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Ever wondered what to do with those delicious bacon pan drippings? If you use good quality bacon (i.e. from a butcher, European deli, or organic farm) save the fat for bacon mayonnaise!

 

 

1 egg yolk
3/4 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup liquid bacon fat

Combine the egg yolk, mustard, and lemon juice  in a food processor or blender. Season with salt and pepper, mix well. Have the bacon fat liquid, but not hot. With the machine running,  gradually add the bacon fat until the mixture starts to stiffen and emulsify, about 2 minutes.  One it starts to emulsify, you can add the fat more quickly. If the mayonnaise is too thick, just blend in 1 tsp boiling water to thin it.
Taste and adjust seasonings.

 

Ideas:
As a salad dressing: Mash in a chunk of blue cheese to dress chicken for a spinach salad!
As a tuna or egg salad base: Add fresh veggies or salsa.
As a sauce: fresh, steamed, or grilled veggies; chicken or fish.
Anyplace you would use mayo!

 

This recipe is from Jennifer McLagan's Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient. Her book pays delicious homage to traditional food preparation using quality animal fats, with stories and notes on the cultural traditions and science behind their use. Her passion for Real Food is palpable in every recipe, from the modern and convenient (Butter-Poached Scallops) to the old-fashioned classics (Steak and Kidney Pie).

 

 

 

 

Whether it's 20 minutes or overnight, a simple marinade can transform any cut of meat into a juicy, flavourful masterpiece! Because marinades tenderize the meats, they improve digestibility and the nutrients will be more readily absorbed. They make eating healthy meats more fun, giving a variety of flavoursfor any type of dish.

To make a marinade, you'll need an oil + an acid  + seasonings, including sea salt and pepper.

Oil in a marinade holds in moisture while cooking, and helps prevent sticking and burning. Olive oil is the best choice, as it is a natural oil and very light, so it will penetrate the meat easily with no added flavour. 

The acid helps break down proteins, making the meat more tender and easier to digest. They also protect against potential carcinogens formed from over-cooking. Acids could include vinegar, lemon juice, yogurt, even wine or beer.

Herbs and spices add micro-nutrients and anti-oxidants,  as well as fun and flavour! Don't neglect a variety of seasonings, they have been an important part of traditional diets for centuries. Remember to use good quality sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

You'll want 2x the oil to acid, so the meat is well coated, and enough seasoning to make a difference! Play around with these different combinations:

Lemon Garlic (Chicken, Pork)
- Olive oil
- Lemon Juice
- Fresh garlic, minced
- Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme)

 Spicy Asian (Beef - stir-fry, flank steak)
- Toasted sesame oil
- Soy sauce or tamari - Red chili flakes
- Fresh garlic, minced
- Green onion or scallion, chopped finely

Greek (Chicken, Pork)
- Yogurt
- oregano, thyme, basil
- fresh garlic, minced

Steak (Beef) - Olive oil
- Beer (dark, like Rickards Red or Guinness)
- Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce/tamari
- dry mustard
- cayenne
- chili powder

Calorie counts are everywhere - food packaging, advertising, treadmills, and on many restaurant menus, too. However, calorie counts are meaningless without considering calorie quality. Protein, carbohydrate, and fat all have different and vital functions in your body. Are you getting enough of each? 

It's easy to lose track of what you're eating,  and many people simply aren't eating enough. Chronic munching on low-calorie (and nutrient-poor) snacks, or making up for caloric deficit with random bouts of junk food will leave your body starved for Real Food. If don't eat enough, your body will do whatever it takes to preserve energy by slowing down brain and immune functions, as well as muscle repair and recovery. All that hard work you put into training your back squat will be lost! Your body will also want to store fat to preserve energy if it doesn't know when the next nutritious meal will come. Train your body to get used to 3 meals and 2 snacks each day.

Programs such as FitDay and The Daily Plate are great resources to help you make sure you're getting enough of the good stuff. When you first create your free account, you can use their online calculators to determine your lean body mass and body fat percentage. Use your lean body mass to make sure you're eating enough protein. If you're training hard, you'll need 0.7 - 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass.

Plug in your food for the week. You might be surprised by what you find!

Post questions and experiences to comments for more support. 

 

 

The USDA has issued draft Dietary Guidelines for 2010. A series of long reads if you're interested, though I recommend the Executive Summary, or my short version: it looks pretty darn close to the old Food Pyramid - you know, the one with all the grains on the bottom and a tiny bit of meat and fat at the top.

I personally believe their Food Pyramid  to be flawed, placing too high of an emphasis on grain products (predominantly highly processed foods with additives) and low-fat (rather than whole) dairy products, while not appreciating the health benefits of more protein, particularly from good-quality animal products, and natural fats such as butter and olive oil. 

While the guidelines have good intentions to decrease consumption of processed foods and empty calories,  particularly in children, they have demonized the wrong aspects of the wrong foods. The fatty meats upon which they blame the obesity epidemic are only dangerous when partnered with excess sugar, simple refined carbohydrates, and trans-fats. It's not the Real Food that's the problem, its the new-fangled junk mixed in with it. It's not the steak, its the fries and coke (and 2 more burgers) on the side. 

Paradoxically, their science points to this conclusion, as cholesterol and natural animal fats have never been conclusively linked to health problems, and the infamous China Study used to promote vegetarian diets has been discredited here and here. This widely-promoted myth is just one of many problems encountered as the mass media place blame or emphasis on just one of many aspects of a food or food group. 

What do you think of these points raised by the Weston A Price Foundation, devotees to traditional Real Food diets:

- The current obesity epidemic emerged as vegetable oils and refined carbohydrates replaced healthy, nutrient-dense traditional fats such as egg yolks, butter, whole milk, cheese, fatty meats like bacon and animal fats for cooking. Animal fats supply many essential nutrients that are difficult to obtain from other sources.

-Basic biochemistry shows that the human body has a very high requirement for saturated fats in all cell membranes; if we do not eat saturated fats, the body will simply make them from carbohydrates.  But excess carbohydrate increases blood levels of triglyceride and small, dense LDL, and compromises blood vessel function.  

- High-carbohydrate diets do not satisfy the appetite as well as diets rich in traditional fats, leading to higher caloric intakes and often to binging on empty foods, resulting in rapid weight gain and chronic disease.

- The vitamins and fatty acids carried uniquely in saturated animal fats are critical to human function and reproductive capacity.

 

 

Like all good things in life, the real deal is always the best. Animals fed their natural diet will be healthier and tastier. Unfortunately, commercial beef is rarely fed green grass alone, but some  combination of grass, grains, soy, and corn.  Check out this chart that compares the fat content of commercially fed beef vs. grass fed beef.

Not only does grass-fed beef have less fat, but a significantly larger proportion of that fat is omega-3.

 

Like all consumables, when the market demands, the producers deliver. Local farmers are bringing back traditional pasture methods, and grass-fed beef is increasing in popularity and proximity.

Companies such as Ontario's Beretta Organics Farm will deliver boxes of various cuts of beef, chicken, and pork to your door, so you never have to worry about sketchy supermarket meat! I highly recommend them.

If you're looking for more options or live outside of Ontario be sure to check out Eat Wild. There you'll find farms in your area dedicated to providing superior quality meat for your health and enjoyment.