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Fries made with beef tallow or oil: is one really healthier?

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Beef tallow is back on menus, but is it really healthier than seed oils for frying? 
Short answer: no. Beef tallow is high in saturated fat, which raises LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and increases heart risk. 

Whether they are fried in beef tallow or seed oil, fries are a treat. Don’t think about what they have been fried with, just enjoy them – as long as it’s only once in a while. Remember, the real key to health is eating a variety of food while limiting saturated fats.

Sources
  1. Inflammation and Seed Oils | ScienceUpFirst | September 18, 2025
  2. Extraction and Seed Oils | ScienceUpFirst | September 18, 2025
  3. Beef tallow not a healthier option than seed oils | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health | March 2025
  4. Is Beef Tallow Good for You? Kennedy Thinks So, but Experts Disagree. | The New York Times | March 2025
  5. Fat, beef tallow – FoodData Central Food Details | U.S. Department of Agriculture | 2019
  6. Frying oils: selection, smoke points and potential deleterious effects for health | Food New Zealand on ResearchGate| 2015
  7. Evaluation of Chemical and Physical Changes in Different Commercial Oils during Heating | Acta Scientific Nutritional Health | 2018
  8. Cooking Oil Smoke Points: High, Low & Why It Matters | Verywell Fit | June 2024   
  9. Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association | Circulation | 2017
  10. Beef Tallow: Miracle Oil or Wellness Fad? | University Hospitals | May 2025
  11. Is beef tallow really safe for your health and skin? We asked the experts | The Guardian | April 2025
  12. Dietary fats & Blood lipids | Heart UK
  13. Canadian Ban on Trans Fats Comes into Force Today | Government of Canada | 2018
  14. 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans | Dietary Guideline for Americans | January 2016 
  15. Oil, olive, extra virgin | U.S. Department of Agriculture | 2019
  16. Oil, canola | U.S. Department of Agriculture | 2019
  17. Butter and Plant-Based Oils Intake and Mortality | JAMA Internal Medicine | March 2025
  18. Review on deep-fat fried foods: physical and chemical attributes, and consequences of high consumption | European Food Research & Technology | March 2024
  19. Limit highly processed foods – Canada’s Food Guide | Government of Canada
  20. Why Are Fried Foods Bad for You? | healthline | June 2023
  21. The Mediterranean diet and health: a comprehensive overview | Journal of Internal Medicine | August 2021
  22. Choose foods with healthy fats – Canada’s Food Guide | Government of Canada
  23. Fats and your health | Government of Canada
  24.  Canada’s Food Guide | Government of Canada

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