The Skinny of Fat

If you've been doing the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol you have read a lot of information on fat. There is so much information out there that sometimes it is difficult to figure it out. I think that the best thing that I read that convinced me that vegetable oil was not for me was a blog where the author said "no matter how hard you squeeze a vegetable you don't get oil." Ok, so it isn't technically correct because vegetable oils are made from the seeds but it is highly processed to become oil to the detriment of the integrity of the nutrients of the oil. This has probably been the most difficult paradigm switch for me because for years I bought into the fat makes you fat mentality. You see I eliminated fast food and almost all processed foods years ago. I had been eating a low fat, whole food, whole grain diet for several years but now my health was at defcon 10 and I needed a way to fix it naturally so I was willing to try anything. For my whole story read my post on my diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos.

My first step was to eliminate vegetable oils and increase olive oil. I then added coconut oil. I kept researching. I then increased the fat in my diet and bacon became my friend again after years of turkey bacon. From bacon, I went to bacon fat (kale sauteed in bacon fat has made my husband a kale lover). I just pour it from my pan into a little mason jar and put it in the fridge. I started to notice that I felt so much better when I increased the fat in my diet.

I started to search for other fats to use but found their price overwhelming. $10 for 11 ounces.... really? At Thanksgiving I invested in some lard for a dessert recipe. I will tell you DO NOT use Epic Lard in deserts. This desert was beautiful and expensive but landed in the trash because of the funky flavor the Epic lard gave it. I remade it using coconut oil and it was delish. A fan favorite at Christmas. Then came Avocado Oil. Oh, Avocado Oil where have you been my whole life? One of my favorites for its neutral taste and high smoke point. My husband loves fried things and maintaining a consistent temperature below smoke point but still hot enough to get a crunchy exterior on my food was my nemesis. However, Avocado Oil has a smoke point of 500 degrees. Sweet potato french fries are now crispy and beautiful. Another plus of Avocado Oil is that it is reuseable. Like your typical canola oil, you can strain it, put it in a jar, and reuse it. This makes almost $10 for a 24 oz bottle more feasible. Next added was duck fat. I noticed that a lot of chefs use duck fat for its flavor and high smoke point. I use it to cook vegetables like sweet potatoes in an iron skillet. I have tallow and lard pictured here. I don't use them as often as you would think. I do use tallow to fry a steak in. It adds a great richness to it. A little lard added to mashed white sweet potatoes gives that richness that you want if you are craving mashed potatoes. Since we just ordered a whole pig from our butcher, I asked for the fat so I can render my own lard. He is also giving me beef fat so I can render it for tallow. When I told him what I paid for an $11 oz jar of tallow he figured that I am paying about $3/lb for the fat that he would sell me for $1/lb. Like I always say... I'm cheap. If I can make it cheaper, I will. My final purchase was for shortening. It is a great substitute for anything that you would put butter in.

If I had to put these fats in the order that I like them it would be coconut oil is the most versatile (you can use it in baking, deep frying, stir frying, and any other place that you need a fat), avocado oil is the best for frying and makes wonderful dressings, olive oil works well in savory cooking and for cold applications, shortening is the best for baking, bacon grease adds great flavor to anything plus it's free because it is a natural byproduct of cooking bacon. If you have to choose, buy these first. Buy good quality because it makes a big difference in performance and taste. Duck fat, tallow, and lard can be added to your pantry whenever you are looking to add flavor to some of your dishes but, in my opinion, don't need to be staples in your pantry.

I hope this helped you figure out what the skinny on fat is. Remember my budget tip for your AIP pantry: Add one thing each time you go shopping. It took me months to actually grab the bottle of avocado oil off of the shelf. I wish I had purchased the avocado oil before I purchased the tallow and lard.

You may have had a different experience. I would love to hear from you.

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