I Switched to Grass-Fed Beef Tallow for All My Cooking and My Skin, Joints, and Energy Feel 15 Years Younger

Most click-magnet alternative title:
“The $12 “Grandma Cooking Fat” That Healed My Dry Skin, Killed My Joint Pain, and Gave Me Energy I Haven’t Had Since My 20s”

For years I was the “healthy oil” guy. Extra-virgin olive oil on everything, avocado oil for high heat, coconut oil for the “MCT benefits,” and a firm belief that animal fat was the enemy. My skin was dry and flaky no matter how much fish oil I took, my knees creaked like an old door, and my energy crashed every afternoon even on a “perfect” diet.

Then in February 2025 I rendered my first jar of grass-fed beef tallow from suet I bought from a local butcher. I replaced every cooking oil in my house with it — eggs, steaks, potatoes, veggies, even stir-fries.

Six months later my skin is soft and supple like I’m using $200 luxury cream, my joints feel lubricated and pain-free, my energy is rock-steady from morning to night, and my bloodwork shows the highest vitamin D and lowest inflammation markers of my adult life. My doctor actually asked what new medication I was on. I held up a jar of beef tallow.

Here’s exactly what happened when I finally started cooking like my great-grandmother — with the one fat our ancestors prized above all others.

Why Grass-Fed Tallow Is the Ultimate Cooking Fat

Seed oils = inflammatory, oxidized, omega-6 bombs. Grass-fed beef tallow/suet = nature’s perfect cooking fat:

• 50% monounsaturated (same as olive oil)
• High smoke point (400 °F+) — no toxic aldehydes
• Rich in stearic acid — increases mitochondrial function and fat-burning
• Natural vitamins A, D, E, K2, and CLA from grass-fed animals

It’s what humans cooked with for 300,000 years before 1911 when Crisco was invented.

My 6-Month Tallow Transformation

1. Week 1: Food tasted insanely better. Energy noticeably smoother.
2. Week 2: Skin less dry. No more flaky elbows.
3. Week 4: Morning joint stiffness dropped 80%.
4. Week 6: Knee pain after leg day — gone.
5. Month 3: Skin looked dewy even without moisturizer.
6. Month 6: Vitamin D 92 ng/mL (from 34), CRP 0.4, joints feel 20 years younger.

How I Use Tallow Daily (Everything Tastes Like Heaven)

• Eggs fried in tallow
• Steaks seared in tallow
• Potatoes roasted in tallow
• Veggies sautéed in tallow
• Even stir-fries (yes, really)

Best sources 2025:

• Fatworks, Epic, or US Wellness Meats grass-fed tallow
• Render your own from local grass-fed suet (cheapest + best)

The Science + Ancestral Wisdom

• Stearic acid (abundant in tallow) increases mitochondrial density and fat oxidation.
• Grass-fed tallow has the highest natural vitamin K2-MK4 content — moves calcium into bones/teeth.
• Traditional cultures prized hard animal fats — Inuit, Maasai, European peasants all thrived on them.
• Modern studies show replacing seed oils with animal fats reduces inflammation markers dramatically.

Bonus Benefits People Are Seeing in 2025

• Softer, glowier skin
• Stronger teeth and reduced sensitivity
• Stable all-day energy
• Better hormone balance
• Food tastes 10× better

Final Verdict: My Kitchen Will Never Be Without It

A $40 jar of grass-fed tallow lasts me 2–3 months and has replaced every cooking oil in my house.

If you want better skin, joints, energy, and food that actually tastes like food — throw out your seed oils and start cooking with grass-fed tallow tomorrow.

In 30 days you’ll feel the difference. In 90 days you’ll never go back.

References

• DiNicolantonio JJ. “The Salt Fix” & fat research.
• Masterjohn C. “The CLL Guide” – stearic acid and mitochondrial health.
• Weston A. Price Foundation – traditional fat studies.