Despite a lot of dis-information about fats in recent years, high quality, naturally occurring fat is not a health threat.  In the perfect diet, about 30% of our total daily food (caloric) intake should come from fats in different forms.  In this blog, I want to focus on Saturated Fats, the most vilified of the 3 types of fats (the other 2 types being mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated).  Saturated fats should compose roughly 1/3 of our fats.  Saturated fats have been unfairly demonized as a primary factor in coronary heart disease.  Natural sources of this type of fat are really important for a healthy life-style.  Excellent sources of saturated fat include butter, coconut oil, palm oil, eggs,  raw dairy (although here in MI, the state requires that you own a “cow share” through a dairy farmer), and meats from pastured and cage-free animals and fowl.

So you may be asking  yourself, “Why does Dr. Sarver say that saturated fats have little to do with heart disease?”…..Here’s why:

Heart disease in the US began at a time when the major food companies first altered the fats in processed foods.  There was a dramatic rise in coronary artery disease within 10 years of the introduction of hydrogenated vegetable oil in 1910.  Crisco went on sale in 1911 and was marketed as a replacement for natural saturated fats.  Later, hydrogenated corn oil, cottonseed oil, and then margarine were introduced to replace natural butter and lard.  Now we know that inflammation caused coronary artery problems (not to mention liver congestion and gall bladder dysfunction!)…and it is not caused by natural fats, but to the contrary, some of the blame lies with man-made or altered fats or fat substitutes!

Next time I hope to cover the other two types of fat:  mono and poly-unsaturated fats…..Until then have some butter!