Chapter 2

FATS & OILS

Fats are an essential component of cooking. They add flavor and texture to foods. They also are important to our health. They deliver the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K throughout our bodies. In addition, fat plays a major role in helping us feel satiated and full. Basically, fat is where it’s at!

FOR THE LOVE OF BUTTER

To say that I love butter would be an understatement. When I was growing up, I used it in my egg salad instead of mayonnaise. When I was pregnant, I ate it by the spoonful.

In the strictest sense, butter is not Paleo, as no dairy was consumed in the Paleolithic era. As the Paleo movement has evolved, butter and ghee have become much-accepted and even praised foods by those who tolerate them. Butter from grass-fed or pasture-raised cows is a nutritional powerhouse.

Butter is a rich source of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Vitamin A, in particular, is essential to a healthy immune system. Butter is also a good source of vitamin K–2, which has been found to help protect us from heart disease, promotes brain function and helps prevent cancer.

Once milk is removed, butter is left with very minimal traces of lactose and casein, the components some people are intolerant to. When milk solids are separated and removed, we are left with clarified butter or ghee, which have even less casein and lactose than butter. Clarified butter essentially is pure butter fat. It has a better tolerance to heat than butter, so is ideal for high-heat cooking.

Unless you’re dealing with autoimmune issues or are intolerant, butter is a superfood and can and should be consumed generously.

For a foodie, nothing compares to butter’s rich, creamy flavor. Butter adds complexity and flavor to sautéed vegetables, sauces and browned meats that cannot be achieved with nonanimal sources of fat.

I believe butter to be a true health food. The recipes in this book liberally use butter. If you are sensitive to butter and ghee, or you choose not to use them, refer to my guide for using fats and oils to find a substitute.

WHY FAT IS ESSENTIAL TO OUR HEALTH

Low fat, fat free, reduced fat—the food industry leads us to believe that food products with these labels are healthy. They tell us fat is bad and blame everything from heart disease to cancer on fat. But what they’re not telling us is that we need fat in order to live! It is an essential nutrient. Without it none of us would be alive.

Dietary fat is our precious source of the essential Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, which occur in nature in several different forms. The Omega 3 and 6 fats in plants, called Alpha Linolenic and Linoleic acid respectively, are transformed in the bodies of the animals we eat (and to a lesser degree, in our bodies) into the forms humans most need: DHA, the end-usable form of Omega 3, which is found in fish and grass-fed meats, and Arachidonic Acid, the form of Omega 6 that is found in organ meats and egg yolks. These fats are critical for bile flow, blood clotting, brain health, cell structure, temperature regulation, and for mediating inflammation. Our bodies need both Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats, in proper proportion to one another.

Fat is also where the body stores extra energy. When there is no food available, the body draws on fat stores to keep it running like a well-oiled machine. During exercise fat steps in as muscle fuel when glycogen stores have been depleted. (Note: This only happens after prolonged, strenuous exercise.) As a vital component of breast milk, fat is extremely important for optimal infant brain development. Additionally, this fabulous nutrient plays a key role in the brain, nervous system, skin and every cell in the body. Fat is mandatory for the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K and for hormone production.

Make healthy fats part of your daily meal plan and know that fat free is not the answer regardless of the hype.

FATS AND OILS SAFE FOR FRYING, SAUTÉING AND BROWNING

Saturated fats are the best options for cooking; since they are chemically stable, they are resistant to damage from heat. Opt for grass-fed, organic and unrefined options.

FATS AND OILS SAFE FOR COLD USE IN SALADS, SAUCES OR CONDIMENTS

These oils should be unrefined, expeller-pressed or cold-pressed to avoid high heat and chemical processing that will damage the oils.

UNHEALTHY FATS AND OILS TO AVOID

These fats are either man-made or highly processed with chemicals. These oils oxidize easily and become rancid, causing inflammation in the body. Avoid anything that is hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated.