FAT FRIDAY · the skool CLASSIFIEDS

Dr. Peninah Wood Ph.D

2h • Communities

FAT FRIDAY

I created this master class months ago. But those outside of my community only got a teaser.

In honor of THE FRENZY...

HERE IS THE FULL MASTER CLASS. ENJOY!

Fat Friday: The Myths That Won’t Die

Because your brain is 60% fat, and still smarter than the food industry.

Today, I'm busting the biggest myths about dietary fat. Because for too long, fat has been blamed for what sugar, low fat, processed foods, and stress actually caused.

Fat Myths: Busted with Simcha Sass

Myth 1: Fat makes you fat

Truth: Excess calories make you fat, not fat itself. In fact, healthy fats help regulate hunger, stabilize blood sugar, and support metabolism. Fats make you feel full longer.

Myth 2: Fat clogs your arteries

Truth: Trans fats do. But monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (like olive oil, avocado, and salmon) actually improve cholesterol and reduce inflammation.

Myth 3: Low-fat = healthy

Truth: “Low-fat” often means high sugar, high additives, and high confusion. Your body needs fat to absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Myth 4: Saturated fat is evil

Truth: It’s nuanced. Some saturated fats, like those in coconut oil or grass-fed butter, are even beneficial in moderation. The real villain? Trans fats and ultra-processed oils.

Myth 5: Kids shouldn’t eat fat

Truth: Children need fat for brain development, hormone production, and immune function. Fat-free childhoods are a modern experiment, and it’s not going well.

Myth 6: Vegetable oils are heart-healthy

Truth: Most “vegetable oils” (like soybean, corn, and canola) are ultra-processed, oxidize easily, and are high in omega-6 fats that fuel inflammation. They’re not from vegetables, they’re from industrial seeds.

Myth 7: Egg yolks raise cholesterol

Truth: Dietary cholesterol has little impact on blood cholesterol for people. Yolks are rich in choline, B vitamins, and fat-soluble nutrients your brain loves.

Myth 8: Coconut oil is dangerous

Truth: While high in saturated fat, coconut oil contains MCTs that support metabolism, brain health, and microbial balance. Context matters more than fear.

Myth 9: Animal fat is toxic

Truth: Quality matters. Fat from grass-fed, pasture-raised animals contains more omega-3s, CLA, and fat-soluble vitamins than factory-farmed meat. It’s not the cow, it’s the how.

Myth 11: All fats are the same

Truth: Trans fats inflame. Omega-3s heal. Saturated fats stabilize. Monounsaturated fats protect. Fat isn’t one thing, it’s a whole language your body speaks.

What Kind of Fat Are You?

(Because not all fats are created equal, and neither are we.)

Pick the one that feels most like you today:

A. The Smooth Operator

“I’m rich, unbothered, and anti-inflammatory. I keep hearts happy and hormones humming.”

You’re a Monounsaturated Fat (like olive oil or avocado).

Calm, classy, and always invited to the table.

B. The Wild Card

“I’m misunderstood, but essential. I fight inflammation, fuel your brain, and make your skin glow.”

You’re an Omega-3 Fatty Acid (like salmon, flax, or walnuts).

You’re the wise one, quiet, powerful, and often missing from the party.

C. The Comeback Kid

“I was demonized in the ‘90s, but I’m back, with nuance. I build cell membranes and support hormones when sourced right.”

You’re a Saturated Fat (like coconut oil or grass-fed butter).

You’re bold, nostalgic, and not afraid to challenge the narrative.

D. The Frenemy

“I’m shelf-stable, sneaky, and still hiding in your snacks. I promise crunch, but deliver chaos.”

You’re a Trans Fat (like partially hydrogenated oils).

You’re the drama. And you’re not invited anymore.

E. The Wallflower

“I’m essential, but often overlooked. I help your cells hold their shape and your brain stay sharp, but I rarely get the spotlight.”

You’re Phospholipid Fat (like those in egg yolks, organ meats, and sunflower lecithin).

Quietly brilliant, structurally sound, and holding it all together behind the scenes.

F. The Overachiever

“I’m in everything, from your salad dressing to your snack bars. I’m processed, refined, and a little too eager to please.”

You’re Omega-6 Fatty Acid (like soybean or corn oil).

You mean well, but when you’re out of balance, things get inflamed.

G. The Ghost of Diets Past

“I was the ‘miracle’ fat-free solution. I passed through undigested, and took your dignity with me.”

You’re Olestra.

You’re the cautionary tale. A reminder that not all ‘science-y’ food hacks are worth the hype.

H. The Golden Healer

“I’m rich in CLA, vitamin K2, and ancient wisdom. I come from cows that eat grass and sunshine.”

You’re Grass-Fed Ghee or Tallow.

You’re ancestral, nourishing, and not afraid of a little sizzle.

Speaking of ancestors

Humans are not true carnivore, we're omnivores. But our evolutionary success is deeply tied to eating animal foods. Here's how our biology, physiology, and history reveal why animal foods are essential to human health:

Why Humans Are Not Herbivores (and Why Animal Foods Matter)

While we’re not obligate carnivores like lions, we’re also not herbivores like cows. We’re omnivores, biologically adapted to thrive on both plants and animals. But animal foods have played a critical role in our evolution, and here’s why:

Our Teeth Tell the Story

We have incisors for biting, canines for tearing, and molars for grinding, a mixed dental toolkit.
Herbivores have flat molars and no tearing teeth. Carnivores have sharp, slicing teeth. We’re built for both.

Our Digestive System Is Mixed-Mode

Carnivores have short digestive tracts for rapid meat digestion.
Herbivores have long, complex guts for fermenting fiber.
Humans fall in the middle, long enough for plants, short enough for meat.
Our stomach acid is highly acidic (pH 1.5), closer to carnivores, ideal for breaking down animal protein and killing pathogens in meat.

