Provident Living Wisdom-Fats & Oil

DISCLAIMER: We are not medical professionals nor nutritionists. The following is based on research and personal experiences and is for educational information and not intended as counsel or prescription.
 
Following a catastrophe, fat in your diet will be highly important.
“Fats” includes oils and fats found in high-fat foods; nuts, seeds, peanuts, egg yolks, mayonnaise, avocados, fatty fish, meat, whole milk, butter, cheese, lard (rendered pork fat), tallow (rendered beef fat), and of course, olive oil, coconut oil, and other common oils.
 
Following a catastrophe, you will certainly be doing much more physical work, including walking. The additional energy from fats will be essential, but that is not the only reason to store fats. Fats add to the taste, smell, and texture of foods. Fat is needed for frying, cooking, baking.
 
The human body needs a balance of fats in the diet to maintain wellness, especially the brain and nerves. Following a catastrophe, maintaining wellness will be vital at a time when we may not have medical professionals, medical supplies and equipment.
 
Right now, it's very easy to get fats. Following a catastrophe, it will be very difficult. Unlike fruits and vegetables, you can’t easily grow fat producing foods, with a few exceptions. You can grow a crop like sunflower seeds, but doing so will require special equipment to press out the oil. You can raise ducks, chickens, sheep, goats, cattle, etc. that provide fat via eggs and meat, but not rabbits. Rabbit meat has no fat! Research: “protein poisoning” or “rabbit starvation”.
 
A huge missing component in long-term food storage products is fat. Foods with even a small amount of fat do not store well. That’s why food storage manufacturers leave the fat out, otherwise such foods would be rancid in a short time. Because of this, it’s vital to store fats.
 
Store the right fats in the right way.
Fats will go rancid, meaning they oxidize with exposure to oxygen, light, heat, and/or moisture.
Rancid fats have a terrible taste and smell, which makes food containing fat taste bad. Even the slightest smell or taste of rancidity indicates that the fat is significantly rancid. Fats may already be rancid before you can taste or smell it.
 
Most common oils found in a grocery store may only have a shelf life of 6 months. Extra virgin / cold pressed olive oil may have a shelf life of a year or more from the time it was produced. But you never know when it was produced, and what conditions it was stored. Before buying any oil, learn something about the producer, when it was produced, how it was processed, how it was stored, and select oil from a reputable producer and supplier. Extra virgin / cold pressed olive oil is more expensive but worth it. Some suppliers dilute it with inferior cheap oil, which will make it go rancid sooner.
 
To store fats longer:
1)     Fat/oil at room temperature is either solid or liquid. As a general rule, solid fats store longer. For example, lard (rendered pork fat), tallow (rendered beef fat), coconut oil and other fats that are solid at room temperature generally have a longer shelf life than oils that are liquid at room temperature.
2)     Choose a type of fat that inherently has a longer shelf life, such as coconut oil which may have a shelf life of 2 years and may store much longer if stored in the fridge or freezer.
3)     Check the “sell by” or ”use by” date. Note: the “sell by” or “use by” date is based on optimal storage conditions. If the product is in the refrigerated area of the store, the “sell by” or “use by” date is likely based on it being stored refrigerated. Fats/oils (such as flax oil) that are sold in the refrigerated section are not the type of fats that will store well.
4)     Fats must be stored where there is no light, or in containers that do not allow light in. Some oil bottles are dark brown or dark blue for this reason.
5)     Fats store best in sealed containers with as little air in the container as possible. When using oil from a large container, keep in mind that each time the container is opened oxygen comes in. This will make the oil go rancid more quickly. It may be better to buy oil in small containers. If you buy oil in large containers, transfer it into small containers. Use up the small containers one at a time while the remaining containers stay unopened.
6)     Fats store best when kept as cold as possible, ideally in the freezer. This is especially important if there is any moisture in the fat (such as butter, which has 15% water). Freezing fats and oil does not harm it. But repeated freezing and thawing might not be the best for it. Actually, fats do not freeze, they solidify. Unlike water, fats do not expand when frozen. Oils can be stored in glass containers in the freezer and will not break the bottle. Glass is fragile, wrap glass bottles in cardboard or other protection.
Butter can probably be kept frozen for a couple of years, other fats and oils can be kept in the freezer for several years, depending on the type of fat. When the power goes out and the freezer no longer works, good quality fats will still be good for months if kept cool. Ideally, use the oils with a shorter shelf life first saving the “hard-at-room-temperature” for last.
7)     Glass is ideal for storing fats and oil because it will not react to glass as it might with plastic. Metal cans do not break, but they are most likely lined with plastic inside. All things considered, oil in cans is probably the best. Any good long-lasting oil stored in its original container, even if it’s plastic is a great commodity.
8)     Some plastic containers are gas permeable, meaning oxygen can penetrate the container. This is not as important of an issue if the oil is stored at low temperatures.
 
