to our cell membranes, and aids in the proper utilization of omega-3 essential fatty acids. Butter will add extra nutrients and flavor to your vegetables, whole grain breads, and sauteed dishes.
Lard is a traditional fat, the mention of which causes us moderns to cringe. Yet lard is a healthy, natural fat. Lard is rendered fat from pork and is mostly monounsaturated. Lard can be a wonderful source of vitamin D. Traditionally, lard has been used enjoyed for pastries and frying potatoes--until the vegetable industry took over. Don't be afraid to experiment with lard in your kitchen, it will add lots of flavor to your food.
These tropical oils are rich soures of saturated fat, especially lauric acid, which has strong antifungal and antimicrobial properties. They are extremely stable and can be used in baking, frying, sauteing, and especially for making popcorn.
For further reading: "The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil" by Bruce Fife, MD
Olive oil has been used for thousands of years for its many health benefits. Olive oil is a rich source of antioxidants, relieves the pain and inflammation of arthritis, normalizes blood fats and cholesterol, stimulates strong gallbladder contractions and is known for increasing longevity. Olive oil can be used for sauteeing at moderate temperatures and is a perfect base for salad dressings. However, it is important not to use olive oil as your only fat--you need the nutrients found exclusively in animal fats and too much monounsaturated fat without a balance of saturated fats can cause problems.
Tallow is used in traditional cultures for its health benefits. Tallow is rendered beef fat and is a very stable fat for frying.
2. Margarine. We have been told to eat margarine because butter raises our cholesterol and is bad for our heart. The truth is that margarine eaters have twice the rate of heart disease as butter eaters (Nutrition Week 3/22/91 21:12). Butter is a natural fat, made from cream. Margarine is an artificial concoction of chemicals.
3. Processed vegetable oils. For many years the media have told us to replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats, like those from vegetable oils. This advice does more harm than good. In the process of producing vegetable oils, toxic chemicals and high temperatures are used to extract the oil from the seed or bean. In this process virtually all of the nutritional value has been destroyed, not to mention that the high temperatures turn the oil rancid before you even bring it home. Even worse, most of the vegetable oils that end up in packaged foods have been partially hydrogenated, a process that rearranges the fatty acid molecules turning them from the natural "cis" configuration into trans fats, most of which do not exist in nature. Not only are trans fats difficult to digest, they have been implicated as a cause of both cancer and heart disease. The body does not know what to do with these fats, so they are absorbed into the cell membranes, causing harm to many of our vital bodily systems. Unknowingly, we are poisoning ourselves.