"lean meat"

[atara]

There are a lot of people out there who eat, as the only animal products they'll touch, "chicken breast and tuna". Not beef or duck or salmon: chicken and tuna. These aren't just lean, chicken breast and water-packed tuna fish contain basically no fat at all. It means limiting food choices to the most unnatural outliers available. But somewhere along the line people decided it was healthy, even if you eat an otherwise high fat diet.

I postulate it's bullshit. Let's take it from the top: almonds contain way more fat than protein. This is relevant because the chicken breast crowd thinks almonds are healthy.

Okay, fine, but animal fat is "different" than vegetable fat, right? http://www.uccs.edu/Documents/danderso/fats_oils.pdf‎

Sure, the animal fats are (only slightly) more saturated, but, they also tend to have a better ratio of omega-6 : omega-3. Butter is close to 3:1, while sesame oil is more like 500:1. The association of saturated fat with problems is very weak, the association of poor n-6:n-3 ratios with CHD is also weak: if the effect was large enough to worry about, we'd have seen it by now. It's like asking whether there are any bears in the room. It doesn't take long to figure that out. Of course, a quick glance around isn't also going to verify that there aren't any cats in the room, but, frankly, we just don't care about cats very much.

Sure, but is it bad? Well, the problem is that we end up throwing away lots of food that is perfectly healthy. Considering that the amount of food Westerners throw away could end world hunger, well, this isn't going to end world hunger, because that's a political problem, but it could severely reduce the strain on food infrastructure of producing more and more and more if we stop throwing out chicken thighs. It also means we selectively raise those animals which produce ultra-lean meats, which hurts diversity in agriculture and aquaculture. There's just no good reason to restrict meat choices to the no-fat-at-all category, unless you have anorexia, and if you have anorexia see a psychiatrist immediately.

Just eat normal meats. Pick the ones that you like. It means less waste, and it's cheaper: fat is filling, so you'll eat less. That doesn't mean you should run off to McDonald's, it just means animal fat isn't a cardiotoxic poison. Trans fat of course is a whole different story.

[about the author: atara is 189 cm, 77 kg and had bacon this morning]

 

[flyhighk]

Agree with you. People think that very low fat diets make you lose weight. It's more about calories. Also, eating low fat diets is very unhealthy, we need fat to produce hormones, like test.
One thing I have to say is that chicken breast does contain some fat. Just look up "chicken breast nutritional info" on google.
Oh and I fell across a study that showed that only about 30% of the calories in almonds are absorbed. I can try to find it if anyone is interested.

 

[euphoria]

Fat is good for you. That is something I have come to realize recently. True, not all fat. But things like organic beef, pork, chicken, eggs, peanut butter, coconut oil, olive oil, real organic butter, etc have been re-incorporated back into my diet after being absent for many many years. Your body needs it.

 

[ebola?]

Sure, the animal fats are (only slightly) more saturated, but, they also tend to have a better ratio of omega-6 : omega-3.

Doesn't this really depend on animal feed though (ie, with grass-fed animals bearing fats with a much higher ratio of omega-3 to 6 than grain-fed animals)?

while sesame oil is more like 500:1

I don't think that you chose a paradigmatic example, as sesame oil is particularly rich in omega-6s. While your larger point stands, the ratio won't be as extreme with, say, canola or soy oil (let alone walnut or flax oil). That said, I think that vegetarians should probably go out of their way to eat a diet rich in omega-3s.

ebola

 

[Maya]

Fat is good for you. That is something I have come to realize recently. True, not all fat. But things like organic beef, pork, chicken, eggs, peanut butter, coconut oil, olive oil, real organic butter, etc have been re-incorporated back into my diet after being absent for many many years. Your body needs it.

+1

I had the idea before that I have to completely eliminate fats but when I started cutting these back I felt weak and didn't feel like my body was in full capacity when I am working out.

 

[euphoria]

Ive had stomach issues my whole life, and after seeing a naturopath recently I've learned a lot about how fat is necessary for proper digestion. It also helps to rebuild/soothe an irritated stomach lining. My very weight-conscious self would NEVER eat butter, butter was the enemy, omg if I eat that I'll get obese! Nope! Organic butter (in moderation, like anything, duh) is healthy for your body. I have started cooking with it again, or having a small spoonful of it on a baked potato. HOly shit is that delicious. I've been depriving myself of these natural, real foods my whole life because I thought I'd get fat if I ate them. I've also started making bone broths (good for the stomach lining) and I eat eggs cooked in coconut oil for breakfast every single day. My stomach is slowly starting to feel better. My mood is also improving.

