UKC

Im starting on a high fat / low carb diet with aim to improving endurance performance for running and cycling. I dont have any milk related products as ive got a milk protein intolerance, otherwise anything goes.
Ive heard for many years that eating too many animal fats or farmed meats is unhealthy in that it increases the risk of bowel cancer so im intrested to know what part of the meat / fat is actually bad for you and if some are better than others.
Ive always eaten three or four portions of oily fish a week, and im now having a fair bit of olive oil, nuts, coconut oil etc as my main sources as they are higher in mono unsaturated fats MUFA which is apparently the stuff our bodies like most. Some animal fats also have good profiles such as pork lard and goose / duck fat, but im worried these may have more risks?
So is it the meat in red meats or the fat thats considered harmful? I can get lean meats for the protein, or protein powders, thats not an issue, but with aiming for high fat intake, that wouldnt be of much use.
Thanks for reading.

In reply to Pesda potato:

I would read Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Racing-Weight-Lean-Peak-Performance-ebook/dp/B00C3...

In reply to kevin stephens:
I'll get on to that, just finished The art and science of low carbohydrate performance

In reply to kevin stephens:

Although its fairly interesting reading, and advocates more of a balanced meal with emphasis on food quality as he derives it, it doesn't answer my query about meat and fats

In reply to Pesda potato:

Eat lard. And quite possibly smoke tabs.

In reply to Pesda potato:

Basically he is saying that all non-processed meat with 10% fat or less is good quality, Meat or fish (including all "farmed" fish!) with more than 10% fat is deemed to be poor quality as part of the scoring system for his programme.

Also one glass of wine (presumably with a meal) is healthy: positive score whereas more than 2 is unhealthy (negative score)

As well as being healthy his system claims to be better at automatically regulating appetite which is easier than counting calories

In reply to Pesda potato:

Since I was in my twenties I've been a regular runner and competed in many competitive runs many over 12 miles. I can't say I've ever noticed food having made any difference.

Without any noticeable exceptions those who've beaten me have been fitter and younger or fitter and a little bit older than me. Fitness appears to be key.

As for what kind of fat or what kind of this or that? Over the years I've listened to or read Dr Death's diet for runners, Doctor NHS 'don't eat this' advice followed some years later by the same NHS, telling us its OK, but now don't eat this, and then changed their minds again sometime later.

The only conclusion I can draw is that a few fags/cigars, the odd lard sandwich, a few fry ups, a pint, or two or three, plus some wine, the odd goose, turkey or mutton fat at christmas and the odd other time during the rest of the year won't do you any harm at all. As long as you otherwise eat healthily - and you clearly know how to do this. Oh, and always eat your vegetables..

In reply to Pesda potato:

Don't overcomplicate it. If it's food humans have eaten for millennia it is OK. Choose organ meats as well. Eat fat that comes with the cut of meat. Limit all processed oil particularly grain oils and don't overheat oils.

In reply to Pesda potato:

In the interests of actually helping to answer your question, read this:

http://www.wcrf.org/int/blog/articles/2015/10/red-meat-and-bowel-cancer-ris...

Good options if you want to avoid too much red meats (and any dairy) would be lots of eggs, nuts, and white meat. You could eat lots of avocados too.

In reply to Pesda potato:

If I remember rightly, the study that concluded 'red meat causes cancer' was a deeply flawed epidemiological thing. I.E it looked for correlation, not causation. Whilst lumping obese/smokers/drinkers/etc in with the 'eat more meat' group. Therefore meat = bad. Much like in the 1970's the manipulation of data that resulted in recommendations to cut fat in the diet, which led to it being replaced by carbohydrates.

Everything I've been readying suggests fish, fatty red meat, offal, eggs, is good. Fruit oils - coconut is good can be heated as it's largely saturated and therefore stable, virgin olive oil is good, mono-unsaturates, but do not heat.

Pork/lard is interesting. Was warned off it by my gastroenterologist as being inflammatory = bad. Which I confirmed by eating pork the day before a couple of my regular blood tests (n=2/lots).

Poultry is fed grain to fatten it up in ever shortening timescales. This seems to result in more omega 6 poly-unsaturates being laid down, than hens allowed to also scavenge in the dirt for grubs, snails/etc. Omega 6 is known to be inflammatory.

Seed oils are largely omega 6 poly-unsaturates.

As for the milk protein intolerance, have you tried a hard sheep's milk cheese, like Manchego. I can't eat cows/goats milk/cheeses without my asthma kicking off big time, but Manchego is fine.

If you want more science, try looking/asking in https://www.reddit.com/r/ketoscience
For less science, more performance: https://www.reddit.com/r/ketogains

In reply to beth:

Some good replies there now, thanks - I'll keep down on the lard then, and I have free range meats wherever possible, but they're still probably being fed cr@p.
Offal meats I like except kidney so that's a good idea too.
I like avocados but they are either expensive or unripe, or both, but again good idea thanks.