Fatty proteins vs lean proteins - eggs?

[Allia]

Hello! I have several questions about fat. No one in my family is used to adding fat to meals besides a small amount of cooking oil, so this is sort of a new experience for me. That's why I don't usually think of adding fat as adding flavor and it is not like I am shying away from it.

 

I've read on other places of the forum that eggs are considered a fatty protein. But on the other hand, when I used the exchange list for meal planning at a previous time, they were considered around equal to other meats like nonlean pork and beef, even with the yolks. Do I not need to add fat to meals with pork shoulder, for example, either? I thought that fat was a pretty important part of the Whole30 plan.

 

 

So essentially my questions are...

 

• Why are eggs considered a fatty protein?
• Do I not need to add fats to meals with most pork/beef cuts and eggs? The exclusion of eggs sort of seems strange to me. I thought we should always add a thumb of fat to meals unless it's really fatty meat (like ribeye/pork belly), and maybe more than a thumb for very lean meat, as per the template.

[ShannonM816]

You can always add a fat to your meal, regardless of whether your protein is lean or not. Fat is an important part of your meal because it is slower to digest than the protein and vegetables, so it's important for helping to keep you full between meals. Some people, through trial and error, find that if they have fattier sources of protein, they can make it 4-5 hours between meals even without adding fat, or without adding as much fat. This doesn't mean you have to try to do this. 

 

Starting out, it's probably best to just go ahead and add the fat at each meal, regardless of what protein you're having. You really, truly are unlikely to eat too much fat, if you're eating it in the context of a meal. Exceptions to this might be people who have had their gallbladder removed, or people who have had some weight loss surgeries that may make it hard for them to process fat  -- they may have to play with the amounts and types of fats to find some that don't cause digestive issues for them. Other than that, if you're not eating mindlessly, you should start to feel full before you've really had an unhealthy amount of fat.

 

As for why eggs are considered a fatty protein and therefore you don't need to add fat with them -- When people are having trouble adding fats to meals, moderators will sometimes point out that one way to add fat is to choose fattier cuts of meat or other proteins. I don't think it was intended as telling people to limit fat if they choose fattier cuts of meat, I think it was intended for people who can't quite wrap their head around adding fat to their food, to help them get in at least the minimum amount of fat they need with their meals. I could be misinterpreting that, but that's the way I've always understood it to be meant -- not as instructions to limit adding more fat, but as a way to embrace adding fat at all for people who were having trouble with it, and a lot of people really do have trouble adding it because the low-fat, non-fat everything mindset is pretty strong for many people.

[Allia]

You can always add a fat to your meal, regardless of whether your protein is lean or not. Fat is an important part of your meal because it is slower to digest than the protein and vegetables, so it's important for helping to keep you full between meals. Some people, through trial and error, find that if they have fattier sources of protein, they can make it 4-5 hours between meals even without adding fat, or without adding as much fat. This doesn't mean you have to try to do this.

Starting out, it's probably best to just go ahead and add the fat at each meal, regardless of what protein you're having. You really, truly are unlikely to eat too much fat, if you're eating it in the context of a meal. Exceptions to this might be people who have had their gallbladder removed, or people who have had some weight loss surgeries that may make it hard for them to process fat -- they may have to play with the amounts and types of fats to find some that don't cause digestive issues for them. Other than that, if you're not eating mindlessly, you should start to feel full before you've really had an unhealthy amount of fat.

As for why eggs are considered a fatty protein and therefore you don't need to add fat with them -- When people are having trouble adding fats to meals, moderators will sometimes point out that one way to add fat is to choose fattier cuts of meat or other proteins. I don't think it was intended as telling people to limit fat if they choose fattier cuts of meat, I think it was intended for people who can't quite wrap their head around adding fat to their food, to help them get in at least the minimum amount of fat they need with their meals. I could be misinterpreting that, but that's the way I've always understood it to be meant -- not as instructions to limit adding more fat, but as a way to embrace adding fat at all for people who were having trouble with it, and a lot of people really do have trouble adding it because the low-fat, non-fat everything mindset is pretty strong for many people.

Thanks for the reply. It was really informative. As for me I really am unused to adding fat and I do have trouble doing so. What would some examples of fattier proteins be?

Something I am concerned with is that, I don't think I'd have as much fat if I just had those fattier proteins. Eggs are not *super* fatty I think, they're pretty similar to most non-lean meats and I always thought that the added fat recommendation was an in-general rule.

I'm just not sure how I could eat enough (currently unhealthily underweight so it's important to me) fat if I were to eat, say, eggs without added fat.

Btw, when one speaks of fattier cuts of meat, is that with the fat trimmed off?

[ShannonM816]

 

 

Thanks for the reply. It was really informative. As for me I really am unused to adding fat and I do have trouble doing so. What would some examples of fattier proteins be?

Something I am concerned with is that, I don't think I'd have as much fat if I just had those fattier proteins. Eggs are not *super* fatty I think, they're pretty similar to most non-lean meats and I always thought that the added fat recommendation was an in-general rule.

 

I'm just not sure how I could eat enough (currently unhealthily underweight so it's important to me) fat if I were to eat, say, eggs without added fat.