 

[thujone]

I postulate it's bullshit. Let's take it from the top: almonds contain way more fat than protein. This is relevant because the chicken breast crowd thinks almonds are healthy.

Almonds are healthy. aside from being full of trace minerals and monounsaturated fat, they also contain protein and a good amount of fibre which is essential in the high-fat diet you are proposing. there are severe cholesterol problems tied to a high-fat diet, and the typical American diet (which is a high-fat diet) marginalizes foods that keep cholesterol in check, such as allium vegetables and fibre. It's pretty tough to get your RDI of fibre because it usually involves stuffing yourself with tasteless, bulky stuff (at least almonds taste good) and that takes away from how much delicious fatty meat a person can fit in during a meal.

Indigenous folk (eg. Inuits) who do survive in good health on a high fat diet manage to avoid cholesterol problems because their bodies burn oil for energy, having no carbs available for that purpose (since all they can eat in the winter months is fish). The rest of us, however, probably eat more than enough carbs as well. Ultimately, it's not as simple as trading a low-fat diet for eat-what-you-like. I can't disagree that animal fats are necessary, but if consuming that comes at the cost of other foods necessary for health (as you said, fat is filling) then it's no more beneficial in the long run than a low-fat diet.

 

[pastelcircus]

Doesn't this really depend on animal feed though (ie, with grass-fed animals bearing fats with a much higher ratio of omega-3 to 6 than grain-fed animals)?

yes.

 

[Foreigner]

ebola already pointed it out... it depends on what the animal was fed. Its fat content will vary based on that. Honestly though, this compulsive fear of saturated and monounsaturated fats is gradually being disproven by modern research. Things like butter and lard which were largely frowned upon in the 90's and early 2000's are now being seen as necessary to maintain heart health, and people who have been completely abstaining from them are showing less cardiac vitality. We went from thinking that a higher unsaturated content in the body was better, so less saturated was better; and now the understanding has become that it's about a blanced ratio between the two.

Obviously if you gorge on saturated fat all the time, that's not good either. But I think if you have a regular exercise regime that is moderate to intense, your body will use the fat for good purposes. Stagnation, i.e. not moving very much, seems to be the root of most illness, and that's when fats will build up in your vessels and cause problems.

 

[ilikestims]

it's not what you're eating, it's the quality of what you're eating. if you're eating bacon and chicken breasts bought from the supermarket by corporations like tyson, well, it's not particularly healthful

basically the reason to avoid meats with high fat content is because you can easily get much healthier (and cheaper) fats from other sources (avocados, nuts).

the only way to get good fat from meats is by paying an arm and a leg to your local farm / free-range/organic meat type shit

 

[ebola?]

basically the reason to avoid meats with high fat content is because you can easily get much healthier (and cheaper) fats from other sources (avocados, nuts).

The saturates in grass-fed beef don't seem to be unhealthy in themselves. Need this cost an arm and a leg?

ebola

 

[ilikestims]

i've never seen grass-fed beef not cost an arm and a leg

 

[Foreigner]

The market varies. I live in an area where organic food is expected so the prices of grass fed meat are lower. If you live in a more competitive region it will be higher.

 

[Neoprimitive]

Yeah largely the cost of organic and "boutique" foods are going to vary from place to place. One thing I can recommend is to find one or two smaller shops especially butchers to befriend, if you start making friends with them it will pay off in an education of little known but tasty cuts and a deal on your meats if you are a regular customer. And if you are a hunter, or know one ask them where they go to have their game processed that is unless they do it them selves. Always remember with smaller shops you can always negotiate prices or even barter ( I do a fair amount of this with the butcher shops a frequent and have frequented for some time now.)

 

[RhythmSpring]

Here, here. Fat is wrongly maligned in this culture. Animal fat is good for you. I cringe every time I say a "reduced fat!" label as if it's a good thing. Barf.

 

[Neoprimitive]

This is true. Not alot of people realize that there are good and bad fats as well as fats that are just plain essential.

 

[ebola?]

The market varies. I live in an area where organic food is expected so the prices of grass fed meat are lower. If you live in a more competitive region it will be higher.

heh, I've actually been a vegetarian since age 18, so I have no idea how much meat costs.

ebola

 

[Mysterie]

fat head is a great documentary on this topic

i cringed when i watched a government funded advertisement for the 'heart foundation' where a woman in a supermarket picks up a "low fat" butter in a supermarket with the message being to the audience that its a healthier option

i hope the wave of ignorance ends with the new generation of kids