So you were told to eat more fats...now what? Why are fats so important anyway?
Let’s start talking about symptoms that are associated with low healthy fats.
Do you experience pain relief if you take aspirin?
Do you experience chronic pain?
Do you crave fatty or greasy foods?
Do you get headaches at the base of your skull or when you are out in the sun?
Do you sunburn easily?
Do your muscles become easily fatigued?
Is your skin dry and flaky or do you have dandruff?
Do you wake a few hours after falling asleep and have trouble going back to sleep?
Do you frequently feel hungry?
Do you experience mood swings associated with hunger?
Do you have energy swings throughout the day (need a pick-me-up snack/drink)?
Do you experience anxiety or depression?
Are you sick often?
These are only some of the signs that your body does not have enough of the right kind of fats. Did you know that women should be 28% made up of fats? Men should be about 18% fat. 60% of our fat needs to be constantly replaced. This is why it is important to have fats in our diets throughout the day, every day.
In order to feel your best both physical and mentally, your brain needs to be supplied regularly with the best kinds of fatty foods. Even the US government, which inaccurately told its citizens that a low-fat diet is optimal back in the 1950s, has since started changing their tune. While they still do not recommend as much as we actually need, they have seen the detrimental effects on a population when they are fat deficient and are trying to correct some of their errors. Look at the list of symptoms above. Imagine a whole society that gets “hangry,” experiences anxiety, depression, cravings, fatigue and chronic pain. This sounds like our society, doesn’t it? You do not have to be one of those people stuck in this unhealthy trend. That is why we probably recommend that you increase your fat intake. We want the best for you - for your body and your mind.
Healthy fats are extremely important especially for your brain. In fact, when you consume fats high in omega-3, your brain receives it first because no other fats work as well for the brain as omega-3. These fats actually raise dopamine in the body which is a natural antidepressant! Omega-3 is also an MAO inhibitor. MAO enzymes destroy dopamine and serotonin which are chemicals in the body that are necessary for brain function and feelings of happiness. By inhibiting the MAO enzymes, omega-3s allow dopamine and serotonin to be active in your brain! If healthy fats are taken sufficiently and the brain’s needs are met, then they are able to move to your arteries to help heal and remove any plaque buildup, resulting in overall increased cardiovascular health. They then work on the body’s anti-inflammation pathways to decrease inflammation throughout the entire body.
Let’s talk about which fats are the “right” fats. If you stick to this list without adding in others, you will be on your way to recovery. The fats we are looking for are natural, have been used for thousands of years and have beneficial ratios of omega 3/6/9s. If we are having good quality fats (listed below), we do not have to stress about if we’re getting the right ratios, etc.
Where can we get healthy fats? I like the list put together by the Weston A Price Foundation. Just remember, quality is important. When we are talking about dairy, we are talking about raw preferred, at least organic and grass-fed. When talking about meat/poultry, we are talking about grass/pasture (not grain) fed. Grain fed animals have inappropriate ratios of inflammatory to anti-inflammatory fats. There are certain things that are worth spending a bit more money. For us, that is quality food. See what you can prioritize, and just do your best.
Healthy fats:
Butter and ghee (for cooking and spreading)
Cream and whole milk
Egg yolks
Lard (pig fat) and bacon grease for cooking
Tallow (beef fat) for frying
Duck and goose fat
Coconut oil
Palm oil
Olive oil (for drizzling, not cooking)
Sesame oil (cold pressed) in small amounts
Cod liver oil
Unhealthy fats:
(The properties in these fats have been readily linked to: cancer, heart disease, liver damage, poor immunity, lung damage, damage to reproductive organs, growth stunting in children, weight gain and mental health disorders.)
Cooking oils
Margarine
Shortening
Artificial whipped cream
Non-dairy creamers
Chips/pretzels/etc
Cake frosting
Fried foods (other than those fried in the healthy fats listed above)
Commercial mayonnaise
Dips
Commercial salad dressings
Commercial nut butters and spreads
All fast food including pizza
Most food from restaurants
Sources: https://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/
Reading this list you might start to be intimidated if you are currently consuming many foods on the “unhealthy” list and do not even know where to get the foods on the “healthy” list. Please know, our desire is not just to give you a list of rules and then say “good luck!” We are here to help you every step of the way. All of our recipes will include the fats on the good list and none of those on the unhealthy list. Remember that changing anything can be intimidating, but if you are making change for the right reasons, you can stick with it. You are not changing your eating habits simply to see if you can do it or because it might work. With these switches, you can be assured that every little change is getting you and your family healed and repaired. Truly once you make the switch you (and yes, even your children!) will see how delicious healthy food actually is. And remember that as long as you are sticking to the list of healthy fats, you can have as much of them as you want! Feel free to use numerous sticks of butter on your dinners and custards to your heart’s content (see our recipe!). Fry your food in tallow and eat guilt-free! These healthy foods will not make you fat, nor will they contribute to heart disease as we have been led to believe over the past half a century. They will, in fact, heal, repair, energize, and help stabilize your mind and emotions.
Enjoy health through food!
— Hollie