Aversion to fat... *gasp!* page 2

[Wanderlust]

OP: I used to be the same way, so I understand you're not going to jump head first into pork bellies, etc. I started slower with little bits of visible fat, like leaner bacon and steak.

[heatherdarbs]

Before you come charging at me with pitchforks, please rest assured that I do love me some bacon, cook my eggs in bacon fat, and always stir in the fat that floats to the top of my home-made beef stew. However...

I hate fat and skin when I can see it, and I always have. It has to do with being able to visibly see it and being able to feel the texture of it in my mouth.

I'm the worst person to get chicken wings with because I will peel off the skin and use a fork to get the little bits of meat off of the bone. When I ate SAD, I would do the same with fried chicken -- peel off the crispy breaded skin and only eat the meat underneath. I cut every bit of visible fat off of my steak, pork chop, and chicken. If my bacon isn't 100% crispy (like, 30 seconds away from being black and burned) I will actually remove the fat from the bacon and only eat the pink-colored meaty bits. Being Puerto Rican, when we'd have a pig roast and my grandma would broil the pig skin (chicharrones) I would gag at the thought of eating that.

I've been like this since I started eating solid food, and for my entire childhood my mother would yell at me for "dissecting my food" as I would actually take so much time to seek out the fat to cut it off of my meat.

I decided after a few weeks of abstaining from logging my food intake online, to go and put in a few days worth of meals into a log. I found that I'm not eating enough Calories overall (usually around 1100-1300/day; I don't want to lose weight...) and although I stay under 100g of carbs and eat lots of protein (usually in the form of eggs, chicken, and bacon), I am significantly low in fat.

I have been going through about 2-3 cans of coconut milk per week on average, I cook with coconut oil and olive oil (or bacon fat), and recently finished off a jar of almond butter that I opened about 2 weeks ago. I see so many folks on the thread talking about pork belly and chicken skin... but the thought of eating these things totally and completely disgusts me.

Is there any way you fat-lovers out there can suggest for me to prepare things like chicken (with the skin on), pork belly, and other fatty cuts of meat so I can eat more? I don't think I can squeeze in any more coconut products without getting the shits. (Sorry if TMI!)

I can't speak to stomaching skin, but as for fatty meats, I've been throwing them in the crockpot with cabbage and onions and it's awesome. At least you can use just about any fatty cut of meat. I use a ton of coconut oil for fat, as well and just tried the butter in my coffee (well, I had ghee in the fridge…a little different) and to my surprise – YUM; I love it! I actually just started adding coconut oil to my face wash and my skin loves it

[sarasue624]

Is the problem that you are actually averse to animal fat, or is the problem that when you look at a fully skinned chicken leg, for example, you remind yourself that you are eating skin and so gross yourself out?

I tend to separate the skin of a chicken, say, from the meat and eat them separately. If the skin is off the meat it doesn't really look like skin/fat anymore and so I view it as "food" instead of "flesh."

If the problem's not really mental and your body gags at the taste (rather than the sight) of straight fat/skin, maybe you should listen to your body! n=1 and some people may be more susceptible to the chemicals stored there than others.

[PrimalMama]

IMHO, soggy chicken skin is gross, but crispy skin from almost any animal is delectable.
I have had some strange reactions to pork, but I think that's more about animal quality and/or type of frying oil.

If the fat aversion is a texture thing (soggy/blobby vs. crispy/crunchy), save your chicken skin (or whatever it is) for later, REALLY crisp it up in a skillet, then use it as a crunchy salad topper or eat it on its own. (also a good crouton substitute) - though if you really crisp it, technically the crisp bit will be more protein, and you'll end up with rendered fat in your skillet.

As for the coffee... I've been drinking heavy cream in my coffee for years - anything with less fat doesn't taste right and I'd rather have it black instead. BUTTER gives the same satisfaction as heavy cream, but slightly different. I'd recommend just trying some full-on butter coffee. If you hate it, you don't have to do it again. If you love it, awesome!

Avocados are awesome - the CA (hass) varieties have more fat than the Florida varieties.

[chickenbackside]

Simple, give it to someone like me

Just came back from Japan, and had many chicken skin feasts. The put chicken skin on a stick and bbq it. Heavenly.

Seriously, I wouldn't worry about it. If you can't handle looking at fat, don't. As long as you're getting some in your diet, invisibly and non-texturally, you're good.

[MissJecka]

Simple, give it to someone like me

Just came back from Japan, and had many chicken skin feasts. The put chicken skin on a stick and bbq it. Heavenly.

Seriously, I wouldn't worry about it. If you can't handle looking at fat, don't. As long as you're getting some in your diet, invisibly and non-texturally, you're good.

It's funny you would mention Japan. I had such trouble there! I worked for a Japanese company that shall not be named and was dispatched there for weeks on end. I love Japanese food, but some ways they made certain things grossed me out. The fact that eggs are runny (I hate runny egg white or moist eggs/omelets... similar to the texture of fat, in my mind) and the chicken skin was on everything! The pieces of pork also had lots of fat on them... so I kind of struggled at times! But, luckily, there were more foods that I did like than didn't like! Much more!

Also...

Sarasue624 - By "aversion" I mean "distaste", "dislike", "it grosses me the hell out because the texture is nasty", as I think I mention frequently in my post! I don't have an allergy or something like that, if that's what you're asking.

a·ver·sion /əˈvərZHən/
Noun:
1. A strong dislike or disinclination: "an aversion to exercise".
2. Someone or something that arouses such feelings.

[tarek]

If you don't like it, don't worry about it. I would say give these things a try first -- it sounds like you haven't tried chicken skin or beef fat in a while. If you still can't stomach them, it's no problem. You can always keep your fat intake low and adjust your protein/carbohydrate intake to find what works best for you.

[froggie]

Just wanted to chime in and say I'm the same way.
In fact I am attempting making chicken broth now and had to fight with a whole raw chicken for the very first time. I cut up some stuff I never thought I'd eat, but in the name of broth, I will give it a fair shot

A good part of my fat comes from French cheese (brie, goat), full fat organic yogurt and olive oil, coconut oil, plus of course avocado!

[Lawyerchick12]

I love fat, infact I wish most of my meats were actually fat with muscle lining it lol.

I wonder how one develops an affinity or aversion to fat in the first place....just always loved it from when I was younger.

Anywho if I did not like animal fat, I guess I will just cook my veggies, sauces with tons of primal approved oils. I will also eat nuts and avocados will be a stable as well.

GL!

[Leida]

Miss J, if it is the texture that bothers you, here is a couple of non-traditional ways I injest(ed) my fat:

1. Freeze the thin slices of bacon. It gives you a very different experience. Russian bacon that is cured with just salt and garlic is kept in the freezer, and that's the only way I could stomach it in my childhood, cold, thin slice.
2. Tibetian tea. I don't like any kind of milk products in my coffee, but I like black tea with butter and salt.
3. Purred vegetables soups with cream. ANd we are talking cream anglaise here, double devon cream that is actually solid.

Have you ever tried full fat sour cream on its own? We used to get it as an afternoon snack as kids. In a glass. I guess it was a sub for yogurt.

Or, if crispy is what appeals to you, you can get a deep firer, and deep-fry your veggies and meats. Or even chop it up, and crispy it in a pan. I had soggy skin and some turkey meat bits from the broth left, so I crisped it up in a big pan till it was dry, and my husband thought it was the best thing since sliced bread... erm, yeah.

Do you like any sort of ribs? Ribs are about as fatty as meat can possibly get...