HFC Supporters Weigh in With Ideas and Suggestions to Mark the Day
Under the auspices of the Healthy Fats Coalition (HFC) and coinciding with the arrival of spring, March 21 marks the fifth annual #NationalHealthyFatsDay, a celebration of traditional healthy animal fats – pure lard, beef tallow, duck fat, goose fat and the like – that are enjoying a resurgence within America’s food culture, in restaurants, fast food operations and home kitchens.
For this year’s observance, HFC supporters are serving up tips, tricks and insights about optimizing the animal fats experience – offering suggestions for further reading, further viewing, further cooking and, of course, further eating.
National Healthy Fats Day is the brainchild of the HFC, a group of like-minded organizations, companies and individuals that have developed a new educational initiative dedicated to the proposition that healthy fats aren’t merely having a moment – they’re here to stay, as an essential part of the American diet. Its mission is simple: affirm that animal fats deserve a central place in the American diet and in the popular imagination.
Sandeep Agarwal, Pure Indian Foods
#DidYouKnow Retinol has gained a lot of publicity recently as an anti-aging agent for skin, which can help reduce wrinkles and dark spots and heal acne. Did you know that grassfed dairy fat is a natural source of Retinol, and it is not found in any vegetable oil? I guess that’s why grandma applied full-fat cream on her face to keep her skin healthy and young.
Jamie Ager, Hickory Nut Gap:
#DidYouKnow grass fed Beef has lower levels of saturated fat that grain fed beef.
#DidYouKnow grass fed Beef is a great source of nutrients - including Omega fatty acids. Grass fed beef has a higher Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio than grain fed beef. A healthy diet should have roughly one to four times more Omega-6 than Omega-3 fatty acids. On average, the ratio for 100% grass fed cattle is around 3:1 while the ratio for grain fed beef is around 9:1.
#DidYouKnow Regenerative Agriculture helps restore the planet: Regeneratively-raised beef also helps improve soil quality - allowing for more water retention in the soil, less runoff, increased soil biodiversity. This results in healthier land, animals, and people.
Jordan Beeman, Heartbrand Beef:
#DidYouKnow certified Akaushi Beef contains a higher concentration of monounsaturated fat relative to saturated fat, which the American Heart Association notes can lead to lower cholesterol, the prevention of coronary heart disease and weight loss.
#WhatToWatch Learn more about a better beef eating experience here.
Amy Berger, MS, CNS, Adapt Your Life Academy:
#DidYouKnow there is no fat that is all saturated or unsaturated -- ALL fats & oils are combinations of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acid components.
#DidYouKnow a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition stated that there's NO ASSOCIATION between saturated fat intake and cardiovascular disease.
#DidYouKnow Still think saturated fats "clog your arteries?" Think again! 1985 called...it wants its science back. Excess sugar intake is far more harmful for heart health than any kind of animal fat.
#WhatToRead One of my favorite books for the real-deal facts about fats & oils is Mary Enig's Know Your Fats. If you care about health, this needs to be on your bookshelf!
#WhatToCook Since low-carb diets have been shown to improve markers of cardiovascular health, you can consider bacon & eggs a heart-healthy breakfast. Bon Appetit!
Cassy Burnvoth, FATCO:
#DidYouKnow that healthy fats (specifically grass-fed tallow) are great for your skin!? Grass fed tallow is incredibly high in vitamins A, D, K and E, as well as CLA’s (conjugated linoleic acids), all which are very important for skin health!
Jamie Eifert, BaconUp:
#DidYouKnow that you can use bacon grease instead of vegetable oil to pop popcorn? It's delicious! AND healthier than using a hydrogenated oil!
#DidYouKnow that bacon grease is shelf stable and does not need to be refrigerated? BUT - when you save your own bacon grease, the tiny pieces of meat can go rancid quickly, ruining the grease -- so it's important to strain it thoroughly. (This is why Bacon Up® Bacon Grease is triple filtered!)
#WhatToWatch Learn how to use bacon grease to enhance your favorite recipes with these fun videos featuring Darryl Postelnick of @CookingWithDarryl and Benton Palmer of @GrillThisSmokeThat.
Amy Farges, M.A.D. Foods:
#DidYouKnow that duck fat is higher in monounsaturated fat (a healthy fat) than any other animal fat?
#DidYou Know Animal fats make divine pie and tart crusts? Flaky, golden, melt in your mouth delish.
#WhatToRead Here's our Fat Recipe Bible: The Fat Kitchen: How to Render, Cure & Cook with Lard, Tallow & Poultry Fat
#WhatToWatch Our duck fat video we made set to music by Thierry's band, Contraband https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6T5d-Y1p5I
Eric Gustafson, Coast Packing Company:
#DidYouKnow only artificial trans fats are harmful to your health? Fact is, only artificial trans fats – which are added to foods during processing — are toxic; naturally occurring trans fats can even be beneficial.
#WhatToRead Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon and The Big Fat Surprise, by Nina Teicholz.
#WhatToWatch Forget Everything You’ve Been Told About Fat -- Watch Fat Fiction.
