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Know Your Fats : The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils and Cholesterol Paperback – May 14, 2000

by Mary G. Enig (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 152 ratings
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  1. Print length
    358 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Bethesda Pr
  4. Publication date
    May 14, 2000
  5. ISBN-10
    0967812607
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0967812601
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Mary G. Enig, a nutritionist/biochemist of international renown for her research on the nutritional aspects of fats and oils, is a consultant, clinician, and the Director of the Nutritional Sciences Division of Enig Associates, Inc., Silver Spring, Maryland. Dr. Enig, a consultant on nutrition to individuals, industry, and state and federal governments, is a licensed practitioner in Maryland and the District of Columbia. She has served as a Contributing Editor of the scientific journal Clinical Nutrition and a Consulting Editor of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. Dr. Enig has authored numerous journal publications, mainly on fats and oils research and nutrient/drug interactions, and is a well-known invited lecturer at scientific meetings and a popular interviewee on TV and radio shows about nutrition. She was an early and articulate critic of the use of trans fatty acids and advocated their inclusion in nutritional labeling; the scientific mainstream is now challenging the food product industry's use of trans-containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. She received her Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Maryland, College Park, and is a Fellow of The American College of Nutrition, a member of The American Society for Nutritional Sciences, and President of the Maryland Nutritionists Association.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bethesda Pr; Later Printing Used edition (May 14, 2000)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 358 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0967812607
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0967812601
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 152 ratings

About the author

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Mary G. Enig

Mary G. Enig

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Mary Gertrude Enig, Ph.D. (née Dracon, 1931 – September 8, 2014) was a nutritionist and researcher known for her unconventional positions on the role saturated fats play in diet and health. She promoted skepticism towards the widely held view in the scientific and medical communities that diets high in saturated fats can contribute to development of heart disease, while she advocated for a diet based on whole foods and rich in certain saturated fats.

Along with Sally Fallon, Enig co-founded the Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) in 1999. According to WAPF Vice President Kaayla Daniel, Enig died of a stroke at the age of 83.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Own work by FrummerThanThou (Processed and transferred by Ukexpat) (Original uploaded on en.wikipedia) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
152 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the information in the book in-depth, informative, and astounding. They also say the author is well versed in the composition and use of fats. Opinions are mixed on readability, with some finding it readable and well presented, while others say it's not an easy read and too technical.

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Information qualityReadability
51 customers mention "Information quality"50 positive1 negative

Customers find the book's information quality excellent. They say it's an in-depth treatise on the molecular chemistry of fats. Readers also mention the author is well versed in the composition and use of fats. They appreciate the concise information that provides deeper scientific background for the consumer-level information. Additionally, they say the technical parts add credibility.

"This is quite simply the best book available on lipid chemistry in nutrition that is accessible to non-scientists...." Read more

"...I love the facts, and this book is just straight up information. A good one for your nutritional library." Read more

"Very informative and very technical.Would help if you took organic chemistry in college to fully understand the information." Read more

"...However the book is technical.Very good, but more technical than most of the lay public would apt to read...." Read more

26 customers mention "Readability"14 positive12 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the readability of the book. Some mention it's well-written, easy to understand, and well-presented. Others say it's not an easy read, hard to follow, and confusing for the lay person.

"...The book is well written in a very clear style with no extraneous scientific jargon...." Read more

"...There have to be better books out there. Not reader friendly. Has some real science in it, but not helpful for real life." Read more

"...you will learn more about fats. It is academic in nature; not at all trendy or persuasive...." Read more

"Confusing for the lay person and is repetitive. If I had a degree in biology I might rate higher." Read more

Need a degree in biochemistry
4 out of 5 stars
Need a degree in biochemistry
Very informative and very technical.Would help if you took organic chemistry in college to fully understand the information.
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Top reviews from the United States

