# Cutting back on animal fat



## LostPancake (Apr 8, 2009)

I recently started cutting back on animal fat. I don't want to deal with the clogged arteries and strokes further down the line, plus I don't like how animals are treated in factory farms. 

I don't know why it took me so long to realize that olive oil is just as good or better than butter on a lot of things. I get the refined kind, extra-light tasting. It's great on rice, pasta, vegetables, baked potatoes, etc. 

And I recently discovered how good brown rice can be - it's really good with olive oil and salt. I still have a big supply of Basmati rice to go through though - one of my favorite dinners is to cook that, some tofu or frozen broccoli, then throw on Tempura sauce, curry powder, Tony Chachere's creole seasoning, and a little salt and sugar. It sounds weird but the spices work together really well. 

I still like cheese on sandwiches though. With turkey. I'm not totally vegetarian (yet?). And I recently gave up on mayonnaise - it always goes bad before I can use it all anyway. So I just use honey and mustard instead - those seem to last forever. 

Anyone have any other healthy foods they've found that they like a lot?


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## Crystalline (Dec 1, 2008)

Reading your post made me hungry!

I'm not vegetarian myself and suspect I will not be anytime soon, though I have made an attempt in the past. Most of my protein comes from fish (trying for species that have lower levels of mercury).

Fresh boiled edamame is one of my favorite snacks.


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## Tristram (Feb 9, 2008)

I tend not to worry too much about fat. I rarely buy low fat products, because most of them are filled with additives and sugar and they still taste like crap. I just try to make sure I don't eat a lot of fat and carbs together. As for what healthy foods I like...eggs are pretty good. Some fools have been giving eggs a bad rap, but I'm not buying into that at all. Berries are fantastic, especially black currants and blueberries.

You mentioned honey and mustard. Mustard has to be the ultimate spice. Tastes awesome, takes almost any food to a whole new level. And I think honey is vastly underrated as a health food. I mean, bees just make it naturally. It's got everything a bee needs, and it's made from like flower nectar. It has to be healthy. My grandpa and his brother have been eating honey on a daily basis for most of their lives, and they're just about the healthiest old guys I've ever seen. Grandpa's 79 this year, and he looks like someone who's just retired. Could be their genes of course.


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## Recusant (May 4, 2009)

Mmmm you mentioned one of my favorites, brown rice. And curry! Try making your own curry powders and pastes, it's fun! (though it can be hard to find all the spices)


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## Prodigal Son (Dec 11, 2005)

Tristram said:


> I tend not to worry too much about fat. I rarely buy low fat products, because most of them are filled with additives and sugar and they still taste like crap.


Yeah, I wouldn't cut out the animal fat for health reasons. The research centered around saturated fat being bad is very shaky, it is interesting how it is accepted as a 'generally truth' through the media even many healthy professionals.


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## Crystalline (Dec 1, 2008)

Tristram said:


> I tend not to worry too much about fat. I rarely buy low fat products, because most of them are filled with additives and sugar and they still taste like crap. I just try to make sure I don't eat a lot of fat and carbs together. As for what healthy foods I like...eggs are pretty good. Some fools have been giving eggs a bad rap, but I'm not buying into that at all. Berries are fantastic, especially black currants and blueberries.
> 
> You mentioned honey and mustard. Mustard has to be the ultimate spice. Tastes awesome, takes almost any food to a whole new level. And I think honey is vastly underrated as a health food. I mean, bees just make it naturally. It's got everything a bee needs, and it's made from like flower nectar. It has to be healthy. My grandpa and his brother have been eating honey on a daily basis for most of their lives, and they're just about the healthiest old guys I've ever seen. Grandpa's 79 this year, and he looks like someone who's just retired. Could be their genes of course.


Food companies make a killing off non or low fat products that remain high in sugar, calories and additives, when people could just try and eat more natural whole foods and make healthier choices in the bargain. I noticed the fat content in a lot of processed American food is very high compared to some countries.

I generally go for low fat in cheeses and yogurt, but since I eat very little processed food I don't really buy anything else low fat.

Honey has long been well-regarded for its health properties, I wouldn't wonder why if their consumption of it contributed to their overall health.


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## LostPancake (Apr 8, 2009)

Crystalline said:


> Fresh boiled edamame is one of my favorite snacks.


Hmm, I'll have to try that...



Tristram said:


> I tend not to worry too much about fat. I rarely buy low fat products, because most of them are filled with additives and sugar and they still taste like crap.
> 
> You mentioned honey and mustard. Mustard has to be the ultimate spice. Tastes awesome, takes almost any food to a whole new level. And I think honey is vastly underrated as a health food. I mean, bees just make it naturally. It's got everything a bee needs, and it's made from like flower nectar. It has to be healthy. My grandpa and his brother have been eating honey on a daily basis for most of their lives, and they're just about the healthiest old guys I've ever seen. Grandpa's 79 this year, and he looks like someone who's just retired. Could be their genes of course.


Yeah I remember vaguely something about honey having all these healthy properties...

