In case you missed it, we were recently quoted in a New York Times article discussing the movement toward using beef tallow for frying.
You can check out the article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/well/eat/beef-tallow-oil-health.html
I wanted to take a moment to shed a little more light on the topic — specifically on a key point I believe they missed.
First and foremost:
The article failed to recognize that not all saturated fats are created equal.
The saturated fats naturally found in foods like beef, butter, and tallow are very different from the saturated fats found in ultra-processed packaged foods and junk snacks. In processed foods, saturated fats are typically combined with refined carbohydrates, chemical additives, and often trans fats — which is where the real health problems start.
This combination also makes it difficult to isolate the effects of saturated fat itself in studies.
Meanwhile, naturally occurring, minimally processed saturated fats have been part of the human diet for centuries, supporting brain health, hormone production, cellular function, and more.
In contrast highly processed saturated fats are a relatively new phenomenon — and a growing body of research links them to chronic inflammation, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, obesity, and more.
Despite my conversations with the NYT reporter, the article (like many others) leaned toward politicizing the issue. It is not political. It’s a health issue. A human issue. And while not all medical expert agree — the article also failed to mention any of the credible research or scientific evidence that clearly shows the differences between natural and industrial sources of saturated fat.
Here are a few sources we’ve consulted as we continue to learn, grow, and share more on this topic:
1. Naturally occurring saturated fats (like in beef, butter, tallow) are stable and part of traditional human diets.
- Reference:
- The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2010 meta-analysis) — found no significant evidence that saturated fat consumption is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease.
- Source: AJCN study – “Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease”
- https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/
2. Processed foods with saturated fats often combine them with refined carbohydrates, trans fats, and chemical additives, leading to health risks.
- Reference:
- Harvard School of Public Health explains that saturated fat alone is less problematic than saturated fat + processed carbs, which together significantly increase cardiovascular risk.
- Source: Harvard — “The truth about fats: the good, the bad, and the in-between”
3. Traditional fats like beef tallow are highly stable and resistant to oxidation during cooking, while seed oils (canola, soybean, etc.) oxidize easily and can produce harmful compounds when heated.
- Reference:
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other studies have pointed out that oxidized oils contribute to inflammation and chronic disease.
- Source: NIH study — “The role of lipid oxidation products in health and disease”
4. Seed oils are highly processed with chemical solvents (often hexane) and refined through high-heat, chemical-based methods.
- Reference:
- Weston A. Price Foundation and various food chemistry resources explain the industrial processing involved in making seed oils vs traditional animal fats.
- Source: Weston A. Price Foundation — “The Oiling of America”
- https://www.westonaprice.org/oiling-of-america-in-new-york/#gsc.tab=0
in short:
- Natural saturated fats (like tallow, butter, gee) = stable, less processed, traditionally eaten, support brain, hormone, and overall health.
- Processed fats (especially in packaged foods) = unstable, oxidized, harmful additives often present, cause a plethora of health issues.
- Seed oils = heavily industrialized, prone to oxidation, inflammatory when over-consumed.
Thanks for being part of this journey with us.
— Will