Cooljonnorris
5.0 out of 5 stars Hands down the best
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2004
Verified Purchase
This is quite simply the best book available on lipid chemistry in nutrition that is accessible to non-scientists. It lists and describes the actions of fats in our diet, and the role fats play in our body chemistry and health. Dr. Enig takes us all the way from chemical formulas and molecular diagrams to descriptions of various kinds of oils and fats used in cooking, as well as the sources and makeup of different types of oils and fats.
Dr. Enig pulls no punches in discussing misunderstood or misused research, and this honesty is welcome and refreshing, not to mention possibly life saving. It is so tiresome trying to wade through the hype and PR noise around nutrition. Like medical research, the food business is about Big Money, and truth seems to be a stranger to that part of our society. More and more, one must become an informed advocate for one's own health and welfare. This book is an important tool for the enlightened consumer.
The book is well written in a very clear style with no extraneous scientific jargon. It is well referenced and cited, which I like in a book that discusses scientific research. These days people have much more access to original research papers than ever before.
If you get only one book on fats in your diet, this should be it. The research and information is solid, free of fads and commercial influence.
122 people found this helpful
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Lauren Osornio
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book. Everyone should read it!
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2023
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This book is a must to understand how important fats are to our health. Don't be put off by the explanation of carbon chains and double bonds. Keep reading. It gets easier.
2 people found this helpful
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Precise Disarray
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent educational primer
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2019
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You can expect exactly what it says in the title a "complete primer fr understanding the nutrition of fats, oils, and cholesterol". You want to know more about fats? you will learn more about fats. It is academic in nature; not at all trendy or persuasive. I love the facts, and this book is just straight up information. A good one for your nutritional library.
5 people found this helpful
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Chef Biswanger
4.0 out of 5 stars Need a degree in biochemistry
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2024
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Very informative and very technical.
Would help if you took organic chemistry in college to fully understand the information.
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Chef Biswanger
4.0 out of 5 stars Need a degree in biochemistry
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2024
Very informative and very technical.
Would help if you took organic chemistry in college to fully understand the information.
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JON STRICKLAND
5.0 out of 5 stars A New Perspective on the Proper Diet
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2002
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I first learned of this book about two years ago when listening to The People's Pharmacy on National Public Radio. Dr. Enig was the special guest that day and talked with hosts Joe and Terry Graedon about Knowing Your Fats and its recurring themes revolving around the essential roles that fats and oils can play in our daily diet.
One of her themes was that diets have been so badly stereotyped in the West that many Americans, including nutritionists and physicians, have come to propose that the only healthy diet is that of a strict vegetarian. She then stated that,in contrast to this widely held opinion, the typical diet in China, where the citizens are regarded as typically healthy by these same individuals advocationg strict vegetarianism, is far from free of animal products and by-products. She said that, in fact, a main cooking additive in the Chinese diet is lard, a fat that has been labeled, perhaps mislabeled, as a contributor to heart disease and obesity.
Dr. Enig then continued that consumer activists who are trying to eliminate animal fats and coconut oils from food products either have been or still are misinformed. She stated that many of these advocates, despite their good intentions of contributing to a healthier American population, want the food manufacturers to replace animal fats with partially hydrogenated oils and fats that, according to the studies of her and her colleagues, are even more harmful than the former. For instance, their findings concluded that trans fatty acids from partial hydrogenation can further contribute to heart disease in the following ways: 1. decrease the amount of HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol), 2.increase the amount of LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol), and 3. hamper one's ability to keep insulin levels under control.
All in all, the above are just a few of several topics well-detailed in Knowing Your Fats. Included in the book are charts that categorize the types of fats and oils that can be used in cooking and how each can be beneficial and/or harmful for one's health.
Dr. Enig has done an excellent job with this book. I highly recommend it.
51 people found this helpful
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Dr. Todd M. Narson
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Technical, But Very good.
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2008
Verified Purchase
Most people have a distorted view on fats and how the body uses them. Most think all or at least most fat is bad for your body.

Fat is not just fat. It's an essential part of our physiology.

This books is the unbiased truth about fats. It just lays it out there. However the book is technical.

