Label/trans-fats

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Confused about fats?

Which fats are good for us, and which are detrimental to our health? They may not be the ones you think. Warning: politically incorrect nutritional information just ahead…

Since this is a Rookie Tip, I’m going to be very blunt…

Please don’t tell me you still have a tub of “I can’t believe it’s not butter” in your kitchen? Or sticks of margarine? Or “Promise spread“? Besides the fact that they’re not even real food because of how processed they are, those have trans fats: nasty hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. (Even if they say, “Zero Trans Fats per Serving”, check the ingredient label.) And if you don’t find any trans fats, I guarantee they are made with vegetable oils. (I hope you don’t have any of those around…right?)

photo by colros

What’s wrong with vegetable oils?

Sunflower, Safflower, Corn, Soybean, Canola, Cottonseed, etc. are all NEW fats to civilization, but are we all getting healthier? Nope. (Read “Do fats make us fat?” for more info on why butter is good for us, contrary to what you’ve heard.) With this topic, I try to ask the same questions when searching for the truth as always, and with fats I only have to think about what people have been eating for centuries vs. the newer products that have come out in my lifetime…and the resulting effects on our health. You don’t need to look far to find the evidence: cancer, heart disease, immune system dysfunction, sterility, learning disabilities, growth problems, osteoporosis, etc. Elizabeth explains it well in this post listing 3 strikes against vegetable oils.

So you’re wondering, “Well then what do I cook with?”

For baking, I use organic butter (even non-organic butter is a better choice than vegetable oils.) By the way, I do not soften it in the microwave, get this: I get out a saucepan to melt it! I know, that thought seemed dreadful to me not that long ago, too, but it’s really not difficult.
We also use butter to fry our eggs in the morning in our cast iron pans. If you use plenty of butter, you’ll have no issues with sticking.
For homemade salad dressings, I always use extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). (The WAPF says it should be cold-pressed, because heat processing can create trans fats. Oh no – I just checked my EVOO and it isn’t cold-pressed!) (Also, if you use the darker/extra virgin olive oil, it can have a strong taste, so sometimes I’ll use half expeller pressed or cold pressed sesame oil.)
For sauteing, I use the refined coconut oil (no taste or smell – not as good for you as the virgin, but better than no coconut oil at all), unless I’m cooking something that a coconut flavor would go with, and then I use the virgin coconut oil. Kent will sometimes use olive oil, but I’ve read that’s not as safe at high heats, so after reading Scott’s post on this topic (see link below), I’m finding us some lard to have for another option. We also sometimes use ghee (clarified butter), which means the part of butter that burns is removed.
For deep frying I love using tallow for this. You can render your own or you could also visit my resources page for healthy sources. Just watch your smoke point – frying in too high a temp can cause free radicals (cancer causing) to go wild in our bodies. See the link below for a list with smoking points for various oils. (This is also why you shouldn’t eat fried foods in restaurants. You never know what oil they’re using. You’re safe in assuming it’s a bad oil since those are cheap, and you also never know how hot THEIR oil is.)
For popcorn, I use full flavor organic virgin coconut oil (it’s SO good for us).
If I have a recipe that calls for shortening (I don’t have many, maybe a homemade pie crust or biscuits – good recipes for both are in Nourishing Traditions), then I’ll use Spectrum Naturals Organic Shortening.
I almost forgot about Bacon grease – I use that for frying eggs, or pancakes, or other things where a bacon flavor would compliment what you’re making. We only get bacon from our local farm where we know the animals are raised well. (Or find healthy meat on my resources page.)
By the way, palm oil is another healthy oil that you may see on ingredient labels.

More reminders about fats/saturated fats:

The fats in meat & poultry are healthy as long as they’re from animals raised in healthy environments, more on in this healthy meat post.
Eggs are good for you!
Don’t forget to take your cod liver oil to get natural omega-3’s, along with the healthy, natural forms of vitamin A & D.
Whole milk dairy only! Preferably from raw dairy sources.
Healthy fats curb hunger and, like fiber, they slow down the insulin responses in our bodies (especially good for those with blood sugar issues or those who don’t want to gain weight.)

Great info on cholesterol & fats from Women to Women:

Saturated fat remains stable at high heat, making it the preferred choice for cooking over unstable unsaturated fats. Generally speaking, the higher the proportion of saturated fat in an oil, the safer it is to cook with.
Favor cooking methods that use moderate heat, and avoid cooking with unstable vegetable oils. Very high heat methods, such as grilling, can turn even good fat into trans fat.
Store all cooking oils in the refrigerator to avoid rancidity. (I didn’t know this one, I assume this wouldn’t be as important for the oils you go through quickly.)
Important Note: If you have hyperlipidemia or high cholesterol, you should heal these conditions before following the guidelines below. If you have been prescribed statin drugs, ask your healthcare practitioner about checking your liver enzymes. Eat real, natural fat and cholesterol every day as part of every meal. But do so safely and within reason. Put real butter or cold-pressed olive oil on your potato — it will fill you up and help slow your digestion of carbohydrates. (Better yet, have a sweet potato instead — it has a lower glycemic index and higher nutritional value.) Dip your bread in olive oil. Snack on nuts, nut butters, & olives. Have a moderate amount of protein at every meal — it’s usually a great source of real, natural fat.

Share your comments below.

Read the related post by Scott at Modern Forager: Ten oils and how to use them
Here is a helpful, handy chart from Bryan with the Percentage of Classified Fats for Different Fats and Oils (tells how much omega 6’s, omega 3’s, saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and monounsaturated fat in each)
Another site full of good info on fats – this was actually the first site I ever read on the topic years ago and I was blown away – it was the first time I’d heard that butter was good for me!
More in-depth reading on the Cholesterol Myth
People with high cholesterol live the longest
Smoking points for various fats/oils (temperature at which formation of free radicals could occur)

(Many more topics along the right in the sidebar.)

DISCLAIMER:
As with anything and everything you see on this blog, be sure to do your own research and talk with your doctor before you make any drastic changes in your life. I don’t know what your specific health issues might be and I don’t know your health history. However, don’t JUST talk to your doctor without researching it yourself, too. Most doctors’ main area of expertise is in the field of medicine. I’m not saying that is all bad, but nobody can know everything, so what would be especially helpful is if you had a doctor who is knowledgeable about the natural ways of looking at things, too, and who doesn’t necessarily use medicine as a first line of attack.

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