The EssentiaList

by Catherine Haug, December 17, 2010

NOTE: This overview is another post in the Cat’s Fat’s series.

Synopsis:

Metabolism is the process used by the body to keep it functioning, and fats are an essential part of this function.

In addition to being a part of our diet, many fats can be made from carbohydrates or proteins in the liver. However, the essential fats (Omega-3 and Omega-6) cannot be made in our liver and must be obtained in our diet.

The process of digestion, absorption & metabolism of fats is not the same for all types of fatty acids. And while all fats can be used for energy production (just as carbs and proteins) they are also used for other purposes.

Excess fats are stored primarily in adipose tissue (fat cells), but may also be stored in the liver, for future use. Furthermore, excess dietary carbohydrates are converted to fats.

This article addresses:

• Short-chain (SCFA) and medium-chain (MCFA) fatty acids
• Long-chain fatty acids (LFCA)
• Fats and energy production
• Conversion of carbs to body fat

See also The Medical Biochemistry Page on Carbohydrate Metabolism (5) and Fat Metabolism(6) for much more detail.

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by Catherine Haug, November 25, 2010

This article discusses the following topics:

Introduction

• Essential elements for life (C, H, and O)
• What makes carbon so special?
• Carbon bonds (single, double, triple)
• Linear representation of hydrocarbon chains (diagrams)

What are fats?

• Glycerides (mono-, di- and tri-glycerides)
• Fatty acids
• Degree of saturation (saturated, mono-unsaturated, & poly-unsaturated)
• Omega number (omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9)
• Fatty acid composition of fats

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by Catherine Haug, Dec 7, 2010

I’ve been wanting to do a series of tutorial posts on fats – both dietary and for other uses such as soap and lotions. This is a daunting task because to understand them fully, you have to be open to learning a bit of chemistry. And I know that is off-putting, but I’ll try to keep it simple. I introduce you to a few technical terms, and provide links to learn more about them.

All articles in this series have their own Topic (in the ‘Blog Post’ pull down on our home page): “Topics: Cat’s Fats.”

Butter is one of our most healthful dietary fats, despite being maligned for the last 40+ years, so I thought I’d start with that.

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Fat in crock, with lid

text and photos by Catherine Haug

Back in July I posted Rendering Lard – the Perfect (& Original) Shortening, which covered the following topics:

• What is Lard
• What’s Good about Lard? (a comparison of lard vs vegetable shortenings)
• Rendering Lard (links to other instructional websites)
• Storage & Shelf Life
• Where to Obtain Lard for Rendering

In this post, I detail the process that Shelli R. and I used to render 10 pounds of pork fat from Farm to Market Pork. We decided to try the crockpot method following instructions in “Livin’ High on the Hog: How I Rendered my own Lard“, and take photos along the way. We did this in Shelli’s kitchen using three crockpots.

Printable version of this article: Rendering Lard in a Crockpot (pdf) (more…)