Fat: health benefits and harms

Salo is a unique product about the benefits and dangers of which are still being debated. Despite the fact that it is fat, it has been proved repeatedly: it is incredibly useful for our body, it contains vitamins and substances that are actively involved in metabolic processes. Consider how fat affects the female and male body, what are its benefits and harms, what substances the product contains and other interesting information about it.

What is the difference between bacon and fat

Fat is a product from stock of animal fat. It is customary to call bacon fat of foreign origin, which was smoked or salted. Another fact: lard is exclusively called lard. If the product of any other animal was taken, it is no longer a lard, but ordinary fat.

Basically, the name bacon can be found in various culinary publications, while in everyday life we ​​rarely use it.

So, let's consider what terms exist and what they can mean:

1. Bacon. The word is borrowed from German, has several translations: bacon, fat, bacon.
2. Shpig. This is the name of the product, most often meat, which was stuffed with pieces of bacon.
3. Fat. As the explanatory dictionary says, this is body fat in the body of any animal.

What is the difference between bacon and bacon

Bacon is a clipping from the side of the pig’s sides, while the product will contain small streaks of fat. It is generally accepted that the thinner the veins, the more often they are, the more expensive and elegant the dish will be.

Interesting fact: There are special types of pigs that are raised under special conditions: they are provided with regular physical activity, but alternate with rest and gluttony. It is through this approach that the finest streaks of fat can be provided. Such bacon is considered an incredibly healthy and tasty product.

Bacon is an integral part of a traditional English breakfast. Thin slices are fried and served with scrambled eggs - such a dish is not only tasty, but hearty, healthy.

Salo is a simpler product, which is a piece of subcutaneous fat, it does not have meat streaks. Animals that give such a product are much easier to keep, so its cost is cheaper, respectively, fat and more common. Nevertheless, it is impossible not to mention the remarkable taste properties of fat. There are many ways to prepare it: lard can be salted or melted and stored for a long time. Bacon is more finicky in this regard, it can only be eaten fresh.

Composition and calorie content

As for calorie content, it is very high, about 700 kcal per 100 grams. Perhaps this value will seem unacceptable, but in fact you can’t eat a lot of this product, in addition, these calories are defined as “long”, that is, saturation is enough for a long time. They recommend eating fat to people who are unable to eat regularly or who are engaged in hard physical, mental labor - all energy costs will be replenished.

The most useful substance for our body, which contains fat in large quantities, is arachidonic acid. It is important in order to ensure the normal function of the brain, kidneys, and liver. It provides normal cholesterol metabolism, it is necessary for the production of hormones - this factor is especially important for women.

Palmitic, linoleic, linolenic acid are also found in fat. It is generally accepted that lard is much healthier than butter due to the fact that it contains fat-soluble vitamins: A, E, D and carotene. If you want to ensure normal vitality of the body, good immunity, excellent mental and physical activity, you should definitely include fat in your diet.

Cholesterol, a substance that many fear, is also present in this product. But it is also necessary to maintain the body, as it is a component of the muscles and intercellular membranes. If you use fat in reasonable amounts, then your body will receive a normal amount of cholesterol, which will only benefit.

What is the benefit of lard for the body

Consider what exactly the benefits of fat are, why you should not be afraid to use it for people of different ages and gender.

For women

It helps restore hormonal balance, has antioxidant properties, which means that with regular use of fat, you can slow down the aging process in the body. Increases immunity, dulls the feeling of hunger for a long time, which will help people who are losing weight. Activates metabolic processes. Reduces the level of "bad" cholesterol, has anti-cancer properties.

For men

Fat contains selenium, and it is necessary for excellent male health, as it promotes the synthesis of sex hormones, which means it provides good potency and also improves the quality of seminal fluid. It also prevents fat and the appearance of cardiovascular diseases, liver diseases - it is men who are most often affected by such ailments.

During pregnancy

Thanks to vitamin A, you can protect the body of a pregnant woman from infections, provide good immunity. Also, the product is rich in vitamin D - it is necessary for the good development of the skeletal system, for the child it is especially important because it prevents the development of rickets. Also, the product is recommended to eat due to the fact that it contributes to better absorption of phosphorus, as well as calcium. Experts recommend fat in the early stages of pregnancy, as well as during lactation.

When breastfeeding

Fat is a high-calorie product, which contributes to a better allocation of milk, saturates it with useful substances. Vitamins D, A, E increase the immunity of mother and baby.

For children

In small quantities, the product will be useful to children due to the fact that it contains unsaturated fatty acids, provides the baby with energy, improves brain activity. Easily absorbed by a fragile body, does not contain harmful impurities, stimulates the activity of the brain. But you can give fat to your child only after consulting a specialist.

