The Big Fat Surprise/Tallow

[NCGal]

Anyone read "The Big Fat Surprise" or see Nina Teicholz on Ted Talks? Saturated fat and tallow, which is the fat from cows, is making a comeback.
It`s all very confusing. I`m thin but I`ve been taking cholesterol meds for 20 years because my body produces it. On a healthy diet it`s over 300. But I fear side effects especially with regard to dementia. I was reading up on coconut oil to ward off dementia but it`s so high in saturated fat. Now some are finding saturated fat is OK. Meanwhile there are medical authors who tout cholesterol meds, even for people without high cholesterol - they think that statins are beneficial for avoiding heart attacks.
What to do, what to do.

[mrsggrowsveg]

I think that fats from hydrogenated or manmade oils are more harmful.  We eat butter and lard frequently.  We also eat loads of vegetables.  I think that healthy fats do have a place in our diet.  On a side note, I weigh less than I did when I used to avoid fat.

[NCGal]

Thank you both. I`ve been leaning towards believing saturated fat is better too. But I`m not so sure about what to do with the cholesterol situation. If I experiment with going off Lipitor I may not be inclined to eat more of it...schmaltz? I haven`t heard that word since my Brooklyn days!

[Bob W]

Disclaimer -- I am not a licensed Doctor.  But if I were, I would say the same thing.   

I suggest that you read Marks Daily Apple blog and also take a look at the blog or book "Wheat Belly."     I was a public health professional for many years and never bought into the pharmaceutical corporation notion that cholesterol is bad.  Recent studies are showing that taking processed fake foods out of our diets,  eating lots of veggies and reasonable amounts of healthy animal protein and fat is the way to go.

Canola oil is pure industrial poison IMHO.  Veggie oil isn't even made from veggies.  It is made from soy that has been highly chemically processed.

Here is what I can tell you with absolute certainty.    If you are prescribed a medication for a long time, you should do lots and lots of research on that medication.   Don't take a person who shills for the pharmaceutical industries word for it.

If you're concerned about heart issues you should read the studies on Vitamin B and L-Arginine with L-Glutamine.

     

[NCGal]

Thank you for the tips.

It's all very interesting. I started to look at Mark's Daily Apple recently but I need to do more research. It's difficult to go against the grain when my cholesterol is over 300 normally. I'd discuss with my doctor but they're all so ingrained with following rules of the medical practice and recommending a lot of testing.

Ahh yes, butcher. We had Hymie the butcher, Miltie the vegetable/fruit guy, and the bakery that sold black and whites and 'Chinese' cookies, and the neighborhood candy store/luncheonette all on one block across the street from where I grew up. We also had the 'beauty parlor' as we called hair salons then.  I'd go to collect my mother on Saturdays, and all these women would be sitting there with orange hair-dye stuck to their eyebrows!  The only butcher I've seen recently is in the meat section of a supermarket although I believe there are a few in Charlotte.

[NCGal]

That`s funny. I`ll have to do some investigating. And I totally forgot about our local farms. One of them raises cows and pigs and has them processed locally. We went on a tour and bought fresh pork chops. The flip side of buying so fresh is thinking about the living animals the meat comes from. That`s enough to get me to become a vegetarian. I can be more in denial about it shopping in the supermarket.

[RetiredAt63]

I just found a local farm (literally this afternoon) where I can get eggs and meat.  I prefer local meat, I have a better idea of what the animals' living conditions were.  I can see the barn and fields, and know they were not in a feedlot for months.

That`s funny. I`ll have to do some investigating. And I totally forgot about our local farms. One of them raises cows and pigs and has them processed locally. We went on a tour and bought fresh pork chops. The flip side of buying so fresh is thinking about the living animals the meat comes from. That`s enough to get me to become a vegetarian. I can be more in denial about it shopping in the supermarket.

[Gerard]

People reading this might enjoy the book Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, With Recipes. It's by Jennifer McLagan, whose other books are pretty good, too.