Important to Know about Fats
 
Freeze Drying: You cannot freeze dry fat or oil. Freeze drying does not make foods with fat less likely to become rancid. There are many freeze-dried foods that can last up to 30 years. This can only be true if the food has no fat. However, freeze dried foods have very little moisture, and are usually stored in sealed, oxygen-free containers, that also keep the light out. These factors (not the freeze drying) slow down rancidity, especially if stored in the fridge or freezer. It would be better not to freeze dry foods with high fat content.
 
Fat in Grains: Oil in the germ of wheat, oats, rice, and other grains can go rancid. For most grains (except rice) the oil is sealed in the germ. If the grain is undisturbed by cracking, grinding or rolling, the oil will be less likely to become rancid. But, if ground, rolled or cracked, it will go rancid within months, rolled oats included. That is why white flour was invented. Removing the germ removes the oil, making white flour last longer. But this also removes vitamins, minerals, and fiber.  Ideally, grind whole grains when needed or, for much better nutrition, sprout them.
 
Rice: The oil in brown rice is NOT SEALED in and WILL go rancid quickly! White rice was invented for the same reason white flour was invented and also lacks the vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Whole grain (brown) rice does not store well; possible only a few months at room temperature. To store brown rice longer (this is not a guarantee, only a suggestion):
1)     Buy brown rice soon after it is harvested and has not been setting in a warehouse.
2)     Package it in small sealed containers with minimal air, or with oxygen absorbers.
3)     Store in the fridge or preferably freezer*.
4)     Rotate/use within a couple of years. (There is no way to put an exact time on it!)
 
Nuts and Seeds: For all high-fat food such as nuts, seeds, peanuts, peanut butter, store in airtight container, in its original container or small containers in the fridge or freezer*.
 
For Better Nutrition: Avoid cotton seed, canola (rapeseed) oil, corn oil, soybean oil (aka vegetable oil), peanut oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, and many others. These oils are highly processed which destroys the nutritional values. Furthermore, some of these oils come from plants that are grown with heavy use of pesticides and herbicides, and are most likely GMO.
 
Hydrogenated Oils: Fully or partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats) are found in shortening, margarine, and many other foods. Hydrogenation was invented to lengthen the shelf-life of foods. Hydrogenation uses high heat, high pressure, and the injection of hydrogen molecules into the oil, which turns an oil that is normally liquid at room temperature into a product that is solid at room temperature. This makes it completely unnatural for digestion.
 
Olive Oil: Olive oil and “pure” olive oil are not the highest quality. Only extra virgin (cold pressed) is. Even then, only buy from a supplier that you can trust has not diluted it with other oils.
 
Coconut Oil: Coconut oil is solid at room temperature and may have a 2-year shelf life. Freezing or refrigerating it may extend it much, much longer.
 
Lard and Tallow: If you are able to buy pork or beef fat from a butcher, you can render it yourself it into lard (pork fat) or tallow (beef fat). But, it’s a lot of work and pretty smelly.
 
Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise and other similar foods are a blended emulsified oil product. Avoid freezing them. If they are frozen, when thawed the oil will separate. They are still edible and with the right technique you may be able to “blend” them back to normal.
 
Cheese: Cheeses can be a good source of fat. Most “hard” cheeses, if sealed with a special wax, will store for many months even at room temperature, or for years in the freezer. You can buy this wax and seal it yourself. Soft cheeses must be stored frozen for long term.
 
Oil for Cooking: Some oils/fats are better for frying than others. An oil with a high “smoke point” is best, such as coconut oil. No matter the oil, deep frying is not recommended, especially if the oil has been used multiple times. Heating is a primary factor contributing to rancidity.
 
Save the Fat: When cooking a roast or turkey or frying meat there is often grease left; save it! Pour it into a bowl and let it cool in the fridge. After a few hours the fat will float to the top and solidify.  Lift the solidified fat off and store it in the freezer.
 
Make Soap: Fats and oils, even if rancid, can also be made into soap with the use of lye (aka caustic soda, aka sodium hydroxide).
 
What if oil/fat goes rancid: “There is little data on the health effects of rancidity in humans. But animal studies show evidence of organ damage, inflammation, carcinogenesis, and advanced atherosclerosis, although typically the dose of oxidized fats is larger than what would be consumed by humans.” (from wikipedia.org/wiki/Rancidification). You may be able to feed it to animals. Rancid oils or solid fats can be used as fuel for heat or light. With the right processing, some liquid oils can be run in diesel engines. Do not use vegetable oils in oil lamps designed for kerosene. Wicks for oil candles can be purchased or made from jute or other non-synthetic fiber cord, such as cotton. Solid fats, and hydrogenated or trans-fats, bacon grease, and other fats can also be made into candles. Larger candles can be used for cooking.
 
Bonus:
Everything You NEED to know About Fats | Dr. Robert Lustig
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhPskgH2HQA
 
Scientists are now discovering the health benefits of the right fats, as explained in Grain Brain and Brain Maker, by David Perlmutter, MD.
 
*If you plan to sprout your grains and seeds, DO NOT freeze them. If there is any moisture in seeds it will freeze and destroy the seed’s ability to sprout.