Which fat is healthier: salted or boiled

During cooking, the product loses some of its beneficial properties, so it is generally believed that salted salmon has the greatest benefit. Again, do not get carried away with a salty product if a person suffers from edema or is hypertensive: a large amount of salt can aggravate the situation.

Is smoked and fried bacon useful?

Compared to salted, smoked lard contains less nutrients. Especially important is the fact that a variety of harmful chemicals, such as liquid smoke, are used in industry for smoking. Such a product is generally impossible to call useful, rather, it will be harmful to health.

In general, it is necessary to understand that any processing contributes to the fact that the product loses its useful properties.As you know, fried food is generally not recommended for food, but as for frying dishes on lard - melted lard - such a product will be more nutritious and safer for health. Many love cracklings, and you can use them in small amounts, but again, such a product will be less useful than raw fat.

Is it possible to eat fat while losing weight

Surprisingly, it is a fact: many nutritionists recommend fat to people who seek to lose weight. Due to the fact that this product breaks down very slowly, you can maintain a feeling of satiety throughout the day. At the same time, fat contains a large number of useful substances that are vital for the normal functioning of the body.

Surprisingly, there are even special diets that involve the use of lard. For example, a Polish nutritionist has developed a special diet, which involves the daily use of eggs, lard, cream in unlimited quantities. Already after 3-4 days you can lose about 2 kg of excess weight, but the specialist warns that such a diet is prohibited if a person has problems with the pancreas.

Fat in medicine

In folk medicine, you can find a huge number of recipes that involve the use of lard, both inside and out. Consider when it is possible to use this product and whether it will harm.

With diabetes

With this disease, lipid metabolism is disrupted, which means that the risk of a disease such as atherosclerosis increases. In small quantities, you can use boiled fat, but you will have to refuse salty delicacies.

With pancreatitis

If the disease proceeds in an acute form, then lard is prohibited. If the form is sluggish, then in small quantities this product can be eaten occasionally: it will saturate the body with useful vitamins and minerals.

With gastritis

If gastritis is acute, the patient must follow a diet that excludes the use of lard. With increased acidity, you can eat the product, but without the addition of spices: they provoke the release of gastric juice. With gastritis with low acidity, fat can be: pork, lamb, beef, but in limited quantities.

For constipation

If a person suffers from constipation, experts recommend for a while to refuse to use fat, because it contains unsaturated fats, and with this pathology, you need to use saturated fats.

With gout

If this unpleasant disease has overcome, then lard will help to cope with pains perfectly - you can make compresses or rub the product in places where unpleasant sensations torment you.

With colitis

The disease requires the obligatory observation of a specialist, as well as a strict diet, which forbids the use of lard.

With hemorrhoids

There are many effective, proven recipes for hemorrhoids, the main ingredient in which is bacon. You can make candles from melted fat from cracks, with pain, with the addition of herbs. Reviews about this method of treatment are positive, but before starting the course, you should definitely consult a doctor.

With cholecystitis

Doctors prohibit the use of fat in this disease. In addition, the use of the product with an ailment of a sluggish form can provoke its exacerbation.

As you can see, despite the benefits of fat, it is forbidden to eat it in some diseases. If you have chronic diseases of the stomach or pancreas, you should always consult your doctor before tasting this delicious nutritious product.

Salo in cosmetology

Fat contains many useful substances - we have already mentioned this above. There are many proven, effective grease based recipes that make your hair and skin shine again.Let's consider the most interesting options.

Mask for dry, aging skin

Melt lard in a water bath. Grind any fruits with a blender, add to the bacon. Cool and apply with light movements on previously cleansed face skin. After 20 minutes, rinse with warm water and soap. After two procedures, you will notice that small wrinkles are smoothed out, and the skin has become more elastic.

Rejuvenating mask

Aloe juice, rose water, flower honey and lard are heated in a water bath. Mix thoroughly, wait until the mixture cools down. It can be applied to the skin of the face, décolleté, hands. Wait until the mixture is absorbed into the skin - about 15 minutes, remove the residue with a cotton swab. You do not need to wash your face. You need to make such a mask at night, and already in the morning your skin will delight you with its silky and velvety appearance.

Whitening mask

Grind the cabbage leaf thoroughly, squeeze the juice and mix with pre-warmed lard. Apply with light tapping movements to problem areas of the skin, after 15 minutes remove excess with a cotton pad.

Mask for problem skin

Pour parsley decoction into the heated lard, there you can add a decoction of chamomile or sage. If you do the mask regularly, you can get rid of pimples and redness, without drying the skin.

