One of the reasons, I love paleo recipes are the healthy use of fats. Tallow is one of my favorite fats because it’s saturated, so it’s stable enough for cooking. Plus, it’s rendered from beef, and since I regularly buy grass fed knuckle bones aka soup bones at my farmer’s market for bone broth, I consider this fat a nutritious freebie! I use a lot of coconut oil for cooking, so this is a great substitute that helps me reduce the cost of food. When I make bone broth, I usually just scoop the fat when it solidifies at the top of the broth in the refrigerator. The fat does keep the broth fresher longer, so don’t scoop it out unless you are going to use the broth right away. Once you scoop it out, save it in a glass container. You can use it just like that, or you can put the container with the fat in a saucepan with some water, and put the heat on the lowest possible setting. The steam will melt the fat, and when it solidifies, it will be one whole mass instead of smaller uglier pieces.

Besides being an awesome cooking oil, tallow is one of few sources of Vitamin K2. Other sources include natto (fermented soybeans), goose liver, certain cheeses, and animal fat such as egg yolk, butter and lard from grass-fed animals. Vitamin K2 is a common vitamin deficiency that usually manifests as osteoporosis, alzheimer’s disease, arterial plaques (aka heart disease), wrinkles and dental cavities. So basically, the health problems associated with old age. If you supplement with K2, it’s not cheap. I bought mine from Carlson Labs, and for 180 capsules it was around $50.

Our ancestors regularly cooked with animal fat. If you check out old recipe books, they aren’t afraid to use lard on their list of ingredients. Turns out grandma’s traditions became tradition for a reason. Confused about whether you should be taking calcium for your bones? Studies have shown that increased calcium supplementation can increase the risk of heart disease, especially in women. What K2 does, is it helps put the calcium in the right place. Instead of the arteries where it increases the risk of heart disease, with K2 the calcium goes to your bones and your teeth.

So now you may be sold on lard, but to get the full benefits of K2 it needs to be from grass fed animals. According to Dr. Kate Rheaume-Bleue, author of Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox, you’re animals need to consume choropllyl from leafy greens to get K1. The animals then convert K1 to K2 for you, where it’s stored in their fat until you consume it. Tallow also contains Vitamin D, which is important for hormonal health. Check out my article on 6 Tips to Help Balance Your Hormones Naturally on Answers.com if you want more information on balancing your hormones.