-
Rancid fats
We all know rancid fats are unpleasant. In fact, we use the word rancid to refer to other undesirable things. But what exactly is rancidity? What causes it? Is it bad for you? How can you prevent it? Rancidity Rancidity, in the chemical sense, is the “breakdown of fats by oxygen and light into small, odorous fragments” (1) “When a fatty substance is exposed to air, its unsaturated components are converted into hydroperoxides, which break down into volatile aldehydes, esters, alcohols, ketones, and hydrocarbons, some of which have disagreeable odours.” (2) Which foods can become rancid? As you recall from my article on macronutrients, many foods besides the obvious (e.g.…
-
What are macronutrients?
Macronutrients or “macros” are the components of food that contribute to energy. Energy, in the nutritional sense, is measured in kilocalories (a.k.a. Calories) or kilojoules. The main macronutrients are protein, fat and carbohydrates (a.k.a. “carbs” or “CHO” for the chemistry-minded people out there). Most foods you can think of are made of a combination or these 3 components. Protein Proteins are structures composed of amino acids. There are 7 essential amino acids for humans, meaning our bodies cannot make them. Foods high in protein include: all animal foods (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, etc.), some legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils, soy), and some nuts and seeds. Protein bioavailability (i.e. how much…
-
Product review: Lard & rendered beef suet from Feather and Bone
Feather and Bone is now selling pasture-fed pork leaf lard and rendered beef suet. Both are $12 per 300 gm jar, not cheap but worth every cent, in my opinion. Of course it’s cheaper to DIY at home but it’s way more convenient to buy it from the experts. Contrary to conventional wisdom, animal fats are not bad for you. I won’t go into the details here but you can have a read here, here, here, etc. What I will say, though, is that 1) saturated fat is much more stable than unsaturated fat (unstable fats lead to free radicals, i.e. DNA damage), 2) no natural food comes with just…
