When you eat butter, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado, the white bit of a steak or any other source of dietary fat, you’re eating a mixture of saturated fat, monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat. For example, butter contains about 70 per cent saturated fat, 26 per cent monounsaturated fat and 3 per cent polyunsaturated fat, as well as some cholesterol. There is plenty of debate in nutrition circles as to exactly the impact of these fats. This is because, frustratingly, there are studies showing varying health outcomes for each. It’s important to know that the research is constantly evolving, which is why I’m cautious of anyone who speaks as though they have the final word on any particular nutrient.
Saturated fat has caused the most debate in recent years. This is because, annoyingly, there are studies suggesting that it’s not so good and others suggesting it’s not so bad. One of the largest systematic reviews, which endeavoured to look at the key evidence in its entirety, recently found a small (but potentially important) reduction in cardiovascular risk on reduction of saturated fat intake, but no link between saturated fat and mortality.4 Another large review found no association between saturated fats and cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease or mortality.5 Certainly, in the absence of more robust supporting evidence, it seems that some doubt has been cast over the prevailing advice to limit saturated fats in favour of unsaturated fats.6
It may be decades before this debate is resolved once and for all. While it bubbles along, I believe the safest approach is to use a variety of fats, from the most natural possible sources, in moderation. All fats are not equal. Freshly pressed, local extra virgin olive oil is a totally different creature, for example, than refined canola oil. And the fat you consume from an avocado will have very different health consequences compared to the oil sitting in the deep-fryer at your local takeaway.
If you’re looking for the dietary fat that is best supported by science, olive oil is the pick. More so than any other fat, there is good evidence that consuming olive oil has benefits for our cardiovascular and overall health. But, it’s important to know that there’s a big difference between extra virgin olive oil and regular olive oil. If your olive oil doesn’t say ‘extra virgin’, it’s almost certainly been chemically refined and had virtually all of its healthy phytochemicals (bioactive plant compounds that are believed to promote human health in a range of different ways) stripped out.
The colour and flavour of your olive oil is a clue to its phytochemical content. The greener and more peppery your oil, the more phytochemicals it will have. However, strong-flavoured olive oil isn’t ideal for baking, where the taste can be overpowering. For this reason I generally use a lighter-flavoured extra virgin olive oil for cakes and desserts.
Macadamia oil is another wonderful oil for baking, comprising mainly (more than 80 per cent) monounsaturated fat. It’s a delicious baking ingredient and even more heat stable than olive oil. We’re fortunate that unrefined, cold-pressed macadamia oil is now widely available.
For the longest time, coconut oil was viewed as an unhealthy dietary fat because of its high saturated fat content. While the jury is still out on its health credentials, there is increasing recognition that it might have been unfairly demonised over the years.
Although coconut oil is high in saturated fat, it contains approximately 40-50 per cent lauric acid. This medium-chain saturated fat has been found to increase overall blood cholesterol levels more than many other fats, however, it appears that much of the increase might be attributable to an increase in the ‘good’ HDL cholesterol. While more research is needed, it seems that coconut oil might be able to positively influence our HDL (good) to LDL (bad) cholesterol ratio. The science is still limited and, until we know more, I don’t regard coconut oil as some kind of superfood. But at this stage I’m happy to keep a quality coconut oil in my pantry.
When buying coconut oil, take care to choose one that hasn’t been chemically refined. Unrefined coconut oil is typically labelled ‘virgin’ or ‘extra virgin’. Refined coconut oil is often bleached and deodorised and it’s been found to have fewer antioxidants than unrefined coconut oil.
With variety in mind, I’m also very happy to eat good quality butter from time to time. It’s a source of vitamin A, vitamin E and vitamin K, as well as the antioxidant selenium. For me, the gold standard in butter is one that’s locally produced and made from organic milk from grass-fed cows. Raising cows on pasture not only means happier livestock, it also means more nutrient-dense dairy foods.
We’re fortunate in Australia and New Zealand that much of our dairy comes from predominantly grass-fed cows, even if it doesn’t say so on the label. When I can’t source a local organic butter, I choose regular local butter over imported organic. This also helps to reduce the food miles in my meals.
If you have a sufficiently high-powered blender, you’re fortunate to be able to make your own butter from scratch using fresh cream. You also get the delicious leftover buttermilk, which is wonderful to use in baking or to just drink straight. Again, I prefer to use local organic cream for this purpose.
When baking, I generally use unsalted butter. There’s so much sodium in our diets already, most of us don’t need to add to it. However, using salted butter won’t affect the outcome of the recipes in this book. To the contrary, it will probably make them tastier.
Eggs are a wonderful high-protein, nutrient-dense food that I like to use regularly in my cooking. Don’t be tempted to eat just the white and toss the yolk. Although the whites have zero fat and more of the protein, the yolk contains most of the nutrients, including iron, iodine, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, folate, zinc and omega-3 fats. You might think of a whole egg as a multivitamin and protein shake all in one! So, if you’re making meringue, save the precious yolks for a custard.
You are what you eat and, in the case of eggs, you are what your chicken eats. Eggs are one ingredient I absolutely refuse to skimp on. With both my own health and the welfare of the chicken in mind, if I can’t get organic, pasture-raised eggs, I’d prefer to go without.
'I BELIEVE THE SAFEST APPROACH IS TO USE A VARIETY OF FATS, FROM THE MOST NATURAL POSSIBLE SOURCES, IN MODERATION. ALL FATS ARE NOT EQUAL. FRESHLY PRESSED, LOCAL EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT CREATURE, FOR EXAMPLE, THAN REFINED CANOLA OIL.'