[horsepoor]

Yeah, if you can get a good source of meat, tallow is good stuff.  We bought a beef quarter a few months ago, and it came with a huge bag of bones, which I roasted, rendering a few pints of tallow that I saved for cooking.  It adds a great rich flavor.

Do look into coconut oil more.  It's saturated fat, but quite a bit different from saturated animal fat.  I haven't had enough coffee this morning to remember all the details, but it's processed differently in the body.  I'll eat a spoonful of coconut butter for a quick shot of energy before a workout, and it's way better than snarfing down a bunch of carbs.

I've been maintaining a 50# weight loss for over two years now while cooking with coconut oil, ghee, tallow, bacon grease and olive oil, eating coconut butter, nuts, and putting heavy whipping cream in my coffee each morning.  I've recently gained back about 8# because I've been trying to use up potatoes I grew last summer and the random rice and other starches I have stored in the pantry.  I expect this will fall off soon enough if I drop my carbs back down to ~100 grams/day.

[netskyblue]

We eat tons of animal fats.  And I have VERY low cholesterol.  I go out of my way to avoid most plant oils, though we do use olive oil when actual oil is needed.  Most things are sauteed or browned in animal fats. 

I "make" my own shmaltz.  We buy free range chickens, which can be expensive, but OMG they taste better, and I feel better about the animal welfare concerns.  We save the carcasses in the freezer till we have 4 or 5, and I make chicken stock from them.  (Average about 3 gallons, which I pressure can.)  I refrigerate the stock first, scoop off the fat and boil off any water in it, then let it cool and put it into ice cube trays, then put the "shmaltz cubes" in a baggie in the freezer. 

1/2 cube (it cuts easily) is perfect for cooking a couple of eggs, or use a full cube if you're cooking eggs for the whole family. 

[rugorak]

I suggest that you read Marks Daily Apple blog and also take a look at the blog or book "Wheat Belly."   

I'll second those and add the documentary "Fat Head" and his blog - http://www.fathead-movie.com/

And some anecdotal evidence. When I changed my diet from what the USDA says you should eat (avoid fat, lots of grains) and went to a paleo/keto type diet where I avoided grains and ate naturally high fat things such as full fat dairy, meat, and nuts, as well as veggies (which I actually enjoyed more and started to crave for the first time in my life) my cholesterol actually improved greatly.

[andy85]

on a similar note, I would recommend reading Death by Food Pyramid by Denise Minger

Interesting book on basically how the food pyramid is upside down (which i have ALWAYS THOUGHT!!). It looks at the origins of the food pyramid, the research behind it, and the politics of how it came to be. Quite interesting.

But I mean think about it....excess sugar causes diabetes (probably poorly worded) and foods that dont spike blood sugar levels are desirable. Yet, what is at the base of the food pyramid...grains!!...aka, sugar. And what is at the top of the food pyramid...fats!! aka, the macronutrient that causes the least amount of blood sugar spike. It just doesnt even make sense to me. It is either a conspiracy by the USDA (key word...agriculture) or they are just dumb.

my $.02

[Spork]

Anyone read "The Big Fat Surprise" or see Nina Teicholz on Ted Talks? Saturated fat and tallow, which is the fat from cows, is making a comeback.
It`s all very confusing. I`m thin but I`ve been taking cholesterol meds for 20 years because my body produces it. On a healthy diet it`s over 300. But I fear side effects especially with regard to dementia. I was reading up on coconut oil to ward off dementia but it`s so high in saturated fat. Now some are finding saturated fat is OK. Meanwhile there are medical authors who tout cholesterol meds, even for people without high cholesterol - they think that statins are beneficial for avoiding heart attacks.
What to do, what to do.

I bet your idea of healthy and mine are different.

I'll chime in with pretty much what others have said:  The whole "low carb diet" thing was originally NOT a weight loss diet.  Atkins was a cardiologist and came up with it as a heart healthy diet.  (Again: I am not a doctor!  Do your own due dilligence!)  It's the carbs and especially the highly refined carbs that drive your LDL and triglycerides up.

