Lard
3. Lard. Rich in vitamin D and heatstable, this traditional fat is a top-pick for cooking and nutrients! According to Mary Enig, author of Know Your Fats, lard (fat rendered from pork) is comprised of about 50 percent monounsaturated fatty acids, the same type we look for in olive oil! What’s more, lard is one of our richest dietary sources of vitamin D, a nutrient that’s so tough to get from food and climates that lack sunshine year-round that many doctors and nutritionists today now recommend that people take it as a supplement. The solid-at-room-temperature lard shows us what the chemistry indicates: it is also rich in saturated fats. Once believed to have negative impacts on our health, saturated fats from natural sources like well-raised animals and some tropical plants like coconut and palm fruit have been exonerated time and time again and shown to be much healthier for us than refined, highly processed seed-oils. Unlike naturally occurring saturated fats, man-made seed oils are rich in polyunsaturated fats that are highly susceptible to damage from exposure to heat, light, and air. Cooking with fats that are more saturated (more stable and less easily damaged) is always a better bet!
4. Beef from grass-fed cows. It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and CLA, the fat-burning fat! Did you know that red meat from animals that have grazed on grass pasture for the entirety of their lives is a rich source of bioavailable (easily digested and absorbed by your body) protein, vitamin A, vitamin E, iron, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)? What’s more is that 100 percent grassfed beef is actually leaner than its grain-fed counterpart, so although the fat it contains is healthy fat, the amount in it tends to be much lower than that of grain-fed beef. Farmers use grains, corn, and soy to fatten up the cattle in a speedy timeframe so that it’s less expensive to produce them. Grass-fed beef delivers a powerful nutrition punch with fewer calories than those that are grain-fed. Better for the cow and better for you!
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