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and I use them in appropriate balance with

everything else in any given dish. The

LL Balanced way of eating will promote

hormonal regulation and a healthy, energized

body. Unless you have specific instructions

from your doctor, I’d suggest you don’t even

look at calorie counts or grams of fat. Eat well,

eat slowly, and eat without distractions, and

your body will do the rest of the work.

Plant-sourced fats: Healthy sources of

monounsaturated fats include avocados, nuts

and seeds, olive oil, and toasted sesame oil.

Another healthy plant-based fat is coconut oil.

Coconut oil is a saturated fat (if a fat is solid

at room temperature, it is saturated), and

next I explain why that shouldn’t scare you.

However, coconut fat is unique in several ways.

First, it contains a form of fat called medium-

chain-triglycerides, or MCTs, which the body

uses immediately for energy instead of being

stored. Second, coconut also contains lauric

acid, a fat that has potent antibacterial and

antimicrobial properties. For these reasons,

coconut oil is a great addition to a healthy

diet. I purchase only extra-virgin organic

coconut oil, which has a coconut-y taste, so I

use it in recipes that fit this flavor profile.

Animal-sourced fats: Animal fats are saturated,

and the term saturated fat can have negative

connotations; but not all saturated fat is created

equal. Moderate consumption of saturated fat

from high-quality sources, such as pasture-

raised animals, 100% grass-fed butter, and

coconut, can be beneficial. These sources have

anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids and

can improve nerve, brain, liver, heart, and

lung health. You also don’t need to be afraid

that these saturated fats will have a negative

impact on your cholesterol. In fact, our bodies

require cholesterol to function properly. Our

bodies actually make cholesterol on their own,

but they can benefit from a moderate amount

of additional cholesterol from high-quality

saturated fats. Saturated fats are also incredibly

stable, so they won’t oxidize and become rancid

in high-heat cooking the way vegetable oils do.

True to form, I keep it simple and primarily use

grass-fed butter as my choice animal fat. The

brand Kerrygold is available at a fantastic price

at Trader Joe’s. Other fats, such as lard, tallow,

schmalz, and ghee can be great options, again

when sourced from pastured animals, so feel

free to play around with these. Ghee is clarified

butter, meaning that the milk solids have been

separated and removed, so this can be a good

option for people who do not tolerate dairy well.

Eliminate or minimize as much as possible:

• Trans fats that come from hydrogenated,

refined vegetable oils. Some examples

are safflower, corn, canola, cottonseed,

and soybean oils. These unstable, easily

rancid-ized fats are high in inflammatory

omega-6. In addition, they tend to increase

the “bad” LDL cholesterol and lower the

“good” HDL cholesterol. If you stick to

my guidelines for an LL Balanced way of

eating, you should rarely come across trans,

hydrogenated, or partially hydrogenated

fats. They are typically found in packaged

snack foods, fried foods, margarine, and

frozen supermarket baked goods. “What

about canola oil?” you might ask. Canola

oil has been considered a healthy cooking

fat for some time. However, it is chemically

produced, often is genetically modified, and

is partially hydrogenated. While it contains

more monounsaturated fats than other

vegetable oils, I don’t see any place or need

for it in a real-food diet.