Deficiencies of dietary fat during infancy may affect the development of the central nervous system, including visual development and intelligence

This post includes a synopsis of a paper published in The Journal of Pediatrics Volume 125, Issue 5, Part 2 , Pages S69-S77, November 1994 and a recipe for Huevos Rancheros.

Study title and authors:
Fat and cholesterol in the diet of infants and young children: Implications for growth, development, and long-term health

MD Stephen C. Hardy, MD Ronald E. Kleinman

Books:

Combined Program in Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Massachusetts, USAGeneral Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USAReprint requests: Stephen C. Hardy, MD. Combined Program in Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 4th Floor, Bartlett Ext., Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02113.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(06)80739-0/abstract

In a review of the literature Hardy found that:
(a) Fat is necessary in the diets of infants and young children because of their extraordinary energy needs.
(b) Deficiencies of dietary fat during infancy may affect the development of the central nervous system, including visual development and intelligence.
(c) Young children who receive fat-restricted diets are more likely not to consume the recommended dietary allowances of many nutrients.

Hardy concludes that fat should not be restricted in the diets of infants and young children.

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Recipe of the day

Huevos Rancheros

Ingredients:

Food Mall: Link Sausage

◦1 lb. link sausage

◦6 eggs

◦1 green onion, chopped

◦1 avocado, chopped

◦Salsa

Method:

For the sausage, use a knife to split the link 3/4 of the way through and use your fingers to split it flat. Cook the sausages in a saute pan, that’s on medium high heat, with the casing side down. Why? Because the casing needs to render out otherwise the sausage will curl up, won’t crisp up and will taste oddly chewy.

While the sausage is browning, whisk together the eggs with a bit of salt. Remember, the salt helps keep the eggs tender. After the sausage is done, scramble the eggs in the sausage renderings, however you like–runny, slightly runny, hard and rubbery.

To serve, lay a few sausage links down on your plate, top with eggs, spoon with salsa and then sprinkle the green onions and avocado on top.

Huevos Rancheros

Low fat diets are deficient in essential fatty acids and some minerals, especially zinc

Published in the J Am Coll Nutr. 2000 Feb;19(1):42-51.

The effects of varying dietary fat on the nutrient intake in male and female runners.
Horvath PJ, Eagen CK, Ryer-Calvin SD, Pendergast DR.
Department of Physical Therapy, University at Buffalo, New York 14214, USA.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10682875

The study examined the effects of varying dietary fat levels on nutrients in female and male endurance runners.

The study concluded that:
(a) Zinc intake was higher on the highest fat diet. 
(b) On the low fat diet, essential fatty acids and some minerals (especially zinc) may be too low.
(c) A low fat diet could compromise health and performance.

Zinc deficiency could leads to many health problems. See here, here and here.

The best sources of zinc include red meat, oysters and fish.

AMAZON UK The Liberation Diet: Setting America Free from the Bondage of Health Mis-informaiton!
AMAZON USA The Liberation Diet: Setting America Free from the Bondage of Health Misinformation!

Humans evolved eating a high saturated fat diet

This post contains a summary of a paper published in Lipids Volume 45, Number 10 915-923 and a recipe for fennel pork chops.

Study title and authors:
Saturated Fats: A Perspective from Lactation and Milk Composition

J. Bruce German and Cora J. Dillard

Books:

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.springerlink.com/content/606x3q2x0n291241/

The authors examined the evolution of lactation, and the composition of milks that developed through millennia of natural selective pressure and natural selection processes. They found that human milk, contains 50% of it's total fatty acids as saturated fatty acids.

They postulated that mammary gland milk has evolved with a high saturated fat content because of the benefits it gives to humans, and that the current 'low-fat' dogma does not take these benefits into consideration.

More information on this subject: Books : Scientific Studies : Websites : Videos : Food Mall

Recipe of the day

Fennel Pork Chops

Ingredients

4 pork loin chops

Food Mall: Pork Loin Chops

2 tablespoons garlic salt

1 tablespoon fennel seed
225ml (8 fl oz) white wine

Preparation method
1. Sprinkle garlic salt on both sides of the pork chops.

2. Pour a little olive oil into a frying pan. Put the pork chops in the frying pan and place fennel seeds on top of the pork chops. Ten to 15 fennel seeds per chop will probably do. Let the underside of the pork chop brown, then turn over. Once both sides are browned flip again.

3. Pour the wine into frying pan; cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 10 minutes and flip the pork chops over. Cover them again and let them simmer for another 10 minutes. Make sure the wine doesn't completely evaporate or the pork chops will burn. You may have to add a little more wine to the pan.