Animal Foods Fueled Brain Growth

The rapid expansion of the human brain (years ago) coincides with increased meat and fat consumption.
Nutrients like vitamin B12, DHA, heme iron, and creatine, critical for brain development, are found almost exclusively in animal foods.

We Lack Herbivore Superpowers

We can’t digest cellulose (plant fiber) like cows or gorillas.
We can’t synthesize vitamin B12, we must get it from animal sources.
We don’t produce enough omega-3 DHA from plant ALA, making fatty fish and pastured animal fats essential for brain and nerve health.

So…Are We Carnivores?

Not strictly. But we are animal-adapted omnivores, and animal foods are not optional for optimal health. They’re nutrient-dense, bioavailable, and foundational to our biology.

Why We Eat Animals

Because survival shaped our biology, and biology still shapes our needs.

1. Our Brains Grew on Meat and Fat

The human brain is energy-hungry.
Years ago, our ancestors began eating more animal foods, dense in calories, fat, and nutrients.
This shift is linked to the explosive growth of our neocortex, language, and tool use.
Nutrients like B12, DHA, creatine, and heme iron, critical for brain development, are found almost exclusively in animal foods.

2. We’re Built to Digest It

Our stomach acid is highly acidic, closer to carnivores than herbivores.
We lack the enzymes to break down cellulose (plant fiber) like cows or gorillas.
We can’t synthesize vitamin B12, taurine, or carnitine, we must get them from animal sources.

3. Animal Foods Are Nutrient-Dense and Bioavailable

Gram for gram, animal foods provide more absorbable nutrients than most plants.
Liver, eggs, fish, and meat deliver fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K2), complete proteins, and critical minerals in forms your body can use immediately.
Plants have nutrients too, but often in less bioavailable forms, and sometimes with anti-nutrients that block absorption.

4. It’s How We Survived Everywhere

From the Arctic to the savannah, humans adapted by eating what was available.
In colder climates, plants were scarce, animal foods were essential.
Our metabolic flexibility, to thrive on both plants and animals, is why we’re still here.

5. It’s Not Just Protein. It’s Information.

Animal foods carry epigenetic signals, nutrients that influence gene expression, immune function, and brain development.
They’re not just calories. They’re biological instructions.

And Yet…

Eating animals also raises ethical, environmental, and emotional questions.

That’s why I teach informed eating.

Whether you eat meat or not, you deserve to understand what your body needs, what your food carries, and how to nourish your future with clarity.

The Jewish View: Eating as Elevation

In Jewish tradition, eating isn’t just physical, it’s spiritual. When we eat with intention, we’re not just nourishing our bodies; we’re participating in a sacred act.

Here’s how that applies to eating animals:

Animals have a divine spark, a nefesh behamit (an animal soul).
When a human eats an animal with blessing, gratitude, and purpose, that spark is elevated, it becomes part of a higher consciousness. It is elevated to its purpose.
The energy from that animal now fuels mitzvot, learning, healing, and acts of kindness.
This is called ma’alin et hakodesh, elevating the holy.

It’s Not Just What You Eat It’s How You Eat

Kashrut (kosher laws) aren’t just about rules, they’re about reverence.
Saying a bracha (blessing) before eating acknowledges the Source and sets the intention.
Eating mindfully transforms consumption into communion.

Simcha Spin:

When we eat animals with awareness, we’re not just digesting, we’re redeeming.

We’re saying: Your life mattered. Your energy now fuels healing, learning, life, and love.

Before We Eat, We Bless

“Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech HaOlam, borei minei mezonot.”

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates various kinds of sustenance.

Or, for foods like fruits, vegetables, or meat, you might say:

• “…borei pri ha’eitz” for fruits

• “…borei pri ha’adamah” for vegetables

• “…shehakol nihiyah bidvaro” for meat, fish, eggs, and other general foods

Simcha Spin:

We bless not to control the food, but to elevate it.

To say: This bite matters. This life mattered. And I will use it well and with reverance. It's a beautiful thing.

So, why the lies? A History Lesson

Fat was demonized not because it was harmful, but because of flawed science, cherry-picked data, and powerful industry interests. The “fat is bad” narrative was never rooted in full truth, and it’s time we unpack why.

How Fat Got Framed as the Villain

Here’s a breakdown of how the anti-fat myth took hold:

1. The Ancel Keys Effect

In the 1950s, physiologist Ancel Keys published the Seven Countries Study, linking saturated fat to heart disease.
But here’s the catch: he cherry-picked data, excluding countries like France and Switzerland where people ate lots of saturated fat but had low heart disease rates (hello, French Paradox).
His theory caught fire, despite shaky evidence, and it shaped decades of dietary guidelines.

2. Correlation ≠ Causation

Keys’ study showed correlation, not causation. But policymakers and media ran with it.
Meanwhile, Indigenous populations like the Inuit and Maasai thrived on high-fat diets with no heart disease.

3. Corporate Influence

Once fat was labeled the enemy, processed food companies pounced.
They marketed low-fat, high-sugar products as “healthy,” replacing natural fats with refined carbs and seed oils.
The result? A spike in obesity, diabetes, and metabolic disorders.

4. Fear-Based Messaging

Fat became a scapegoat. Butter was demonized. Cholesterol was feared.
But biologically, fat is essential, for brain development, hormone production, cell membranes, and even breast milk.

Because fat isn’t the enemy. Confusion is.

And I'm here to clear it up, one myth, one meal, one fat at a time.

I hope you enjoyed today's lesson. Invite your friends/members. ELEVATE. AFFILIATE.

Click that link. WHERE EVERY DAY IS A FREE MASTER CLASS.

https://www.skool.com/simcha-healthcare-3222/about

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