 

 

If you're underweight, you definitely need to add fats in addition to whatever fat is in the proteins you choose, even if you choose fattier options. You might find this article on keeping weight on during a Whole30 helpful.

 

In addition to adding at least one thumb-size serving of fat at each meal (or a heaping handful of olives or coconut flakes, or a half to a whole avocado, or a closed fist of nuts or seeds), you could opt for fattier portions of protein. If you have fish, choose salmon over white fish. Choose chicken thigh over chicken breast, and get the skin on if possible. When you look at cuts of beef, you can usually see fat, whether it's in thick pieces around the edges or the white that's marbled throughout -- go for the ones with more visible fat. 

 

But you're right that you're not going to eat enough fat without added fat, so I really suggest you start looking at sauces and dips that you can make to add to your meals. Something like chimichurri sauce or Moroccan dipping sauce is good on meat or vegetables. Make some mayo, then dip roasted sweet potato chunks in it. Or slather it on fish or chicken before you bake it. Or use it to make some of the sauces here.  Or instead of separate sauces, look for recipes that build extra fat in automatically -- maybe something like a curry that uses coconut milk, or these green beans that have coconut milk and almonds. If you like olives, chop them up into any recipe where you think the flavor would work.

 

I know it probably goes against everything you've been taught before, but just trust this process for 30 days. If it helps, remind yourself of the things that fat in your diet is good for -- it helps keep your skin and hair healthy, you need it to absorb some vitamins like vitamin D that are fat soluble, and it gives you energy to do all the things you want to do every day. 

[Allia]

Thank you again for the well-thought-out reply. I often feel as if on this forum, I'm always surrounded by kind and helpful individuals!

I have read that article. I've also been told to try to eat to the higher side of the template if possible. Thanks for the advice about the meat! I don't know much about which meats are fattier and which are leaner.

Yeah, the added fat thing always confused me. I think that (again) eggs are really not any fattier than, say, pork chops, which confuses me about how people seem to single out eggs as a fatty protein. Is there any justification for this? O.o that's why I thought that if you ate something like eggs and didn't add any fat that would be not much fat as if you added fat to a leaner portion, and thus not enough.

Thanks for all of these sauces and dips suggestion! I was actually looking for one today. What's the serving size of those?

It does sort of go against my previous lifestyle. I never ate a lot of fat before and shied away from avocado and coconut.

Btw, what's your opinion on chicken sausage? Is it considered a really fatty cut?

[ShannonM816]

Serving size is whatever amount works for what you're eating. Really, don't worry about measuring it out. If you're going to dip your vegetables in mayo, put a big spoonful of mayo on the plate -- if you run out of mayo before you run out of vegetables, add a little more. You're really, really not going to manage to overeat any of these sauces or dips, even though they're really good. 

 

Chicken sausage is usually not very fatty. 

 

I just want to reiterate, I think you should add additional fat at each and every meal, regardless of whether you choose a fattier protein source or not. You need the extra fat so that you at least maintain your weight. To the extent that you think about what meats have more fat in them, it should be in the context of having extra, bonus fat at a meal from a fattier protein source, not to take the place of adding fat in addition to your protein source. I personally wish people would stop talking about not needing to add fat when they have eggs -- the meal template is a minimum amount of everything that you need to have to function, and having some extra fat with their eggs would probably not hurt anyone, and it very definitely is important to have for someone who needs to make sure they don't lose weight.

[Allia]

Thanks for input again! I hope these sauces turn out to be good

As for the bit about fat already in meat - I take it that adding the fat supposed to be a long-term plan, even for people that don't need to gain weight? I sort of understand where you are coming from, especially as eggs are really even not *that* fatty, unless they are cooked in oil (that doesn't really count as the egg itself being oily even).

Do you think I should not cut away the fat from the meat (if it's grass fed/organic)?

[jmcbn]

Shannon has given you some great advice here.

As for cutting away the fat from meat I personally never do (it's so tasty!), and I always add an additional fat source too - regardless of whether the protein is fatty, lean or otherwise.

Embrace the fat 

[Allia]

Thanks for all the advice.

 

To be honest it feels like people are saying adding fat is only necessary to lean meats, which sort of intensifies my fear of them...

[ladyshanny]

Allia, what people are saying that? There seems to be a general trend in your dialogues where you ask for advice for yourself and then become very concerned with what other people are going to be doing or what advice other people have been given.

 

For YOU, in YOUR context of needing to at least maintain weight if not gain some, you need to eat at the high end of the template and add additional fats to every meal that you make.  This may not be precisely the advise we give someone who has weight to lose and that advise may not be precisely the advise we give a pregnant or nursing woman or a person with an autoimmune condition or a person with any other unique-to-them circumstance.

 

The advice you have been given by these brilliant moderators was specifically written for you and takes into consideration the circumstances and situations that you have outlined as your backstory.  It's for no one else and doesn't necessarily apply to other people.  You do you.  

[Allia]

Oh sorry I didn't make myself clear. I just meant that, I feel a bit uncomfortable about the inclusion lf

certain proteins as being fatty because I think that if I didn't add fat to those is actually just end up with as much fat as in lean cuts of meat, which is sort of absurd and confuses me! Advice wise, I am definitely trying not to be too concerned with what other people do. Thank you for your encouragement again.