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The misinformation and phobia about saturated fat are still alive and well. Not only here in the US but also in Denmark. On October 1, Denmark has imposed a tax on foods containing saturated fat. Products with more than 2.3% saturated fat will be taxed $2.90 USD per kilogram of saturated fat. The reason? To try to increase the life expectancy of Danes.
According to health minister Jakob Nielsen, he introduced the idea because "saturated fats can cause cardiovascular disease and cancer."
The problem is that it has not been proven to cause cardiovascular disease or cancer.
So why do I like saturated fat?
Saturated fat, especially from good sources like grass-fed beef, grass-fed raw milk, and butter made from said milk can be very healthy. Saturated fat
enhances the immune system,54 are necessary for healthy bones,55 provide energy and structural integrity to the cells,56 protect the liver57 and enhance the body's use of essential fatty acids.58 Stearic acid, found in beef tallow and butter, has cholesterol lowering properties and is a preferred food for the heart.59Hopefully this kind of tax will not find its way to our country and more people will realize how healthy saturated fat can be.
This post is a part of Real Food Wednesday.
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Surprised to find out Denmark is on the anti-saturated fat bandwagon. I agree... Americans have phobias against all kinds of fat. This just adds to the misinformation about food and nutrition.
ReplyDeleteI never knew saturated fat could be healthy. Thanks for the clarification. I personally would like to see a "fat tax" or "sin tax" imposed on fast food chains. I don't think it's fair that other unhealthy items like cigarettes and alcohol are taxed when obesity is clearly the biggest health problem in the country!
ReplyDeleteSorry about how the post came out. I didn't realize that some of it you couldn't read. I still don't like how it looks but I will try to fix it.
ReplyDelete@ Elizabeth - There is so much misinformation, but hopefully more good info will come to light.
@MelHeth - I am so glad you told me you never knew sat fat could be healthy. I feel like I have known for years and sometimes I think my blog is "preaching to the choir" since so much of what I choose to read is skewed in that direction. But knowing that there are many people out there that don't know and don't read the same things I do makes be realize that I am not just rewriting information, but that I am actually reaching a new audience.