Ugh yeah, things that are advertised as low-fat are usually pretty horrible - most foods need some amount of oil to transport the flavor molecules to your taste buds, and cover up any bitter flavors. If I ever do have something that's low-fat I usually just put some olive oil on it and it makes it way better!

Anyway I'm cutting back on the animal fats (which are saturated fats), but olive oil is supposed to be good for you. 



Recusant said:


> Mmmm you mentioned one of my favorites, brown rice. And curry! Try making your own curry powders and pastes, it's fun! (though it can be hard to find all the spices)


Yeah that probably would be hard to find them all, lol. I love curry for the taste and also the turmeric in it has *curcumin* in it, which is supposed to be a great antioxidant AND helps prevent Alzheimers!



Prodigal Son said:


> Yeah, I wouldn't cut out the animal fat for health reasons. The research centered around saturated fat being bad is very shaky, it is interesting how it is accepted as a 'generally truth' through the media even many healthy professionals.


Say what? Do you have some evidence for this? Everything I've ever read has talked about saturated fats being bad for you, though I admit I haven't looked at the actual research articles.


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## Prodigal Son (Dec 11, 2005)

LostPancake said:


> Say what? Do you have some evidence for this? Everything I've ever read has talked about saturated fats being bad for you, though I admit I haven't looked at the actual research articles.


Men's Health (lol of all the sources) had an article that did a good job at examining some of the myths centered around animal fats and examining studies. Even does some metabolic breakdown so you understand it better and how your body reacts.

http://www.menshealth.com/cda/artic...3ddd2eaab85110VgnVCM10000013281eac____&page=1

There is very little evidence that directly associates saturated fat with clogged arteries and heart disease. Much of the foundation is based on anecdotal evidence and studies that were done years ago (The Lipid Hypothesis in the late 50") where other variables could have been the cause and it came off as a blanket hypothesis. There is a lot of information on the internet or in nutrition books (if you don't mind scientific and biochem breakdown) that you can read about the subject, the issue is filtering out the debate and contradictory information.

The medical and many health professionals have tried to peg the blame on fat for years. The fat scare in the 80's and 90's. They have reduced it down to saturated fat. Still have it wrong, they separate it into bad fats and good fats. They often categorize saturated fats with transfat which is a complete joke. I don't know, the more I research about it the more I begin to distrust the FDA and AHA.

Anyways, I do not eat healthy. I eat junk the majority of the time. I'm trying to change that, natural animal fats by itself I do not believe are unhealthy. Processed foods, refined sugars, taste additives, over consumption (from any single source) are the main issues with the western diet.

I'm thinking of purchasing a book called "Politically Incorrect Nutrition: Finding Reality in the Mire of Food Industry Propaganda" which centered around the root and agenda of some of the nutritional guidelines we get in the states and what is wrong. A vegetarian friend actually recommended me this book and it changed the way she thought about animal fats, among other things. /sorry if I came off as preachy preachy


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## warcraft (Jul 27, 2008)

Masai tribe physical activity = 1 billion percent
Average American physical activity = segway
Masai men moved to Nairobi, given segways = average american

Menshealth is like the man version of oprah. 

An Ethiopian marathon runner can eat 5 gallons of pizza and still have very low cholesterol.


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## Prodigal Son (Dec 11, 2005)

I'm not even sure if you're serious.


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## Tristram (Feb 9, 2008)

warcraft said:


> Masai tribe physical activity = 1 billion percent
> Average American physical activity = segway
> Masai men moved to Nairobi, given segways = average american
> 
> ...


The people of the island of Kitava in the Pacific get around 21% total fat, and over 80% of that is saturated fat from coconuts. They're only slightly more active than your average westerner and they have high serum cholesterol, yet they're very lean and heart disease is virtually non-existent.

These things are far from clear-cut. Food producers lobby the sh*t out of our politicians and their interest has a huge influence on what we're being told to eat. Another thing to note is that the bestselling drug in the world is the cholesterol drug Lipitor by a ridiculous margin, and its patent expires in 2011. It'll be interesting to see if that has any effect on how cholesterol is presented.


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## Prodigal Son (Dec 11, 2005)

Why measure pizza in gallons? lol

That was a very small portion of the Men's Health article anyway nor were they marathon runners.


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## warcraft (Jul 27, 2008)

Tristram said:


> The people of the island of Kitava in the Pacific get around 21% total fat, and over 80% of that is saturated fat from coconuts. They're only slightly more active than your average westerner and they have high serum cholesterol, yet they're very lean and heart disease is virtually non-existent.
> 
> These things are far from clear-cut. Food producers lobby the sh*t out of our politicians and their interest has a huge influence on what we're being told to eat. Another thing to note is that the bestselling drug in the world is the cholesterol drug Lipitor by a ridiculous margin, and its patent expires in 2011. It'll be interesting to see if that has any effect on how cholesterol is presented.


Please point me to the source where it states that they have high serum cholesterol levels and their physical activity levels.


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## warcraft (Jul 27, 2008)

Prodigal Son said:


> Why measure pizza in gallons? lol
> 
> That was a very small portion of the Men's Health article anyway nor were they marathon runners.