Other suggestions on reading/etc:
Good Calories, Bad Calories - Gary Taubes.  He's a physicist (turned journalist) that delves into the science (or non science) of modern nutrition
Science For Smart People - Tom Naughton of Fathead fame... 

The whole history of the current dietary recommendations is very suspect -- driven by good intentions, but not a lot of science.

[andy85]

Disclaimer -- I am not a licensed Doctor.  But if I were, I would say the same thing.   

I suggest that you read Marks Daily Apple blog and also take a look at the blog or book "Wheat Belly."     I was a public health professional for many years and never bought into the pharmaceutical corporation notion that cholesterol is bad.  Recent studies are showing that taking processed fake foods out of our diets,  eating lots of veggies and reasonable amounts of healthy animal protein and fat is the way to go.

Canola oil is pure industrial poison IMHO.  Veggie oil isn't even made from veggies.  It is made from soy that has been highly chemically processed.

Here is what I can tell you with absolute certainty.    If you are prescribed a medication for a long time, you should do lots and lots of research on that medication.   Don't take a person who shills for the pharmaceutical industries word for it.

If you're concerned about heart issues you should read the studies on Vitamin B and L-Arginine with L-Glutamine.

   

I second this.

I follow his website and his primal way of eating (mostly). It is the only thing that makes logical sense to me anymore these days.

[AllChoptUp]

I just rendered about 5 lbs of beef suet using a big crockpot...came out beautifully. Fried (anything) and sauteed veggies are freaking awesome in tallow!

Otherwise we use coconut oil (organic but refined to remove the coconut flavor) and olive oil for cooking. Yum.

[andy85]

I just rendered about 5 lbs of beef suet using a big crockpot...came out beautifully. Fried (anything) and sauteed veggies are freaking awesome in tallow!

Otherwise we use coconut oil (organic but refined to remove the coconut flavor) and olive oil for cooking. Yum.

same here....grass-fed butter (kerrygold-unsalted), organic coconut oil, and some quality olive oil. I'll also pick up some pure MCT oil sometimes...but my supplement site has been out of it recently.

I'm hungry.....

[Dulcimina]

Disclaimer -- I am not a licensed Doctor.  But if I were, I would say the same thing.   

I suggest that you read Marks Daily Apple blog and also take a look at the blog or book "Wheat Belly."     I was a public health professional for many years and never bought into the pharmaceutical corporation notion that cholesterol is bad.  Recent studies are showing that taking processed fake foods out of our diets,  eating lots of veggies and reasonable amounts of healthy animal protein and fat is the way to go.

Canola oil is pure industrial poison IMHO.  Veggie oil isn't even made from veggies.  It is made from soy that has been highly chemically processed.

Here is what I can tell you with absolute certainty.    If you are prescribed a medication for a long time, you should do lots and lots of research on that medication.   Don't take a person who shills for the pharmaceutical industries word for it.

If you're concerned about heart issues you should read the studies on Vitamin B and L-Arginine with L-Glutamine.

   

I second this.

I follow his website and his primal way of eating (mostly). It is the only thing that makes logical sense to me anymore these days.

Agreed.  The only thing I'd add is to be careful with adding in a lot of fat and/or dropping the statins if you have familial hypercholesterolemia or similar.  What works for otherwise healthy people might not work for you.

[horsepoor]

on a similar note, I would recommend reading Death by Food Pyramid by Denise Minger

Interesting book on basically how the food pyramid is upside down (which i have ALWAYS THOUGHT!!). It looks at the origins of the food pyramid, the research behind it, and the politics of how it came to be. Quite interesting.

But I mean think about it....excess sugar causes diabetes (probably poorly worded) and foods that dont spike blood sugar levels are desirable. Yet, what is at the base of the food pyramid...grains!!...aka, sugar. And what is at the top of the food pyramid...fats!! aka, the macronutrient that causes the least amount of blood sugar spike. It just doesnt even make sense to me. It is either a conspiracy by the USDA (key word...agriculture) or they are just dumb.

my $.02

Echoing this book recommendation.  Really, really interesting stuff.