How To Get Slim By Eating (Healthy) Fat!

In my last two blog posts for PaleoHacks, I discussed how you can replace the unhealthy flours and sugar in most desserts… without sacrificing flavor or taste. And now that we’ve got the sweetness and the structure aspects of baking covered, it’s time to tackle the fats.

Fats provide moisture and tender texture to baked goods. They give rich mouth feel to soufflés, the silky finesse to mousse and golden, flaky goodness to pie crust. But what they do in your body is even more important than what they do in the kitchen.

The type of fats you eat can either promote inflammation… or help to prevent it. They can fire up your metabolism… or snuff it out. The fats you consume affect how your cells communicate with each other. They affect how your genes express themselves!

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And when certain fats are used at the wrong temperatures (above their flashpoint) they can cause oxidative damage that can mutate cells and encourage cancer.

But using the right fats, in their appropriate temperature range, is one of the best things you can do for your health.  Healthy fats can reduce inflammation, boost brainpower, discourage wrinkles and even flip your body’s fat-storage switch “off”.

So, here are some heat stable, REAL fats you should stock your pantry with and use to make delicious baked goods with a host of health benefits:

• Grass-Fed Butter: When it comes to baking, it’s hard to beat real, grass-fed butter. With its creamy flavor, high vitamin A content and versatility, butter can be used in almost any baked good. Be sure to choose pastured/grass-fed butter that contains no hormones and lots of the healthy fat CLA.

• Coconut Oil:  Coconut oil can provide rich, buttery flavor to your favorite baked goods. It is slow to oxidize and resistant to rancidity. It is rich in lauric acid, which has been shown to kill a myriad of harmful bacteria, protozoa and fungus. Finally, it is an excellent source of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) which can boost energy and increase fat burning.

• Palm Shortening:  Another great alternative to traditional shortenings (that contain trans fat) or butter (if you are intolerant to dairy) is palm shortening. This can help you achieve the light, tender, flakiness you desire in crusts and cookies. And like coconut oil, it is also resistant to rancidity thanks to its high saturated fat content.

• Macadamia Nut Oil & Almond Oil:  These light and delicious oils can be used in any recipe that calls for liquid oil (ie- melted butter, canola oil).  Plus, they’re rich in inflammation-fighting and belly-flattening monounsaturated fat.

The fats to avoid in your baking include hydrogenated oils/trans fats (like Crisco) as well as fats that are high in omega-6 including: vegetable oil, corn oil, canola oil, peanut oil, grapeseed oil, and soybean oil.

Healthy baking, like any art form, takes practice and a little bit of patience.  Be prepared to have a few flops at first. But once you get the hang of using these healthy, all-natural ingredients, you’ll delight over how easy it can be to make healthy and delicious, grain-free goodies.

If you love dessert… and you value your health, then we highly recommend Kelley’s program, Guilt-Free Desserts. Inside, you’ll discover just how easy it is to make mouthwatering desserts (not to mention breads, biscuits, crusts and more) that are as nutritious as they are delicious.

PS:

Find out how you can have your cake… and be healthy too!

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