Cook In Animal Fat
You can buy the best steak in Austin and still cook it in the wrong fat. What goes in the pan matters as much as what goes on the plate.
At CrossFit Uncommon we coach animal based eating: meat, eggs and organs first, real food around them. The fat you cook with is part of that. Paul Saladino, Shawn Baker and Anthony Chaffee all land in the same place here. Cook in butter, ghee, tallow or lard, and leave the industrial seed oils on the shelf.
This is education for people who train. It is not medical advice.
Skip the seed oils
Canola, soybean, corn, sunflower and safflower oil are what Saladino calls seed oils. They are industrial products, and they are in almost everything packaged and almost everything fried.
Saladino talks often about why he avoids them. They are high in polyunsaturated fat, which he points out is more fragile under heat than the saturated fat in butter and tallow. You do not need to memorize the chemistry. Just keep them out of your kitchen.
Use the old fats
Butter, ghee, tallow and lard. These are the fats people cooked with for generations, long before a bottle of vegetable oil showed up in every pantry.
Saladino's own advice is simple: cook with butter, tallow and ghee, and do not fear animal fats. Baker and Chaffee eat this way every day. Animal fats hold up well in a hot pan, and they taste better too.
He even skips olive oil and avocado oil in a hot pan, because he says they still get damaged by high heat. If you love olive oil, save it for food that is already cooked.
Easy swaps
You do not need a new cookbook. Just change the fat.
Sear steak in tallow.
Fry eggs in butter.
Roast potatoes or vegetables in ghee.
Save bacon grease and cook with it later.
Brown ground beef in its own fat and skip the oil altogether.
Start with the meal you cook most often and swap the fat there first.
Eat out smarter
Restaurants are where most seed oil sneaks in. Fryers, sauces, dressings and the grill top are often coated in it.
Ask what the food is cooked in. Some places will cook your steak or eggs in butter if you ask. Grilled meat with a side you trust beats anything that came out of the fryer. You will not get it perfect every time, and that is fine. The kitchen at home is where you have control.
Bottom line
Eat the animal. Cook in the animal's fat. Skip the seed oils. Then show up and train hard.
Want help building this into your week? Book a free intro at CrossFit Uncommon in North Austin. Link in bio, or start at crossfituncommon.com.
Not medical advice. Educational content only. If you have a health condition, talk with your doctor before changing how you eat.