Very good, but more technical than most of the lay public would apt to read. It's great for those studying nutrition, medicine, chiropractic, biochemistry, physiology etc...

I think she did an excellent job and it's a great reference book.
One person found this helpful
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M. Costas
5.0 out of 5 stars Eye eye opening book on the dangers of our modern diet.
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2016
Verified Purchase
I found this to be a thorough source of information. The technical parts add credibility. The only improvement would be a summary at the end of a couple of the chapters.

I became interested in fatty acids a long time ago but only recently experienced the applied knowledge when I added healthy fats and avoided toxic trans fats. It was to improve my lipid profile, but did wonders for my inflamed hands and other ortho problems.

I haven't taken nsaids in months. I quit going to my pain management physician. I can walk for a few miles now, comfortably.

The change has been dramatic and this book explains why. I found the chapter about the history of diet recommendations to be eye opening and disturbing. This was know for decades but was swept aside due to pressure from various food industries.
12 people found this helpful
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ColdFeet
1.0 out of 5 stars Lot of science, but not helpful for real life
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2017
Verified Purchase
This is the worse book ever. While scientifically backed, it is very hard to read and not that helpful. For instance, if you want to find out what's wrong with soybean oil or canola oil, this book doesn't tell you! Unbelievably bad. Only read it for nutrition course. There have to be better books out there. Not reader friendly. Has some real science in it, but not helpful for real life.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 19, 2022
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Excellent book
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Bookologist
5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Reference on a Very Complicated Subject
Reviewed in Canada on March 21, 2013
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Dr. Enig's book is an excellent example of a scientist tackling a very difficult topic in a way that it reaches the general readership. The biochemistry of fats is a real mind-bender. From her long research experience and many publications and communications, Dr. Enig has cleared away a lot of the cobwebs of misinformation out there on fats. For example, I never would have thought of buying a product containing coconut oil in the past as I was living under the false impression that tree oils such as coconut oil and palm oil are bad for your health. Now I know differently. The same goes for dairy products. I would have thought that reduced fat (such as 1%) milk would be a wise choice, but that is not really so!

Dr. Enig gives copious information on the fats out there in the market place, both in their natural composition and in the foods we can find them. She exposes the myths promulgated by the processed foods industry and by so-called dietary "experts" that have led to a serious decline in the health of us in North America.

As I have a good knowledge of chemistry, I could easily follow her chemical symbolism and biochemical conversion equations as well as easily understand the abbreviated descriptions of the fatty acids.

For those who are totally lost or confused, some grounding in basic organic chemistry might be in order. I have always thought it wise for people to brush up on their chemistry because a basic understanding of chemistry is essential if people are to understand important issues affecting their lives: nutrition, environmental pollution, just what-the-blazes those compounds on the labels are and what precautions may be necessary for consumption or use. Don't get fooled. Get educated!

For the fatty acids, an additional appendix to her primer might have included some basics on covalent bonding in the first two or three electron shells. Certainly, the first two rows of the periodic table and phosphorus in the third row (phosphate in phospholipids) would suffice. One only needs to use some simple rules of shell-filling to get by. Better yet, buy a text on general chemistry and learn the basics.

Overall, this is a remarkable book. Dr. Enig has helped many people by answering questions from concerned inquirers needing her helpful advice and from people who are contemplating doing further research in the field.

I found her book to be well-organized and well-explained with lots of specific information about fats, fatty acids and related biochemical items in the appendices.

Buy the book and get yourself educated! Then start making smarter decisions about what you eat!
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Monica
5.0 out of 5 stars Best book on fats I have ever read.
Reviewed in Canada on January 18, 2019
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If you're looking to see the science behind fats then this book is for you.
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will
5.0 out of 5 stars Great reference
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2014
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This book is very thorough and provides a level of detail of the fatty acids that most other books do not. It's dated now and lacks recent research but it's a great foundation. I find the Q&A sections an odd format but some of them are helpful
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Käufer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 30, 2015
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All optimal
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