"Don't eat anything incapable of rotting."

             In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

Fat Facts:

• Fat keeps our food succulent in the oven and stops it from sticking to the pan.
• Fat adds, carries and helps us taste flavor.  
• Without fat, meat has no real taste.
• Fat is the bodies preferred fuel, providing more than twice the amount of energy as the same quantity of carbohydrates and protein.
• Fat helps the body absorb nutrients, calcium, and the fat-soluble vitamins A,D,E, and K.
• Fat and protein are found together in nature because fat helps us digest protein.
• Fat is digested slowly, so eating it leaves us feeling sated and we’re less likely to snack between meals.
• Every cell in the body needs fat – our brain and hormones rely on fat to function, and fat supports our immune system, fights disease, and protects our liver.
• Fat promotes good skin and healthy hair, and it regulates our digestive system.

What is homogenized milk?

Fat particles of cream are strained through tiny pores under great pressure.  The resulting fat particles are so small that they stay in suspension rather than rise to the top of the milk. This makes the fat and cholesterol more susceptible to rancidity and oxidation, and some research indicates that homogenized fats may contribute to heart disease.

What is hydrogenation?

Turns polyunsaturates, normally liquid at room temperature, into fats that are solid at room temperature – margarine and shortening. To produce them, manufacturers begin with the cheapest oils, soy, corn, cottonseed or canola, already rancid from the extraction process – and mix them with tiny metal particles – usually nickel oxide. The oil with its nickel catalyst is then subjected to hydrogen gas in a high-pressure, high temperature reactor.

Why you should switch to Organic Dairy Products:

One of the most important and healthy food choices to make is to switch to organic dairy products - butter, milk, yogurt.  

If you buy regular dairy products - large-scale, industrial production -  the cows are routinely given antibiotics to prevent disease and bovine growth hormones so they will grow faster and produce more milk. 

Cows that are treated with the growth hormone are more prone to health problems such as lameness, reproductive trouble, and udder infections. To treat these problems the cows are given large does of antibiotics, which can show up in the milk and other dairy products. 

Organic dairies do not use bGH. If you can't buy organic, make sure the cartoon is labeled "bGH-free". 

Fresh Butter at a market in Dijon, France.