Is duck fat actually healthy for you?
Updated: Aug. 14, 2012
Some people swear duck fat is healthy, and even save it from the roasting pan to use as a spread. Here’s the surprising truth about this fat
Source: Best Health Magazine, January/February 2011; Photo credit: iStockphoto.com
"All in all, duck fat is a good fat," says Alejandro G. Marangoni, a professor in the department of food science at the University of Guelph. Good fat includes monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, and bad fats include saturated. "Duck fat is pretty high in monounsaturated fat, and thus not too high in saturates," he says. "I actually have a jar of it in my fridge." So consider ordering that duck confit next time you go out for a fancy dinner. As you can see from this breakdown of one tablespoon (15 mL), duck fat ranks between butter and olive oil.
This article was originally titled "I read somewhere…" in the January/February 2011 issue of Best Health. Subscribe today to get the full Best Health experience’and never miss an issue!
