Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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It seems just from reading a few things from Robb Wolf, he advocated "lean meats". Along with Loren Cordain. It seems that would reduce overall fat intake quite a bit as well. It seems he's quite a respected guy in the paleo community, but why "lean meats?"

flag	asked Dec 7 2011 at 6:02 Ryan 1,044●2●5●22

Stabby · Answer 1 · 2011-12-07 06:28:24Z UTC

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If you put "lean" in front of "meat" then people will be less terrified. Robb endorses eating fatty meat, it seems to be a rhetorical thing.

He has also said that he thinks that if people are eating commercial meats to choose leaner cuts to reduce toxins, I think. Somebody correct me if he didn't. Either way it seems to be mostly rhetorical.

answered Dec 7 2011 at 6:28

Stabby
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Yes he says eating wild meat will naturally be less in saturated fat and omega-6. – April S.♦ Dec 7 2011 at 6:33

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I remember hearing "lean meats" with conventional meat, and it makes sense, since that's where all the bad stuff is. Also conventional fat tastes bad. – Bristlebeard Dec 7 2011 at 7:52

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Yup, exactly what he said. He also says "Holy Cats!" – raydawg Dec 7 2011 at 21:50

That "holy cats" deal gig schtick is off the hook, Raydawg. – Stabby Dec 7 2011 at 22:59

Rhubarb · Answer 2 · 2011-12-07 06:19:49Z UTC

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If you read Rob's book, listen to his pod casts or read his blog, you'll quickly learn that he has no issue with saturated / animal fats - with the proviso that the animals are pasture raised / wild to maintain its correct fatty acid profile.

In fact he often brings up the point that Loren Cordain as adjusted his stance on saturated fats and is now more accepting of them.

answered Dec 7 2011 at 6:19

Rhubarb
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This is exactly right. The problem isn't with fat per se, it's with the way the animals are raised. Conventionally produced meats (which are the choice of about 97% of the US population) are way out of whack with a terrible omega 6/3 ratio. There is also the issue of toxins and such being stored in the fat tissues. If you are eating 100% grassfed/pastured meats (or wild game), enjoy your fats. If you are buying your meats from the grocery store, choose lean cuts and get your fat in other places. – Kewpie Dec 7 2011 at 13:00

Cordian merely qualified his view on SaFA. SaFA is still atherogenic. Will it kill you if you do Paleo and SaFA, probably not, but it's still inflammatory and causes atherosclerosis. – Namby Pamby Dec 7 2011 at 18:10

I'm interested to see Cordain's new book, to see exactly what he has to say about the matter. – Rhubarb Dec 7 2011 at 23:42

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The omega-imbalance in CAFO beef is really overstated. Beef isn't a high omega-3 food to begin with, grass-fed or not! It's low in PUFAs so any ratio to be had there, has minimal effect on diet when compared to other dietary sources of PUFAs. – Matt Dec 7 2011 at 23:53

April S. · Answer 3 · 2011-12-07 06:28:50Z UTC

Mark Sisson and Gary Taubes are also well-respected here but they advocate saturated fats and cholesterol. Heck, Sisson even encourages eating chicken skin which most people here are afraid of because of the omega-6 content. Sisson recently posted an article of why we should eat more animal fats: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-eating-animals-makes-everything-easier/
And I second what Rhubarb said: Robb Wolf has posted on his blog that it's more important to avoid things that cause inflammation such as lectins. When we eat Paleo, abstain from smoking and excessive exercise, minimize alcohol, and lower stress, "we do not need to be so caught up with saturated fats." He also highly criticizes the Ancel Keys study showing that saturated fats cause cardiovascular disease.
And if you didn't know already, Cordain has revised his views on saturated fats as well as Andrew Weil and agree that it doesn't pose a health problem.

MayaBee · Answer 4 · 2011-12-07 22:51:13Z UTC

I think there is a post on PH somewhere which puts this to bed - that basically when we say "lean" meat we actually mean as natural as possible ie. grass fed and better Omega-3 ratio therefore closer to a natural state of being for the animal and how "Grok" would have eaten if you like. This is opposed to grain fed with high Omega-6 and what I would call almost a franken-fat. In other words "lean" is not referring the amount of fat on the cut of meat but rather the type of fat.

Cynthia · Answer 5 · 2011-12-07 23:49:08Z UTC

I suggest you read this post from MDA: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/lean-meat/

In it he talks about Cordain's view on saturated fat/fatty meats. Basically, fatty meat is delectable. Get in on it. The reason why people say "lean" is because most of us are still getting our meat from grocery stores that only stock grain-fed animals. As a result, these animals are higher in Omega 6 fats which is bad for us. So we should eat the lean cuts of this commercial meat to avoid the Omega 6s. BUT, if your meat is grass-fed eat all the fat you want and don't worry about it. Fat = friend!

Another good article about lean meat is Hunt Gather Love's post about the "Faileo Diet": http://huntgatherlove.com/content/are-you-faileo-diet

Hope this helps!

What is Robb Wolf’s stance on saturated/animal fat?

5 Answers