I’ve gotten over feeling like I have to apologize for the way I cook, and what I eat. But every now and then I like to explain it. And mostly the explanation comes down to disagreeing with the current “conventional wisdom” about what we should be eating.
I spend a lot of time pointing to articles from the Weston A. Price Foundation, especially The Oiling of America. You can’t read that with an open mind and come away without questioning what you hear in the media.
But I think I’ve got a new “go to” article to point to:
The only logical conclusion to be drawn is that there really is no good evidence to support the widespread recommendation to reduce saturated fat intake for the sake of heart health.
I know, this just doesn’t match up with everything you’ve heard from the media, the government, most likely even from your doctor.
Many individuals will be familiar with the almost-constant recommendations that come at us with regard to what we should be eating to reduce our risk of heart disease. A central theme in this advice, though not everyone would agree with it, is that the diet should be low in fat and high in carbohydrate.
That sounds more familiar, doesn’t it? But believe it or not, there is no
clinical evidence that cutting back on saturated fat is good for the prevention of heart disease. None.
Now I’m not going to use this to argue that anyone should change their diet. I’m more of a live-and-let-live kind of guy. But whenever someone looks at one of my recipes and says, “Boy, that sure looks good, but it’s so bad for you,” I like to ask, “Compared to what? And what is the evidence for that?”
And while they’re trying to find rigorous studies that show fat is bad for you (which they won’t) I’ll go wrap some more bacon around my steak.
19 Comments
Thank you. Well said.
That’s all I have (and need) to say.
I agree with you, and Becky! Live and let live, and if you don’t like the way I look, don’t look at me! I feel good, and enjoy eating. What more can I say?
I too have done a lot of reading on this topic, and what things always seem to come back to is two things:
1. stay true to nature (and the more processed something is, the less natural); and
2. everything in moderation
Besides…real food tastes better! I enjoy reading your blog.
Yep! We’re all going to die because no one has invented immortality yet… So why be unhappy at the meal table. Eat and be happy! Stay away from processed as much as possible. And all things in moderation. I love this site!
Amen. There is actually some research out there (not at my fingertips) that suggests that it’s the combination of fats and the processed sugars we eat that cause the insides of our arteries to get “sticky.” Meat is natural, especially organic, and sugar (though I really like it) is not really natural–it is highly processed. Cut down on the sugar, cut down on artery stickiness. Eat meat and be happy:)
Totally on your side on this issue.
Becy, thanks, I try.
Linda, feeling good is the best response.
Shawnee, that’s the same conclusion I’ve come to. I don’t think everything that’s processed is going to be bad for me, but I’m not impressed with the record so far.
Barb, I don’t know about you but I plan to live forever.
Thank you so much for this! Just this morning my boyfriend was pointing out the fact that his cookies were better than mine because they had less saturated fats than mine, and I kept telling him, with moderation, it DIDN’T MATTER. Now I can prove it to him!
Chocolatesa, this isn’t even about moderation. He’s the one who should be worried about what he’s eating, not you. The saturated fat in yours is not a problem. Sure, you shouldn’t live on cookies, but it’s not the saturated fat that’s going to cause the problems.
I have heart disease. A little over a year ago I dropped all fat-reduced and pseudo-fats/foods from my diet. At the same time I increased my intake of meat (and butter!) a little. When it came time for my next lipid testing, I was concerned about it. Much to my surprise, my already low cholesterol was about 10% lower than it had been previously.
Having said that, I have problems believing what the Weston Price Foundation says because I was taught not to believe anything that came from them — even though my own experience suggests that they are right.
People were once taught that the way to cure illness was to apply leaches to bleed out the “bad humours”. Most of the people doing the teaching probably believed it themselves. We eventually learned better.
Real butter, whole raw milk, yard eggs, and rendered lard from fat back are all staples in this household. We are healthier than we have ever been! Our family makes fun of us but I’d rather see my boys eat homemade biscuts slathered in butter and a glass of whole milk than a jug of sugar free KoolAid and a bag of Cheetos!
We are incorporating so much of W.A.P and Nourishing Traditions into our diets and the transformation in our health has been remarkable!
JoAnn, I agree … but I’m a bad example. My kids generally eat better than I do, because I learned all those bad habits growing up. I’m a sucker for Cheetos but the girls would rather have strawberries or an apple. Yay for them.
You had to go and mention Cheetos, didn’t you! LOL Another blogger mentioned them about a week ago and it sent me directly to the store to get some. Blessedly, they didn’t taste nearly as good as I remembered.
My real downfall is cookies…
Sally
Sally: Cheetos, Fritos, Swedish Fish and Starburst. And if I can’t get the Swedish Fish, I’ll settle for Twizzlers. I can’t have them in the house.
My downfall is potato chips. No matter the size of the bag, I will eat them all. Had to ban them from the house. Husband took to hiding them but I’d always find them, like a bloodhound I think I can smell them through the walls.
On topic, ditto Becky “Thank you, Well said.”
I’m lucky when it comes to potato chips. My wife prefers kettle style, so that’s usually what we have. And I don’t like them. Works for me.
Well, Drew, what did they do before Herr’s came along… hmmm sounds like you better get busy on homemade potato chips or homemade pretzels… yum! I did a search on your site, but didn’t find that you’d tried this yet…
Fritos BBQ Corn Chips… I’ve got a thing for them right now!
I grew up on Herr’s. They started carrying them around hear a couple of years ago. They also started carrying Tastykake, but (fortunately for my waistline) not the butterscotch or jelly krimpets.
And by the way, total “Eww” to any BBQ flavored chips. It seems like something I should like, but no.