Your Cart is Empty
In a surprising but welcome turn, restaurants like Steak 'n Shake are leading a movement back to traditional cooking fats like beef tallow. This shift has gained national attention recently due to statements made by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the newly appointed Health and Human Services Secretary. Kennedy has openly advocated for the reintroduction of beef tallow—rendered animal fat—in fast-food kitchens, claiming it's a far healthier alternative to the widely used seed oils. His stance has sparked both controversy and curiosity, but the science and history behind his argument are worth examining.
Seed oils, also known as vegetable oils, are extracted from the seeds of various plants, including soybean, corn, canola (rapeseed), sunflower, and cottonseed. They gained popularity in the mid-20th century due to industrial innovation and aggressive marketing that promoted them as "heart-healthy" alternatives to saturated fats like butter and lard. Today, seed oils dominate the fast-food industry and most processed foods on grocery store shelves.
Despite their widespread use, many nutrition experts and researchers are sounding the alarm over their health effects. Seed oils are high in omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), particularly linoleic acid, which in excess can contribute to chronic inflammation. These oils are often extracted using chemical solvents like hexane and subjected to high heat and refining processes, which can oxidize the fats and produce harmful compounds.
In contrast to seed oils, beef tallow is a natural fat that has been used in cooking for centuries. Before the rise of seed oils, tallow was the go-to frying fat for restaurants, including McDonald’s, which used it for their iconic French fries until the 1990s. So why the renewed interest?
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently declared that Americans are being "unknowingly poisoned" by seed oils and called for a return to beef tallow in fast food. His concern echoes a growing public awareness around the health risks of seed oils and a desire to return to traditional, nutrient-dense fats.
Here are some compelling reasons why beef tallow is making a comeback:
While beef tallow is gaining traction, it’s not the only healthy fat worth considering. Here are several other cooking oils and fats that offer both health benefits and culinary versatility:
If you're needing more assistance with learning to cook with whole food, real ingredients, check out the Heal Yourself Cookbook, which includes meal plans, a shopping guide, and tons of recipes to help you get started.
The move by restaurants like Steak 'n Shake to use beef tallow is more than a nostalgic throwback; it's part of a broader cultural reevaluation of what constitutes healthy eating. For decades, the public has been misled into fearing saturated fats while embracing processed seed oils. As new research emerges and thought leaders like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speak out, people are beginning to question long-held assumptions.
This change isn’t just about health; it’s about food quality, transparency, and a return to real ingredients. Consumers are more informed than ever and are demanding better options from the places they dine. Restaurants that adapt to this shift by embracing traditional fats like tallow are not only improving the nutritional quality of their food but also aligning with a growing movement toward whole, minimally processed ingredients.
Switching from seed oils to beef tallow isn’t a fad—it’s a return to culinary common sense. Seed oils, with their industrial origins and harmful byproducts, are increasingly viewed as one of the hidden culprits behind chronic disease. In contrast, animal fats like beef tallow offer a safer, more natural, and even tastier alternative.
As the conversation around food and health evolves, expect to see more restaurants and home kitchens swapping out their bottles of canola oil for jars of tallow and ghee. It's not just a matter of taste—it's a step toward reclaiming our health, one fry at a time.