Fat for hair

If your hair became dull, began to split, you can help them by applying masks based on lard. Simply melt the product in a water bath and rub into the hair roots. After that, wrap the head with polyethylene, cover with a towel on top. Wait 2 hours and rinse. The effect will be brighter if you warm your hair with a hairdryer. It is difficult to rinse off the lard: stock up on shampoo and patience. Nevertheless, people who have tried this recipe claim: hair begins to grow faster, became shiny and silky.

If the hair is dry, then fat will come to the rescue. Lard should be melted, mixed with pumpkin juice and ginger, add a few drops of castor oil. Make a hair mask in exactly the same way as described above.

Harm and contraindications

Despite all the beneficial substances contained in fat, this product is not for everyone. Immediately it is worth mentioning that without harm to health it can be used in the absence of chronic diseases of the liver, stomach and biliary tract. Everything is useful in moderation, the maximum amount of fat that does not harm is 30 grams per day.

If you do not want to harm yourself, it is best to use salted lard. Again, there is an exception: people with diabetes, ulcers and gastritis will have to give up treats because the product is usually salted with spices, and this can trigger an exacerbation of the disease.

If the fat has streaks of meat, that is, the product must be used with caution, there is a high risk of contracting helminths.

Fat is contraindicated in the presence of such pathologies:

1. In violation of cholesterol metabolism, atherosclerosis, diabetes.
2. In diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: ulcer, gastritis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, colitis, etc.
3. With obesity. Despite the fact that fat can be on a diet, people with obesity are forbidden. This point is due to the fact that it is difficult to control the appetite, it will not work to invest in the daily norm, and fat is high in calories.
4. With diseases of the gallbladder. Fat has one feature: it has a choleretic effect, and in the presence of diseases of the gallbladder, the systematic use of this product can lead to a number of complications.

You can not eat more than 30 grams per day - you run the risk of getting better, because the product is high-calorie. Doctors recommend not to get involved even in healthy unsaturated fats.

The best option: before introducing fat into the diet, consult a physician.He will tell you if you can have a treat in your situation - in the presence of sluggish ailments. Do not forget to ask for a certificate of quality in the market: this way you will protect yourself from helminths, you will be sure that this is a useful, harmless product.

How to choose salting for salting

If you want to get a really high-quality salted fat, then you will have to take all its responsibility to choose it. So, we will consider the main criteria that you need to pay attention to if you decide to buy lard from your hands and then salt it.

1. Colour. A quality product has a white color with a light pink. If you notice yellowness, it is better to bypass the counter: this means that the lard is no longer fresh, which means that after salting it will have an unpleasant, specific smell. There are veins vertically red in color - the carcass processing was not performed correctly, this factor also affects the final result.
2. Smell. Despite the fact that many people don’t take fresh lard to the spirit, you need to smell it: the product should have a pleasant milk aroma without any impurities.
3. View. Ideally, if you can find a piece whose thickness will not exceed 5 cm. This thickness is the best option for salting: it will be well salted, there will be no unsalted pieces. For example, a thick piece will have to be salted for a very long time, and it is not a fact that inside it will taste good. The skin should be easily separated from the pulp, and the surface should not be overdried. The color of the skin does not matter. If desired, you can choose lard with a meat layer - such a product will be even more valuable.

How to store salted fat

You bought lard and already brought it home, but there is no time for salting? Remember: if you want to get a flawless final product, the maximum time allowed to store fat in the refrigerator is 24 hours.

If the lard has already been salted, place it in a plastic dish and leave it in the refrigerator. You can send the product to dry freeze if further consumption is not planned in the near future or you have salted too many goodies.

How to salt lard at home

Many hostesses do not know how to salt the product so that the lard turns out to be tender, literally melting in the mouth. There are two ways in total:

1. Easy - you use only salt or a salt-based broth.
2. Complex - all kinds of spices, sugar are added in order to give a special touch to the taste of lard.

Separate salting and by type:

• dry - if storage is planned for a long time;
• wet - the best option for the back;
• combined - suitable for brisket or loin.

In order for the product structure to remain dense, not loose, experienced hostesses recommend salting the frozen fat.

