'Loving Lard' Article in the SF Chronicle Today

An article in today's San Francisco Chronicle, Loving Lard, restated what people like Sally Fallon and lipid researcher Mary Enig have been saying for years — (1) the science behind the anti-fat crusades is, at very best, inconclusive and (2) the type of fat matters more than the total amount. The studies which supported the lipid hypothesis (the theory that there is a direct relationship between the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet and the incidence of coronary heart disease) made no distinctions between trans and saturated fats; they lumped them into the same category -- the bad category. As Local Forage reader, Razwell, says in the comments on LF post, Saturated Fat Getting More and More Props: "There are EXACTLY 18 clinical dietary intervention trials to date and NONE of them support the false idea that saturated fat increases CHD [coronary heart disease] mortality or incidence. The Women's Health Initiative 2006 is the most recent."

Mary Enig's books explain the HUGE difference between trans and saturated fats and the misguidedness (I'm being nice here) of the vegetable oil industry.

It warms the cockles of my heart to see information on the vindication of saturated fats entering the mainstream. Thank you, Michael Pollan.

If you enjoyed reading the Local Forage article by Steven Fineberg on rendered fats like tallow and schmaltz (recipes therein), you'll love Loving Lard.

Bonus: At the end of Loving Lard, there is a recipe for Perbacco's Apple Crostata. My tough-audience parents were here a month ago and I took them to Perbacco. They (we) raved on and on about the simplicity, lightness and general perfection of the Apple Crostata, so I'm happy to have my grubby little hands on the recipe.

In conclusion, LARD RULES. Accept no substitutes. Unless, of course, your religion forbids it.

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Local Forage reading list:

Know Your Fats : The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils and Cholesterol by Mary Enig

Eat Fat, Lose Fat: The Healthy Alternative to Trans Fats by Mary Enig

The Cholesterol Myths : Exposing the Fallacy that Saturated Fat and Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease by Uffe Ravnskov, MD