Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Anyone find eating a lot of fatty chicken (chicken w/ skin on) leading to poor skin health or decreased overall well being? I feel like a lot of people avoid poultry and pork here because a lot of people fear the O6 oil content in it.

However, my family and I actually cook using a lot of chicken fat and haven't noticed any downsides. In fact, I would say my skin and nails looks way better than they ever had, and if the appearance of skin and nails are strongly linked to health, which i firmly believe they are, then are we unnecessarily afraid of chicken and pork?

I don't think the improvement to skin is due to an overall higher fat consumption - i've tracked my daily intake of fat, and it's remained relatively steady for the past year.(my macronutrient profile has remained steady as well of ~35/45/20 -FCP) But I've definitely switched up the types of fats from butter, to lard, and now chicken fat.

looking forward to reading your responses!

Hester

flag	asked Feb 23 2012 at 15:50 Sunshine 1,839●1●2●10

	Do you eat the whole chicken? – Korion Mar 8 2012 at 17:33
	yup, nothing goes to waste. – Sunshine Mar 8 2012 at 19:16
	That explains it, Sunshine. It doesn't improve your skin, right? The gelatin and the organs make up for the PUFAs. – Bruno Mar 9 2012 at 9:44
	i suppose, but i've always had a ton of bone broth made from gelatinous animal parts. – Sunshine Mar 9 2012 at 14:51

kashperanto · Answer 1 · 2012-02-23 16:46:54Z UTC

I know the main reason I stumbled upon this diet was my trouble with acne, and I know that higher fat has surely helped me out majorly. I think it might help from changing the raw ingredients with which your skin produces oils, but don't quote me on it.

killerbee · Answer 2 · 2012-02-23 16:50:58Z UTC

There's another thread on here where someone said that their acne went away specifically when they started eating bacon. The same happened to me! Granted, I upped my fat intake overall and stopped all wheat and grains, but my lord, my skin has never looked better in my entire life! It's only been a month, and I've been able to stop using the benzoyl peroxide cream I've used every day for 10 years.

I like to believe it was all because of bacon...

Stabby · Answer 3 · 2012-03-08 17:52:39Z UTC

If you think about the general SAD population, most omega-6 consumption is highly oxidized to begin with. Chicken is fried in junk oils and damaged. But coming straight from the chicken or nut or avocado it is likely minimally oxidized and useful to contribute to the integrity of the skin. I think that a moderate amount of omega-6 is a good idea for structural reasons, although the necessity of it is kind of overstated by the supposed nutritional authorities, and it soon becomes pathological.

There is also the possibility that you just have a lot of oxidative stress going on in your body and it is destroying the omega-6 fats before they can be utilized, this is generally happening in eczema that responds well to omega-6 as shown here http://perfecthealthdiet.com/?p=5511 But the solution isn't necessarily more omega-6 but less oxidative stress. Consumption of large amounts of the precursors for our endogenous antioxidants and their partners in the anti-oxidation network often improves skin health and then less omega-6 is needed.

Nance · Answer 4 · 2012-03-08 17:34:09Z UTC

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The quality of proteins and fats definitely shows up in my skin, hair and nails but I personally don't react well to chicken. I do eat chicks (Cornish game hens) occasionally and eat the whole bird but I happen to do best from other fats such as beef, bacon, sardines and salmon. Egg yolks are fine as well.

answered Mar 8 2012 at 17:34

Nance
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	I'm curious, what sort of reaction do you get from eating chicken? – Sunshine Mar 8 2012 at 19:17
	When I eat chicken--and sadly, my budget doesn't cover pastured but I do buy the "no hormones/antibiotics" stuff--it tastes "muddy" to me and I feel "crummy" the rest of the day and perhaps the next. I don't notice that reaction with Cornish game hens, though. I did find an area store where the chicken tastes more wholesome, but I react about the same. I think I'm just wired for beef; I need a lot of it to keep my cholesterol above 160. – Nance Mar 8 2012 at 19:48
	do you get the same reaction from pastured poultry? – Sunshine Mar 8 2012 at 20:37
	I get mild-to-no reaction from pastured poultry but I don't get the "glowing" feeling of health I get from beef, salmon and sardines. – Nance Mar 8 2012 at 20:41
	interesting... thank you so much for your responses :-) – Sunshine Mar 9 2012 at 3:27

Fat and Skin appearance and Health

4 Answers