Alfie McCaffrey, Old Farm:
#WhatToRead The books would be The Third Plate, by Dan Barber -- excellent read. And a small book published this May dealing only with cooking with fats, Blasta Books #2: Hot Fat, by Russell Alford and Patrick Hanlon.
#WhatToCook We suggest our recipe for Old Farm Black Pudding
Sally Fallon Morell, Weston A. Price Foundation:
#DidYouKnow the lung surfactants require two saturated fatty acids to work. If you eat too much polyunsaturated oils and not enough animal fat, your lungs won't work properly!
#WhatToCook: Crispy Onion Rings
1/3 cup lard
3 medium onions, sliced at 1/8 inch and separated into rings
1 cup unbleached flour
Sea salt, pepper, cayenne to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Mix flour with seasonings and toss onion rings in the flour mixture
Melt the lard in a Pyrex pan in the oven. Add the flour-tossed onion rings and toss in the melted fat. Bake about 1/2 hour, turning occasionally. Serves 2
Ken Power, TruBeef:
#DidYouKnow that by eating more healthy animal fats, you are celebrating the whole animal and reducing food waste.
#DidYouKnow Healthy fats are an incredible source of energy for humans at 9 calories per gram. Sugar is only 4 calories per gram.
#DidYouKnow Beef tallow is a healthy and safe cooking fat with a smoke point of 400F
#DidYouKnow Beef tallow makes the most amazing natural allergen free moisturizer
#DidYouKnow Tallow was used by our forefathers not only to cook with but also to make candles and soap
#DidYouKnow Suet and tallow are nutrient dense and loaded with healthy fat soluble Vitamins A , D , E and K
#DidYouKnow consuming healthy suet or beef tallow stimulates the release of glucagon, the hormone that signals to your body that it's time to burn stored fat. The perfect fat for a ketogenic diet.
#DidYouKnow countries with the highest intake of animal fats have some of the lowest rates of coronary heart disease and diabetes.
#WhatToRead the cult classic “Nourishing Fats: Why We Need Animal Fats for Health and Happiness” by author Sally Fallon Morell is a great source of information on why animal fats are so important for our health and well-being along with lots of ideas on how to incorporate healthy fats into your daily diet.
#WhatToRead Check out 'The French Paradox,' a pan-European study in the late ‘80s found a low incidence of heart disease among countries with the highest saturated fat consumption. France – specifically the city of Toulouse -- showed a diet that was 39 percent saturated fat.
Diana Rodgers, RD, Sustainable Dish:
#DidYouKnow that animal fats like ruminant meat, milk, cheese, eggs, and butter come with A TON of key nutrients that your body needs to stay healthy and repair damage from daily stress? These fat sources are full of important nutrients like vitamins A,D and K and even help you to absorb these vitamins through your intestines when you eat them.
#DidYouKnow the active form of Vitamin A, known as retinol, is found ubiquitously in animal fats, but is especially high in dairy products like butter, milk, and cheese. Vitamin A in the form of retinol is needed in adequate amounts by your body to make hormones that keep your metabolic rate high and lower hormones like cortisol that promote stress and weight gain.
#DidYouKnow vitamins D3 and K2 work together to get the calcium you eat where it needs to go (preferably in your bones and not your soft tissues and arteries)! These fat-soluble vitamins are conveniently packaged in highly bioavailable forms together with calcium in many animal fats, but are found in the greatest amounts in dairy products.
#DidYouKnow we’re often told that saturated fatty acids are unhealthy, but this isn’t based on anything other than observational studies. In fact, your body actually makes saturated fatty acids when you need to store fat because of how chemically stable it is inside your body! It’s also important to remember that animal fats aren’t just fats, they’re full of vitamins and minerals too!
Cate Shanahan MD, DrCate.com:
#DidYouKnow health expert Cate Shanahan MD found that butter from grass- fed cows can contain more of the essential omega-3 fats than fish oil capsules?
#WhatToRead Read all about traditional diets in Deep Nutrition.
#DidYouKnow that "high smoke point" is a marketing ploy to get restaurants to use factory refined oils instead of traditional fats like tallow?
#WhatToRead Check out my List of Good Fats and Oils versus Bad
#DidYouKnow research shows that saturated fat actually protects your heart?
#WhatToRead Find out more Cholesterol: What the American Heart Association is Hiding from You
Elizabeth Swenson, Author of The Artisan Lard Cookbook:
#DidYouKnow there are four kinds of pork fat? Leaf lard, fatback, belly fat, and caul fat.
#WhatToRead Get a free online sample of the ArtisanLard Cookbook - The Practical Pig here.
#NationalHealthyFatsDay is of one of three “healthy fat awareness” spots on the calendar, as designated by the HFC. The Coalition also promotes #National Beef Tallow Day on July 13 (coinciding with National French Fry Day) and #National Lard Day, December 8, one day ahead of National Pastry Day, Dec. 9. The HFC’s message for each day: mark the occasion by tasting the difference yourself.
According to the HFC, artificial trans fats are out, and minimally processed farm fats -- for superior baking, frying and a host of other cooking applications – are most decidedly back. The color, texture and flavor that animal fats impart make them a vastly superior alternative to heavily processed, industrially produced substitutes, the organization notes.