Consider a few proven recipes:

1. Brine. Cut the lard into pieces (about the size of a fist). Prepare a solution: boil water, adding salt. Determining the right amount of salt is simple: dip the egg in brine. If it pops up, there is enough salt. There you need to add allspice, lavrushka, garlic - all these seasonings will only improve the taste of the workpiece.
2. With the addition of onion peels. Sprinkle pieces of bacon with salt, send for a day under oppression. Then fill with water - it should cover the lard 1 cm, add onion dark husk, bay leaf, allspice to the same. Boil all this for about 60 minutes, then get the lard and wait until it cools. Grate red and black ground pepper and garlic. Wrap in foil and refrigerate. After a day, the fat is ready to eat - you will be pleasantly surprised by the unusual appearance, as well as the taste of the fat.
3. Hot method. If you want the bacon to come out spicy, pungent, this method is perfect. For one liter of water you need to take 400 grams of salt, add several leaves of lavrushka there. Cut the fat into pieces, place in the mixture for 12 hours. After the specified time, put a saucepan with the contents on the fire and boil for 10 minutes. Wait until the lard has cooled in brine, get it. Now you need to grate it with hot black and red pepper, you can add dry garlic to taste. The fat is incredibly tasty: delicate and fragrant.
4. Ukrainian recipe. Cut the lard into pieces, make cuts in it, into which the garlic is pre-cut in half (lengthwise). Next, grate the product with salt, hot pepper and chopped coriander. Put the lard in a plastic container and put it in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. This is an easy way to get tasty and healthy salted lard.

As you can see, there are many ways to ambassador - you can easily choose the option that you like. If you choose the fat correctly, then with salting it is simply impossible to spoil it.

What do you eat fat

This delicious nutritious product will go perfectly with bread, mustard and horseradish. In addition, nutritionists recommend combining lard with hot spices: so fatty foods will be easier to digest. You can also eat lard with onions, ideally if the hostess serves borsch and brown bread.

Potato is another product that blends perfectly with lard. It should be boiled: peeled or in uniform.

Solo is an excellent appetizer for vodka, you can add garlic, pickles and tomatoes.

And nutritionists say that garlic in combination with lard is a great way to get rid of "bad" cholesterol!

Can dogs give fat?

Dogs cannot be fat, despite the fact that the animal will definitely like this product. It is likely that the dog will become infected with such diseases:

1. Helminthiasis (or simply worms). By themselves, they are harmless, but larvae can eventually begin to move throughout the body, affecting vital organs.
2. Hidden rabies. For humans, this disease is completely harmless (in addition, it is unlikely that any of us is a lover of fresh fat), but for a dog it is fatal. The animal begins to lose weight, over time, the central nervous system is affected, which leads to death.
3. Tapeworm. This disease is rare, but it still exists and is fatal.

Dogs should not be given salt lard because animals are forbidden to eat salt. Take care of your animals.

Interesting facts about fat

Consider interesting facts related to this product.

1. Ukrainians are not the only fans of fat. It is used in all countries of the European Union, the difference can be in the method of preparation, as well as in the form of bacon: someone loves a boiled version, but the British prepare breakfast with bacon (bacon with a layer) for breakfast.
2. Chocolate-coated lard is not a myth! Such sweets really exist! Of course, not everyone will like them, but many claim that such an appetizer has an exotic and very pleasant taste.
3. The taste of the product directly depends on what the pig was fed. The most delicious salsa in domestic pigs that eat natural food, let it be leftovers from the hosts table.
4. Size is important for salting! The best option is a thickness of 4 cm, everything else can be used to prepare other dishes, but for salting, cut lard so that its thickness is at least 2.5 and not more than 5 cm.
5. Soccer ball from fat: real? The answer is yes! Such an exhibit was created in Lutsk, its volume was more than 6 m. It was sewn using heavy-duty threads, more than 600 kg of product was used.
6. Delicious bacon from Italy! There is a special kind of product that is made in the village.For this, special recipes are used: the product is aged in marble baths, which are located in caves, under the yoke of bacon lies more than 6 months. It has an unusual taste and a fairly high cost, because it is almost equal to delicacies.
7. The homeland of fat is not Ukraine at all, but Italy, 3000 years ago fat in this country fattened slaves in order to increase endurance. A little later, poor people began to eat the product, but they had already begun to come up with a variety of recipes and cooking methods to improve the taste of lard. Over time, it appeared on the tables of the rich, but they consumed a product with the addition of rosemary and a variety of spices, even pineapples.
8. Skiers used lard in order to provide the skis with good glide. But pastes and other coatings intended for this purpose appeared much later.
9. Not everyone can feast on salome. For example, Muslims and Jews should never use this product based on the laws of faith.
10. It is undesirable to eat fat in a fried form: a large number of carcinogens. Raw fat is also not good: there is a high probability of infection with worms.
11. Fat contains cholesterol. But in much smaller quantities than butter, so it is safe to say that it is better to eat a piece of bacon than to flavor porridge with a copious amount of supposedly useful butter. You can’t eat on an empty stomach: there is a high risk of exacerbation of gastrointestinal diseases.

As you can see, you can talk about this amazing product for hours: lard is really not only tasty, but also healthy. But do not forget: in everything you need to know the measure so as not to harm your body.

Sala photo