Social media users have been obsessed with the idea of using beef tallow as an alternative to seed oils.

Every few years, a different so-called “cure-all” ingredient gains popularity on social media and beyond, resulting in people using it for cooking, skincare and more.

Beef tallow is the latest ingredient to join the ranks.

Beef tallow is the fat that surrounds a cow’s organs, primarily the kidneys and loins, said Grace A. Derocha, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

It’s “cooked down and separated from the connective tissue and then clarified, and then you end up with something that looks almost like coconut oil and shortening,” said Amanda Beaver, a wellness dietitian at Houston Methodist Wellness Services in Texas. “It has a little bit of a yellowish color, and it’s typically solid at room temperature.”

Beef tallow gained more traction this past fall after Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, shared his affinity for the product online. Beef tallow was commonly used at fast-food chains for deep-frying decades ago but has since been replaced with seed oils (like soybean, grapeseed and canola oil), which Kennedy claims is one reason for the country’s obesity epidemic.

Midwest-based chain Steak ’N Shake announced that it’s now frying its fries in beef tallow, and people all over social media are making the swap from seed oils to beef tallow, too.

But is it really better for you........

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