Mark's Definitive Guide to Fats

Yesterday we looked at how grains, which the USDA continues to tell us are healthy and necessary for our nutrition, aren't.  What is healthy?  How about fat?  If the USDA was (still is) completely wrong about grains, could they be equally mistaken about fats?  Mark Sisson explains.

As you know, I’ve always been a friend to many fats. But the fact remains, ladies and gentlemen, that not all fats are created equal.  A few fats, including but not limited to trans fats, deserve every bit of disparagement they get and then some. However, we feel for those other little guys in the group. Many of them are, assuredly, a good lot, and we’d like to put in a good word for them. 

 This one is complicated, and therefore difficult to summarize, but I'll try.

1. Monounsaturated fats - Healthy sources: olive oil, avocados, nuts
2. Polyunsaturated fats: There's no agreement as to the optimum ratio between the two major types, but a 1:1 ratio is probably best.  Most Americans eat far too much Omega 6 and too little Omega 3. 
• Omega 3 - Healthy sources: fish, grass-fed ruminants (beef, bison, elk, goat, lamb, venison, etc.), nuts
• Omega 6 - Healthy sources: poultry, nuts
3. Saturated fats - Healthy sources: animals.  Tasty, tasty animals. 

There's much more to it, of course, so please read the whole article.