Mmmmmmmmmmmm… Fat

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If you read that in Homer Simpson’s voice, you’re doing it right. You see, science is starting to admit more and more often that Homer Simpson may have had it right in at least one dietary area: his fat consumption. A recent study suggests that (duh) fat can actually reduce appetite, curb hunger, and help you lose body fat. It’s nothing we didn’t already know, but the idea of mainstream science tossing a fatty wrench into the well-lubed gears of conventional dietary wisdom was too good to pass up. Before your less enlightened brethren and sistren, however, start wrapping waffles around sticks of butter or eating blocks of cheese like apples, implore them to take a moment and read the fine print.

The study release starts by pre-empting its own line of attack with this juicy bit of CW-pandering: “Fatty foods may not be the healthiest diet choice, but those rich in unsaturated fats – such as avocados, nuts, and olive oil…” We think we know where they’re going with this. That popular term for edgy nutritionists living life on the razor’s edge, “good fats,” will surely be mentioned. We like to make fun, of course, but it’s true that avocados, nuts, and olive oil technically are “good fats.” It’s just that by feeling the need to preface with “good,” scientists do all fats a great disservice via a latent implication that other fats are “bad.” We have the same issue with the phrase “good dog,” but that’s for another post (or blog altogether?). Anyway, as we’ve established before, fat is generally a healthy, nay, the healthy source of fuel for all followers of the Primal Blueprint. So why bring this study up?

Posted By: Worker Bee

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Salmon: Factory Farm vs. Wild

Last week I noted in my podcast with Jimmy Moore how expensive genuine wild salmon can cost. Since then, I’ve received a healthy number of emails asking for more info, tips, and the real benefits behind buying “wild.”

What exactly are salmon “farms”? How does the farm setting change the nutritional content of salmon? Is there really that much of a difference? Is farmed salmon even worth buying?

First off, salmon farms of some kind make up about 80% of salmon on the market today. (In the United States, the number is higher – 90% by some estimates.) Thirty percent come from traditional hatcheries, and the remaining 50% are raised in aquaculture or “open pen nets” just off shore. Farms can “raise” up to a million salmon at a time. I’ll throw in a visual.

Posted By: Mark Sisson

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Dear Mark: Is Flax Bad?

Dear Mark,

I’ve been researching flax and am ready to pull the plug on my dedicated flaxseed grinder. The kicker was seeing flaxseeds associated with prostate cancer. What’s your take?

Thanks to reader Clare for the thoughtful correspondence on flax. This is exactly why I love doing this blog. Research continues to unfold, and the conversation never fails to engage and inspire me.

Posted By: Mark Sisson

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When it Comes to Fat, How Hot is Too Hot?

A dizzying array of glass bottles. Some more fitting for salads, others ideal for heavier meat dishes, perhaps one perfect for a dessert dish you have in mind. Imports. Domestics. Beautiful labels here and there. Organic – or not. Good culinary oils, to the most discerning tastes, can be almost as nuanced, as complex as the wines that accompany the dishes they grace.

But to preserve, even enhance, the flavors and fragrances of oils, it’s crucial to know how to use them. For some (the more delicate) even moderate heating will ruin the oil, darken and scorch it, incite a cloud of putrid smoke and even a flash of flames in your unsuspecting pan. (No one saw that, right?) Others are more robust, even outright brawny and can weather the higher heats.

Posted By: Worker Bee

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What’s Wrong With The Zone Diet?

Dear Mark,

I just watched your video about the 2 minute salad; simple, fast, and no measuring. I agree with the primal way of eating and I’m torn between the freelance style of PB and structure of The Zone. What is your opinion of The Zone?

First, let me thank Rob for his question. I’ve had a lot of conversations about The Zone and other heavily publicized diet plans. It’s fair, I think, to look at the good and the bad of the diet. Unless you’re talking about the grapefruit diet or similarly comical fad, diets generally have to have at least some positive point(s) to gain a decent following, as The Zone has. Nonetheless, what can initially look like a rational foundation begins to show cracks when you look at how the philosophy actually plays out.

Posted By: Mark Sisson

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