Fat: It's Not What You Think (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This useful and educational book...provides a great service to both the general reader and the confused patient who seek straightforward answers to their questions about diet and health." -- Wise Traditions, the quarterly journal of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Winter 2008

Product Description

Fat: It's Not What You Think provides a refreshing antidote to the misinformation and misleading hype that fuels our misguided fear of fat--both the fat we eat, and the fat we carry around. By explaining its biology and sharing the latest research, veteran science writer Connie Leas convincingly frees fat from its bad reputation. For example, she discusses how our much-maligned fatty tissue plays a critical role in maintaining health. Among other vital functions, it stores energy, produces hormones, builds cell membranes, bolsters immunity, and insulates our vital organs. Leas also contradicts many long-held assumptions about fat. For example:

·No one has ever shown a correlation between egg consumption and cardiovascular disease.
·Doctors often prescribe statin drugs when our cholesterol level reaches 240, even though this is actually within the normal range.
·A porterhouse steak contains more unsaturated fat than saturated fat.
·Today Americans consume 15 percent less fat than we did in 1970, yet overall we are 20 percent fatter.
·Overweight people live longer than those in the so-called "healthy" range of the BMI scale.

What's more, Leas explains often-confusing terms such as triglycerides, polyunsaturated, omega-3, and trans-fat that are tossed around in the media, but which few people really understand.

Having spent years researching this subject, Leas has transformed technical material from scientific research into a lively work of popular appeal. Chock full of useful--and sometimes startling--information, Fat: It's Not What You Think is a valuable health resource presented in an accessible, entertaining format.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 227 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (April 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591026121
• ISBN-13: 978-1591026129
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #151,921 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lifetime of Lies, May 10, 2008

By	P. L. Crawford "On the Go" (Southern California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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It's one thing to be lied to by the medical community for their monetary gain from the pharmaceutical companies, but when the falsehoods affect our lifespan and quality of life, somone needs to draw a line in the sand. That is exactly what Connie Leas has done in this book, by compiling decades of research on all types of fat and its effects.

Chapter by chapter, as I got farther into the book, the more angry I became. As a person who has fought a weight problem all her life, I realize now that the advice I was given and the diet I was told to follow did nothing but make and keep me fat.

Ms. Leas' book is a must-read for anyone interested in weight-loss, better health, the control and prevention of type 2 diabetes, and the food we put into our mouths. Some people may not want to know, and will prefer to live in ignorance. Unfortunately, they will pay the price. The rest of us will read this book, and finally understand why we're not as healthy as we'd like to be.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Let go of your fear of fat!, May 17, 2008

By	E. Fox "Leseetsa" (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have acquired a library of books on health and nutrition in my own attempt to understand the link between chronic degenerative diseases and diet. There is definitely a link between the low-fat, grain based diet of the last half of the 20th century and our current epidemic of health problems. Writers and researchers like Pollan, Plank, Taubes, Enig, Fallon and Simopolous are making landmark progress towards providing a more accurate understanding how our current diet leads to disease. It is important to understand this because we have been misled. Undoing that mis-education is no easy task. Who has time or wants to read all those books? More importantly, how many people have the background in biochemistry to understand it?

Leas' book makes it easy for anyone to have at least a fundamental grasp of the basics of fatty acid metabolism. She has condensed the works of over 20 reputable researchers and science writers into one book. When you finish her book, you will understand each of the various types of fatty acids in the diet and the unique and essential roles they play in managing our health. For a generation and a half, we trusted information that was not challenged until now. Anyone taking statins or those who think they have 'high' cholesterol, must read this book. After you read Leas' book you will want to make some major changes in your diet. Ones you did not think possible like drinking whole milk, eating eggs and using coconut oil. You may even come to regard crackers and rice cakes with the same contempt you once held for eggs and whole dairy. Keep the skin on the chicken and bake it in coconut oil; now you can enjoy whole real food again!

Thank you Connie Leas for your concise synopsis of information about fats. I now have something I can give to my clients to read that will help them let go of their fear of fat. The references in the back of the book are a great starting point for those who want more detailed information.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Repeat After Me: Fat Is Healthy, Fat Is Good (keep saying it 'til it sinks in!), June 29, 2008

By	Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Man "Jimmy Moore" (Spartanburg, SC) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This is one of the most intriguing books you'll ever read in your entire life. In just over 150 pages of text along with another 75 pages of references and charts, the author arms you with powerful evidence that dietary fat is not responsible for fat on the bodies and that healthy individuals need to be consuming higher amounts of fat than they currently are to stay that way. It's counterintuitive to our fat-fearing culture that hasn't got the first clue about what fats are healthy for them and which are not. This book should be your new go-to resource for anyone who still doesn't understand why fat is healthy. Get a copy for yourself and purchase extras to give away to your doctor, friends, family and anyone else who is stuck on fat being bad. Connie Leas clearly explains why it is not.