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The Relative Fat from the Paleo Herbalist
Like many things nutritional fat is an emotional subject so that the terms low fat no fat send tingles of fear down many a culinary spine. My basic description of the Paleo Diet is lean meats and fish, vegetables and fresh fruit, nuts and seeds and it is an admittedly simple description. Probably the biggest point of contention comes from defining what a lean meat is, because it implies a criticism of fats.
First of all, not all fats are created equally, some are great for the body, others not so much. Even the best fat is toxic if it becomes rancid, which can happen real fast, so the best fats are best when they are fresh. Let’s define what a lean meat is; generally speaking it is any meat where the amount of fat doesn’t outweigh the amount of protein. The body needs good, fresh fats and for an example a deer is about 50 percent fat that it developed feeding on grasses, herbs and barks from the fields and forest floor.
A squirrel or rabbit is 90 percent protein but trying to subsist solely on such a lean protein source will make you sick as the liver falters under the weight of processing all of that protein. Yet having such a lean source of protein occasionally is very good for you because it boosts the performance of the thyroid. Considering that thyroid drugs were recently the most prescribed in the USA having a nutritional solution to that problem is helpful. Sea food is generally quite lean with salmon and tuna being on par with that deer.
Surprisingly two very popular foods are just as lean as squirrels and rabbits, white skinless turkey breast and shrimp. Now the turkey may be a surprise but there is something you should know; traditionally most wild and farm raised turkeys were not white breasted. But a number of years ago a farmer from Sonoma California discovered that a small percentage of white feathered turkeys were also white breasted. He bred for those qualities and the eggs were distributed throughout America forming a new industry. Even today when you drive from downtown Sonoma towards downtown Napa you see large turkey sheds on the hillsides between the grapevines.
What is not a lean protein? Hot dogs, bacon, sausage and lamb to name a few! These run from 10% to 30% protein with the remainder being fat. To make it worse, the best meats come from animals that have grazed and finished on grass, not grains, the biggest difference being the quality of the fat. The former is quite nutritious and the later inclined to cause inflammation and circulatory problems. Besides I don’t recall ever seeing the words ‘grass fed hot dogs’. Generally the lowest quality, fatty cuts are used for these processed meats. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a hot dog now and then, or a nice piece of sausage, but be aware that it’s not helping your healing or weight loss program the way that a higher quality, leaner meat will.
Skinless chicken breast is about 50% lean while dark meat comes in at 30%. If you want to boost your metabolism which one do you choose? It is less about avoiding the fat and more about seeking out the lean protein that the body uses for rebuilding. High quality fats are important as lubricants, as hormonal materials, as cellular components and for energy. Our body uses triglycerides for energy during normal and moderate activities.
If you go to a diet that is too low in fat you will starve your hormonal system. Also fat often is bonded to the mineral sulfur which is a powerful antiseptic and an important component of the skin and joints. It protects the body from yeast and fungus in the same way that tannin, a sulfur compound found in red grape skins allows red wines to age properly even though vines are subject to molds and fungus. Adding onions and garlic to the diet helps and for a more socially acceptable solution supplement with MSM, which is a sulfur compound. Sulfur is traditionally known as the beauty mineral because of its effect on the skin and hair, but it also helps the joints, tendons and ligaments.
Fat, aka lipids is such a complex and emotionally charged subject that is should be broken down into many categories, and in fact it is, but keep in mind that lean protein is a relative term. There is world of difference between bacon and shrimp even though they often wrap the one around the other.
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