What's for Lunch? Saturated Fat

... I'll Have Lard with My Soup Please!

(soup with a healthy serving of lard)

A healthy serving of animal fat (lard, duck fat, tallow) or even coconut oil which is a saturated fat could just be the trick that you need to further optimize your health. Here are a few benefits of eating saturated fat which turns out to be healthy with daily consumption.

* Helps to improve digestion and is great for nutrient absrobtion

* Provides energy

* Helps to seal the lining of the gut (needed for leaky gut syndrome)

* Has vitamins A, D and K in an easy to a digest form

* Improves immune system health

* Has cholesterol which helps to develop and nourish our brains to function optimally

* Helps to build strong bones

* Holds up to heat well during cooking and will not go rancid

(a package of unrendered lard shown with a jar of rendered lard)

To further summarize, Jennifer McLagan author of “Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, With Recipes” explains in a online interview entitled "Why You Should Eat Fat":

"Unlike vegetable oils, animal fats are very stable and don’t turn rancid easily. This makes them ideal for cooking, which involves heating the fat. And they have no trans fats.

It is much easier to roast a bird or a joint of meat if it has a good quantity of fat. The fat guarantees taste and succulence. Without it, the meat will be dry and tasteless.

Animal fats have lots of good fatty acids that fight disease, help absorb vitamins and lower cholesterol. Your body burns the short-chained fatty acids found in animal fats and stores the long-chained ones found in polyunsaturated fat. It is a myth that eating animal fat makes you fat.

Animal fat also has a good ratio of essential fatty acids. Many of us have a skewed ratio thanks to too much vegetable oil. When this ratio is out of balance, it results in illness and depression.

But best of all, fat — with its big round molecules — tastes good, it feels good in your mouth, on your tongue and it carries flavors.

So, if you haven't already, try exploring an animal fat in your next dish. You might be surprised at how tasty it is.

Resources and References:
http://www.salon.com/2008/09/25/jennifer_mclagan/

http://www.healthy-eating-politics.com/saturated-fats.html

http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/cholesterol-friend-or-foe

http://hartkeisonline.com/2010/03/03/fat-on-grassfed-meat-is-healthy-claims-cookbook-author/

http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Cholesterol-Cell-Membrane.html

http://detoxinista.com/2012/10/the-benefits-of-saturated-fat/

-Have Fun with Fashion and a Healthy Life!