As a guest on Barbells and Babies it’s necessary for me to keep up with Muscle Man’s themes.   Knowing his love affair for witty pics. I begin my posting debut with an image, hopefully, one that conveys reality and humor while also increasing your curiosity for the topic of the day.  That topic being that the right fats (lard included) are where good health is at.  Some are probably thinking lard and happy; this couldn’t be further from the truth.   Others may be asking where is this guy going with this?  Hopefully by posts end all of you will have at least found some truth and humor in the above image or intrigued enough to do some investigating of your own. 

Now, hard and fast onto the useful stuff.

We begin with a few questions.  When subjecting food to heat, WHAT DO YOU USE TO TRANSFER THE HEAT?  Lamens terms: What do you cook with?  Vegetable oil, safflower, corn, sunflower, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, butter, some lab created spread/smear, bacon fat or pam spray?  Do you know which are good, bad, or ugly?  Which are better or worse?  Are you sure you are using them properly?  Common knowledge says that Saturated fats are bad.  However, uncommon knowledge suggests something different.  Saturated fats from the right animal sources and coconut have been falsely linked to coronary heart disease.  Uncommon knowledge will also show that “good” fats, like olive oil lose all that goodness when used improperly.  The truth is saturated and unsaturated fat are both necessary for a healthy human body; the devil is in the details!  Take a look at this fantastic chart provided by Diane Sanfilippo of www.balancedbites.com.  808’ers take special note that this is the same chart hung proudly in the box’s potty.  The goal in sharing this chart is to increase everyone’s awareness of healthy versus unhealthy fats as well as those suitable for cooking versus those better suited for cold use.  All of which are extremely important discriminations to be made. 

Saturated fats typically come from animal products with coconut and palm being the exceptions.  When you hear saturated you can draw a direct correlation with that fat and its ability to resist oxidation under heat.   Simply put, saturated fats resist becoming rancid from over exposure to oxygen, light and/or heat.  Think of an apple or banana turning brown when you leave it out.  Leave either out to long and they aren’t worth eating.  Saturated fats, like anything else, are much better consumed if not rancid.  Thus, just the same (or exact opposite?), when you hear unsaturated fat you should make an association with instability to over exposure of oxygen, light and/or heat.  The chart makes a great distinction between healthy & unhealthy versions of each fat.  The big pictures to take away here is that saturated fats are usually better to use under heat while unsaturated are better for cold uses and that there are good and bad versions each fat.  Remember, the devil is in the details. 

The how and why that distinguishes good versus bad can very specific, complicated, and downright boring.  I pretty much try and avoid most fats, and goods in general that are over processed, man-gineered, or have ingredients in them that I don’t know or understand.  If you have questions about specific fats on the chart ask questions, do a goggle search, or just trust the chart.  Mr. Muscles and myself usually consult those smarter than ourselves (Kresser, Sanfilippo, Wolf, etc.) and their associated webpage’s.  I suggest being your own detective.  Through the process you’ll become your own expert. 

Most of the fats listed should be familiar to some degree and are pretty easy to find.  One that I keep, and suggest you do the same, in the pantry at all times is coconut oil.  I use the stuff both cold and hot.  You can blow your life savings and purchase it at Whole Paycheck (I mean Foods) or rely on better deals at places like Vitamin Shoppe.  Who will honor their online prices, which are great, by request.  Sometimes you have to show them the price on your smart phone.  If you’re Pecs enter the shop 3 minutes before you do, like Muscles Mom (opps I mean Dad), they’ll look it up for you.   Bottom line is that the right stuff doesn’t always have to be expensive and no matter what anyone says coconut oil is the right stuff.  For more info on coconut oil check out Joe’s post You Want To Do What With My Hairy Nuts!!!  If you don’t trust Joe, and you really shouldn’t, all the time, do your own internet search.

Like all other question in life, those surrounding fat aren’t simple or easy.  You can’t make the blanket statement that saturated fats are bad and that unsaturated fats are good.  Depending on the situation either can be… for a lack of a better word (or vocabulary) either.  With a little know what, how to, and where to find it each of you can be cooking with the right grease. 

In part two of my guest appearance, which will pop up whenever Joe decides to post it, the plan is to walk you through the finer points of animal fats.  Specifically why and how the right beef tallow is what you should be cooking with.  If you’re lucky I may even provide a couple steps for making the stuff. 

Stay on the lookout and keep your wits about you. 

The Guy Formerly Known as D-Bag, Duhlicious, D-Tron, Britches, just Dustin, and if you’re a lonely French Woman Daabear (seriously).