Saturated Fat Is Better Than You Think. Happy Holidays!
Some good news: Despite what we have been told for the last 50-odd years, fat that is normally found in the food we eat (think beef, chicken, pork, cheese, butter, cream, whole milk, olive oil, avocados, etc.) does not actually make us fat.
How is that possible, you ask? First, this whole notion that eating saturated fat will cause us to gain weight and could ultimately lead to heart disease is based on studies that were conducted more than 70 years ago. Ultimately, this led to government agencies and medical professionals recommending that we reduce the amount of saturated fats we eat, which is where things really started going wrong. See, fatty foods — not French fries, though — will leave you feeling satisfied and full which usually means you will eat less. But because we were told over and over not to eat these foods, we were all walking around like zombies looking for our next high carb meal (i.e. bread, pastries), which is never going to fill us up. And here we are with the highest rates of obesity and Type II diabetes that we’ve ever seen in North America.
So why eat saturated fat? From an evolutionary point of view, we are fat burners, not sugar burners. Our bodies can store only so much glucose (sugar). Once we have all we need, our body turns it into fat. Because we burn that at a much slower rate, we get fat. It’s similar to bears fattening up for the winter. So, unless you are planning to take a long winter’s nap this year, I suggest you skip the Christmas sweets and fresh-baked rolls and load up on the dark meat and the ham. Put a little extra butter on your carrots and mash your potatoes with cream.
paleoperspective.com
CRUSTLESS QUICHE WITH SPINACH, BACON, AND SUNDRIED TOMATOES
This high-fat, high-protein and low carb quiche can be made the night before and kept in the refrigerator until Christmas morning, making breakfast simple, easy and delicious, and leaving you time to enjoy the day.
SERVES: 6–8
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
ASSEMBLY TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 20–25 minutes
- 8 eggs, beaten
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 lb. white mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 bunch fresh spinach
- 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (I use the ones
- in olive oil)
- 3–4 tbsp Crumble Goat’s Milk feta cheese
- 1–2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pre-heat oven to 400C
- Cut bacon into 1/2-inch pieces and fry over medium heat in cast iron pan until just crisp. Remove and set aside on a plate with paper towel. Leave 1 Tbsp of bacon fat in pan.
- Slice mushrooms.
- Add butter to pan with bacon fat and heat over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Cook until lightly browned and all the liquid has evaporated.
- Add spinach and stir to cook until wilted.
- Remove from pan and spread evenly in 10″ glass pie plate. Add bacon to pie plate.
- Beat eggs with salt and pepper in separate bowl.
- Pour into pie plate over top of sautéed vegetables and bacon.
- Sprinkle tomatoes and feta over top.
- Place in oven and cook for 20–25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Plate and enjoy!
