I have noticed an inspiring turn of events. People within the Paleo community are reversing Fat-Phobia.
Maligned since the 1970s, when questionable research swept the anti-fat movement (followed by more than 30 years of declining public health), Fat may be about to make a comeback.
However, I have come to realize that as much as we Paleo folks love nuts, avocados, and olive oil, there is still some confusion about saturated fat. I recently saw some Facebook Sat-Fat-Fear-Mongering by a great Paleo-oriented gym. I wanted to reach out, give that gym a hug, and tell them not to be afraid of their bacon and beef suet.
According to Ph.D Mary Enig, a well-respected fat researcher and author of Know Your Fats, the fear of saturated fat is rooted in speculation by commercial cooking oil companies, the Soybean Oil Guys, among others. .
While I don’t see the word “conspiracy” being used in connection with this topic, I tend to believe that if he walks like a duck and quacks like a duck… he’s probably trying to sell you soybean oil.
“Dietary fat, whether saturated or not, is not a cause of obesity, heart disease, or any other chronic disease of civilization.”
So says Gary Taubes, author of Good Calories, Bad Calories. Taubes has spent more than fifteen years researching, evaluating, and synthesizing thousands of so-called “studies” on health and the connection between diet, obesity, and traditional health markers such as cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes. .
As far back as the late 1980s, results from a women’s health study indicated that higher fat and saturated fat intake was correlated with less breast cancer. The Nurses’ Health Study indicated in 1999 that “for every 5 percent of calories from saturated fat that replaced carbohydrate in the diet, the risk of breast cancer decreased by 9 percent.”
And yet, I just heard a radio ad extolling the virtues of a vegetarian diet (almost certainly a low-fat lifestyle) for the treatment and prevention of cancer.
According to Nora Gedgaudas, author of Primal Body, Primal Mind, saturated fats from natural sources like eggs, grass-fed animal fats, and coconut oil increase “good” cholesterol, convert omega-3 essential fatty acids into EPA and DHA (essential for vision, among other things), aids in the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients, strengthens the immune system, and aids in normal hormone production. Our brains and the protective structure around our hearts are made up largely of saturated fat.
And to think, I spent years drinking the sugar-filled Sat Fat Haterade.
Beyond these obvious benefits, saturated fats are extremely stable and less vulnerable to oxidation than polyunsaturated fats and even monounsaturated fats like olive oil. I almost always cook with SatFats. According to Dr. Eades of Protein Power:
“Saturated fats are not prone to free radical attack, only unsaturated fats can be damaged by free radicals.”
Eades also says that saturated fat is “immune to heat damage. You can cook with it, you can hit it with a hammer, you can throw it on the floor and jump on it. And they stay the same. Saturated fat is stable fat.”
Not only am I going straight home to start hitting various foods with a hammer (Gallagher style), but I’m also going to enjoy some scrambled eggs in coconut oil, with a side of bacon.
Sources:
– Mary Enig, Know Your Fats
– Nora Gedgaudas, Primal Body, Primal Mind
– Gary Taubes, Good Calories, Bad Calories