Mass And Saturated Fat

Another Mass TidBit that I would like you guys imput on. A lot of nutritionist in the mags feel we have what borders on “paranoia” about Saturated Fats; yes, they should represent a fraction of the total fat in our diet, but that animal fats, especially in the form of lean beef, “should” be part of AT LEAST our Mass Building phases. (Maybe 1-2 two steaks a week, as an example). I try to incorporate a lean steak on my “Controlled Cheat” day once a week, especilally during mass building phases. They provide fat, protein, iron, B-12, and a healthy “boost” in calories to aide in mass building. Any thoughts?

fuck it… i have one a day

I eat lean cuts of beef everyday, I see no problem with taking in 30-50% saturated/total fat. I do try to avoid trans-fatty acids like the plague, i.e. name-brand p.b. and margarine.

The most anabolic foods in the world are eggs, beef, and heavy cream (used in a protein shake). I probably put away 200 grams of fat from these three sources every day, and have normal BP and cholesterol. It is trans-fatty acids (hydrogenated oils) that really cause problems.

Agree with meat. Iron though btw, isn’t something that men generally want.

I eat steak once or twice a week and get a few eggs a week. No worries at all.

Slightly off topic: I was at Trail Dust in Dallas this weekend, which is a wild redneck steak house with a live band and a slide that goes from the second floor to the first. (The slide is for kids and drunks.) They offered a 50 oz porterhouse. That’s like half a cow! I stuck with the 15 ounce.

FAT BASICS: (1) omega 3s are key (salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, flax oil…) and need to make up a significant percentage of your total fat calories. That is a lot of flax oil capsules! If you are not eating fish then fish oil (do not buy a cheap brand)or flax oil (with a high potency B vitamin) is best. Udo’s choice is appropriate ONLY if that is the only source of fat in your diet (this has to do with optimal balance of omega 3s and omega 6s). (2) monounsaturates e.g. olive oil (extra virgin is best) and macademia nuts provide other benefits (including perhaps helping to maintain healthy testosterone levels and prevent heart disease) (3)saturated fats are probably fine in reasonable quantities especially if you are getting enough omega 3s (this has to do with omega 3s making your cell membranes more fluid and saturated fats making them less fluid (4)“trans” or “hydrogenated” fats i.e. margarine or anything with an ingrdient list that reads “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” anything: these fats do not exist in nature, have been linked to heart disease, and should be avoided like the plague. Yes butter is better than margarine (5)Enough vitamin e is critical for zillions of reasons, more so if you have a high fat intake(7)If you are taking flax long term, you might consider adding a small amount of GLA (e.g. borage or blackcurrant oil). It would take looking at a metbolic chart of fat metabolism to explain this)

Gee whizz, Mufasa, you sound just like me… I think we both
could use a bit more SAT FAT…Scott has a great point…I am a
big flax-oil user and have also read about flax-oil missing GLA,
which is needed by the body in the formation of the good
prostaglandins. These prostaglandins are anabolic and are crucial
for muscle growth control of inflamation.

HECK,I wanna eat steak NOW!

From a recent article I read, apparently higher intakes of saturated fats have been associated with higher amounts of cholesterol even if consuming a low cholesterol diet. As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, there seems to be a link between cholesterol and natural human steroid production. If so, a bit of saturated fat couldn’t hurt I’d imagine. I’m pretty sure having none could be a bad thing but I’m not sure. I know trans fatty acids just suck and you probably should avoid them however, because it exists in nature, odds are perhaps your body needs a SMALL amount or has evolutionarilly adapted to intake a small amount. If you’re concerned about it, I’d substitute the saturated fat with cholesterol. I don’t know about you guys but personally, despite it being kinda pricey, I think beef jerky has got to be one of the ultimate foods for a bodybuilder (strip kind). Very low fat, moderately good amounts of cholesterol (usually 6% ‘20 mgs’ per oz.) and protein (usually 24% ‘12 gs’ per oz.) with no saturated fat with low carbs. With all that good news, I suppose an icecream wouldn’t be such a bad idea as a treat now and then (you gotta have some glucose for muscle growth!) Oh and one other thing. When it comes to fats, I’ve heard monosaturated fats are best. They are usually in high concentrations in peanuts. Studies have shown that monosaturated fat improves mental function a lot (I know the brain is made up mostly of fat and nerve tissue so go figure I guess).

There’s no better treat than a nice ribeye, tine-tenderized, patted down with butter-salt and fresh-ground pepper, grilled to absolute perfection on a George Foreman grill! I eat one or two a week, plus prime rib once a week, and beef in other forms throughout. Just skip the starchy potato and have a nice serving of grilled veggies instead, like peppers and onions spritzed with olive oil, which you can cook on the grill at the same time as the steak, BTW. My fat track II calipers show 13% BF and dropping, even with all the beef intake. At last check, my cholesterol had dropped from 221 (after a 4 year layoff) to 128 after getting back into exercise and strength training. I’m not giving up my steaks!

Just to add a little to the discussion. GLA is also found in SLOW COOKING (not instant) Oatmeal. I make oatmeal a staple in my diet.

I finished that 50 oz son-of-a-bitch at the Trail Dust, so they didn’t charge me. So I now I go there everyday to meet my protein requirements :wink:

Thanks, I didn’t know that!..Thou hath given me reason to go
on an oatmeal binge!..SWEET!!!..I make up some old-fashioned
oats; I then mix in a tbsp. of Barlean’s flax seed oil, along
with my favorite protein powder, and sweeten it with a tsp.
of sugar free butterscotch pudding mix…YUMMY!!!

(Barleans is different from other brands because it contains
a brown-sludgy substance at the bottom called lignans which
give it a nutty taste…Shake well!) (Joey Z.)

I eat beef daily, usually at breakfast with a cup of oats, doesnt seem to be hurting me any

Essential fatty acids: such as flaxseed oil and fish oils contain omega 3,6 and other important fats. Essential fatty acids should make up most of the fat calories in your diet. Other good fats to include would be MCTs, Conjugated linoeic acid (CLA) it is an anti-catabolic, anti-oxidant fatty acid it is also one of the only good trans fats. Other good fats you should include is Gamma linolenic acid (GLA) you can find sufficient amounts in primrose oil and borage oil, it’s suppose to have beneficial effects on testosterone and estrogen. Linoleic acid is another good fat I would recommend you could get adequate amounts in soybean oil from your local supermarket. Stay away from saturated fats, and short-chain triglyceride this fat has some nasty health problems. Of course there are other good and bad fats out there that I did not mention.