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Kiwi Farms
Sister services, email, and search will continue to be negatively effected by the attacks. I made a thread to talk about it, if you're into networking.
Discuss cooking oils here.
There are 4 types of fats we can digest: trans, saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Oils such as Olestra can't be digested by us and are pointless to discuss.
We know that trans fats* are unhealthy. They increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, cause inflammation, plaque buildup in blood vessels, and can contribute to cancer. They are also man-made, though I couldn't tell you the chemistry behind them. Margarine and I think Crisco are mostly trans fats, as is popcorn butter.
Saturated fat is found in some proportion in all animal fats and most plant oils. Coconut oil in particular is 100% saturated fat - suitable for vegetarians. For decades saturated fat was the boogeyman of the cooking oil world, mostly due to poorly designed studies and outright biased research funded by sugar manufacturers who wanted to market low-fat (and high sugar) foods to Americans. Recent research indicates that sugar is the primary cause of the modern obesity epidemic, primarily by preventing the body from entering fat burning mode and instead preferentially using glycogen (a complex carb found in animal muscle tissues) for energy.
If an oil is solid at room temperature, it's probably saturated fat.
Though it varies based on genetics and ancestry, most European people of non-Mediteranean descent can replace all fats in their diets with saturated fats to no ill effect... provided, of course, you exercise and eat in moderation. Meds should stick to olive oil, or perhaps peanut oil for sweet dishes like pancakes.
Generally, you should eat what your ancestors ate. That's what they evolved with, so it stands to reason it should work for you too.
The best sources for saturated fat are coconut oil, pork lard, beef tallow, and butter. Coconut oil doesn't have much natural flavor, which can be good or bad depending on the dish. It burns at very high temperatures, so it's excellent for frying as it won't smoke unless you are one of those morons who fries at maximum heat. Pork lard and beef tallow have unique flavors, and lend themselves very well to fried foods, breads, cakes, cookies, brownies, and fudge. Fish and chips fried in beef tallow is far superior to any other oil.
Saturated fats make baked goods thicker, richer, more flavorful, and creamier. Never substitute anything for saturated fat in baked goods.
Saturated fats, in moderation and in combination with a high protein diet, are ideal for fat loss via carbohydrate avoidance and intermittent fasting.
Mono- and polyunsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and tend to oxidize (spoil) over time. They are mostly found in plant fats, especially oils derived from seeds, grains, beans, and tree nuts. One of them - I can never remember which - oxidizes readily in the body, leading to formation of free radicals, inflammation, DNA damage, and eventually heart disease and cancer. They should be used only with foods heavy in antioxidants like vitamins C and A.