In a world where health trends quickly come and go, crafting animal fats is stealing the spotlight. This practice not only elevates dishes with rich flavours but also reconnects you with the heart of traditional cooking and it’s budget-friendly. But how healthy is it?
Having a large family and teaching kids how to prepare food often leads to food waste, according to Phiwokazi Bam from Theunissen, Free State.
She finds that cooking oils can strain her budget. Despite buying a five-litre container, it rarely lasts long because her children frequently make fries, vetkoeks, and baked goods.
“I’ve learned that making my own natural fats not only saves me money but also adds delicious flavour to our meals,” she explains.
“We use these fats on samp and beans, as well as for frying and grilling vegetables.”
Making your own fats
For Nogolide Giyose, a health enthusiast from Gugulethu, Cape Town, opting for animal fats is a matter of health. She prefers making her own fats from meat rather than using processed alternatives.
“The simplest way is to cut excess fat from the meat, slow-cook it without adding anything, and then strain it into a suitable container. Let it cool and refrigerate,” she explains.
“These homemade fats are perfect for frying eggs, vegetables, and just about anything else. The best part about making your own fats is that there are no added preservatives; you get them as pure as they come.”
Nogolide Giyose
Giyose notes that while extra virgin olive oil is on her monthly grocery list, it can be pricey and often runs out before the month ends, which is when she turns to her homemade alternatives.
“I make fats from chicken skin, pork fat, and umhlehlo [beef fat]. For me, these are healthy options with no added preservatives like those found in most vegetable and fish oils.”
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The healthier options
Pheladi Makwela, an independent dietitian based in Parklands, Cape Town, explains that animal fats are categorised as saturated fats and may not be healthy.
She notes that the risks associated with consuming animal fats include obesity, which can potentially lead to metabolic syndrome and conditions such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, renal failure, and liver diseases.
Therefore, she advises using vegetable oils, which are categorised as unsaturated fats and offer positive health benefits.
“It is not safe to prepare animal fats at home; a better option is to use plant-based oils, which you can identify by a red heart when you buy groceries.”
Pheladi Makwela
She adds, “Examples of plant-based oils include sunflower, coconut, olive, canola, and seeds, as they carry a lower risk of increasing cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases.”
Reducing animal fats for better health
According to Shonisani Nephalama, a registered dietitian and the nutrition lead with the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa, animal fats are one of the top sources of cholesterol-raising fat.
“Research suggests that reducing animal fat intake is crucial for various health conditions.”
Nephalama explains that cancer risk is linked to animal fat intake, with dioxin and other toxic pollutants accumulating in animal fats.
Poultry, she says, is the animal fat most associated with increased pancreatic cancer risk.
Therefore, shifting people from animal fats to plant fats can improve insulin sensitivity and lower gestational diabetes risk, adds Nephalama.
“Eliminating saturated animal fat can help reduce heart disease risk, as it can cause inflammation and increase the risk of heart disease.”
Shonisani Nephalama
Plant-based better for your heart
Nephalama explains that consuming plant-based diets and reducing animal fat intake can protect against various health issues. She adds that the most important health benefit of fat is that it is a carrier for vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well as for the precursors β-carotene and cholesterol.
“Recent studies suggest that replacing animal fat with vegetable oils (canola, soybean, and olive oil) will reduce the risk of heart disease.”
She notes that people need to look out for the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa’s Heart Mark logo on food products, which indicates that the Foundation has endorsed the product as a healthy food choice that is low in fat.
She adds that the HM logo is easily identified as the iconic heart with a knife and fork on either side, depicted by the phrase “Approved as part of the Heart and Stroke Foundation Eating Plan.”
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