How to Make Fat Tasty: Eating High Fat
There can multiple reasons why you want to eat a meal high in fat.
- Health reasons: maybe you are on a healthy diet like the paleo diet. The main source of energy on the paleo diet is fat - mostly saturated fat like coconut oil, coconut fat and animal fats like butter, tallow, etc.
- Steady energy levels: a diet high in saturated fats and low in carbohydrates results in the body mostly burning fat for energy. The body can store fat much better than carbohydrates. This results in much more steady energy levels and less need to eat frequently. In fact, for me, skipping a meal does not affect me much any more.
- Packing weight of fat: maybe you are traveling by foot and fat provides the most energy per weight (but burning fat uses more oxygen that carbohydrates - it is not a problem unless you are in extremely high altitude where the air gets thin).
- Or you may have other reasons.
I tried eating pure coconut fat and butter, but I got slight stomach pain within a few minutes and my body developed a strong disgust for pure fat within a few short days. It took months until that went back to normal. Eating 100% pure fat seems not to be appropriate.
So I had to find ways to eat a meal high fat and, of course, I want it to taste well.
The best tasting food, in my experience, is usually a mix of fat, carbohydrates, and protein. When my body gets all three nutrients in the right proportions, my taste senses fire up.
Creating a meal that contains much fat can be done in two ways: either starting with an existing meal and adding fat or starting with pure fat and then adding other ingredients.
I do not always have the ability to create full meals, so I sometimes go with the second approach of starting with pure fat and then adding other ingredients. It results in a very small volume meal and I can easily take it with me onto the road.
It does not matter which way you go, the tips are the same. If you start with an existing meal that already contains much protein (e.g. meat) then you will not need to add additional protein, of course.
Here is what I add to fat to improve the taste experience and make it appropriate for my stomach:
Adding Some Acid
This is the most powerful way of making fat taste better.
A bit of vinegar is a good choice, but be careful not to add too much.
Butter already contains butyric acid, however, sometimes some additional vinegar helps.
I remember when eating really fatty burgers and fries in the US, after a while I would get the feeling of : "This is too much, I cannot continue eating". But a sip of my Coke or Dr. Pepper (acidic drink!) solved that immediately and I could continue eating. This was back when I still ate fast food.
An alternative is mustard, which has a similar effect (mustard often contains vinegar). Onions are another alternative that worked for me as a kid to balance the ridiculous amounts of mayonnaise I ate with my burgers.
Adding Some Grated Vegetables or Fruits
Adding some grated vegetables or fruits helps a lot. I usually use carrots or apples. It does not need much of it. This is also very powerful and with it, I can eat my high fat meal easily.
Adding Some Carbs
If your body is hungry for carbohydrates and you put some (even if not much) into your fat, then your body recognizes that. He realizes that what you are eating contains carbohydrates and he wants you to continue eating and, therefore, will tell you to continue by making it taste well for you.
If you are not averse to sugar, then it's probably the most effective choice.
I usually add a bit of rice or mashed potatoes.
Adding Some Protein
If your body is hungry for protein, then this will improve the taste for you, even if you add only a little bit of it.
I usually add an egg: heat the fat slightly until it is liquid, then break the egg into it. Heat it up slowly while constantly stirring. If you heat it up too much or cook it too long, the fat and the egg will separate again. If done right, it results in a emulsion that is firm at room temperature.
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