The average pizza contains about 1500-2000 calories. Usually 3 days before a marathon, you carb load. Liquid pizza is easier to digest.


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## CircularThinking (May 9, 2009)

> Liquid pizza is easier to digest.


Sounds appetizing.


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## alpha dog (May 28, 2009)

I like to eat animal flesh.


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## Tristram (Feb 9, 2008)

warcraft said:


> Please point me to the source where it states that they have high serum cholesterol levels and their physical activity levels.


Staffan Lindeberg's paper on the study:

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/66/4/845.pdf


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## warcraft (Jul 27, 2008)

Tristram said:


> Staffan Lindeberg's paper on the study:
> 
> http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/66/4/845.pdf


That article is full of contradictions and that is the same idiot that promoted the "Paleolithic Diet" (Atkins 2.0).

Average life expectancy in the Paleolithic era: 30


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## Prodigal Son (Dec 11, 2005)

warcraft said:


> The average pizza contains about 1500-2000 calories. Usually 3 days before a marathon, you carb load. Liquid pizza is easier to digest.


:lol I've heard of carb loading, but never with liquid pizza. I'm not even sure why marathon runners are brought into the argument.


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## LostPancake (Apr 8, 2009)

Prodigal Son said:


> Men's Health (lol of all the sources) had an article that did a good job at examining some of the myths centered around animal fats and examining studies. Even does some metabolic breakdown so you understand it better and how your body reacts.
> 
> http://www.menshealth.com/cda/artic...3ddd2eaab85110VgnVCM10000013281eac____&page=1
> 
> ...


Hey PS, you're right, that article is really interesting - I guess I've been kind of out of the loop lately. It sounds like the whole hypothesis about saturated fats could be a bit off, unless the studies they've run just haven't been going on long enough. (Is the longest one at 20 years now?) So now I'm really confused.

I guess the initial hypothesis came from looking at the diets of people who had heart disease and strokes, and they had eaten lots of saturated fats. (?) But being able to prove causation takes a lot of time and money. But maybe these people just ate too much in general, which led to lots of LDL. Ugh, it's all so confusing!

Anyway, I do want to avoid future strokes, so I'm willing to be on the safe side and do diets similar to people that have fewer strokes, whatever that may be (medditeranean diet?). Correlation does not imply causation and all, but it doesn't exclude it!

Oh yeah, and that book looks interesting also - thanks.


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## Nae (Nov 10, 2003)

A great book to read which deconstructs the ideas of 'nutritionism' is Michael Pollan's book _In Defense of Food_. A basic argument I took away from the book is that the approach of looking at foods as made up of individual ingredients which are either _good _or _bad _causes more problems than it can currently solve because the entire picture is to complex for anyone to know exactly what is going on. To many chemicals with to many interactions, to many individual differences in digestion, in activity levels, genes, etc. Also by trying to separate the different fats and carbs and vitamins and fatty acids and, and, and... people end up not eating whole foods and instead eat processed crap because it mentions 'low fat' or 'omega 3s' or 'high in fiber', as touched on by others in this thread.

Here's a long essay by Pollan, which if i recall was the basis for his book:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.html



> I'm thinking of purchasing a book called "Politically Incorrect Nutrition: Finding Reality in the Mire of Food Industry Propaganda" which centered around the root and agenda of some of the nutritional guidelines we get in the states and what is wrong.


That does look like an interesting book.


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## yellowpaper (Nov 13, 2007)

I don't buy the pro saturated fat crap. I think it's just a way to protect an unhealthy lifestyle. You're definitely heading toward a healthier lifestyle. Keep at it. How can reducing saturated fat, and upping other food groups be bad for you anyways?

If you want a slightly healthier alt to mayonnaise, there's vegenaise. 
http://www.followyourheart.com/vegenaise.html
A little pricey, but I love it, and Idk how long you keep stuff without using it but this takes forever to go bad. As you can see, the ingredients aren't even weird.

For the butter, I'd suggest Earth Balance... It's awesome. I've actually never tried any of their "butter" (outside of baking) besides the soyfree one, which uses various vegetable oils. It's verrrry good. There's also Smart Balance Light (which is nice because you can find it at Walmart, the earth balance and vegenaise you'd probably have to get at a health food store).

http://www.earthbalancenatural.com/#/products/soy-free/
http://www.smartbalance.com/

Healthy natural fats also include nuts and avocados, so eat up 

Anyways, you can totally live without all of those products, just telling you what's out there in case you're interested. Olive oil itself is awesome, haha. If you've never tried it you can make burritos and brown them in a pan with olive oil... It definitely makes for a more satisfying burrito.

As for other healthy foods, no suggestions really, other than eating more whole foods.

If i'm in a hurry I'll heat up some canned lentil soup with frozen lima beans, corn, and peas. It's surprisingly satisfying.


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## Paul'sBunyon (Dec 7, 2008)

I've switched over to making my stir fries with beans and my favorite veggies. Unrefined sea salt and lemon pepper to taste. My cholesterol dropped in two years from 297 to 192. Yay me! Eating dead flesh is kinda gross to me now. It's so hard to digest, in more ways than one.


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