Scan barcode
debmeg's review against another edition
5.0
Reading this book is likely to increase your blood pressure... because you will most likely get extremely angry at all the lies you've been fed for so many years about what actually comprises a healthy diet. I came to Nina Teicholz's excellent book having already been thoroughly educated in the general subject - I've been eating low-carb and high fat for fifteen years now, after having my metabolism thoroughly destroyed by years of low-fat eating and dieting. I lost 100lbs, all my blood markers became superb, including my HDL/LDL cholesterol, my triglycerides, my glucose, etc. Some of that weight unfortunately returned during pregnancies and peri-menopause, but the principle still stands. I had read the brilliant 'Good Calories, Bad Calories,' by Gary Taubes, so I knew something about how the low-fat dogma became enshrined as truth. But Nina Teicholz has gone into the history of the diet-heart hypothesis in far greater detail and in a more easily-readable form. It makes for fascinating, shocking and upsetting reading. Even I, who already knew how much junk we were (literally) being fed by our doctors, was shocked and angry by what I read, by how this all came to be. This is a vitally important book to read for anyone wishing to truly understand what is at stake for their health when they decide what food to eat, and what food to feed their children.
jasperburns's review against another edition
4.0
View my best reviews and a collection of mental models at jasperburns.blog.
wrentheblurry's review against another edition
I made it through the end of chapter 5 before giving up on this audiobook, and it was a struggle to get that far (about 50% done). I finished the Whole30 diet in January, and figured since that shares similar tenets with this title (fat is not the enemy), I would enjoy it while expanding my knowledge.
Instead it felt like an overly long research paper. Teicholz clearly did a ton of research into this book (though I have seen a couple of articles flaming her methods), though I didn't check her facts. She presents the material in a dry, repetitive, boring manner. I felt like the point was being pounded in, over and over, and Teicholz was excessively negative towards the adversarial research in the field.
I finished [book: Stiff] recently, and that is a fine example of how to keep a reader engaged. I am sorry this one did not do it for me.
Instead it felt like an overly long research paper. Teicholz clearly did a ton of research into this book (though I have seen a couple of articles flaming her methods), though I didn't check her facts. She presents the material in a dry, repetitive, boring manner. I felt like the point was being pounded in, over and over, and Teicholz was excessively negative towards the adversarial research in the field.
I finished [book: Stiff] recently, and that is a fine example of how to keep a reader engaged. I am sorry this one did not do it for me.
misspudding's review against another edition
5.0
Holy shit this was a good book. Don't let the size scare you. More than 1/4 is the reference list. It's more of a history book than a science book, but the science is pretty thick. I'm so angry at the refusal of the AHA and NIH to look at really good science from clinical trials over epidemiological studies. It's made us all fat and sick. Teicholz goes into far more detail than you could possibly imagine. Her research is exhaustive and detailed and impeccable.
After reading this, I'm probably never eating French fries again unless I can find ones fried in animal fat. Polyunsaturated oils are one of the worst things to have happened to the human diet, apparently. They lower LDL, sure, but that isn't reliably correlated with heart disease except in a very small group of people. HDL is far more predictive of heart health, and the only thing that raises it is saturated fat. So, eat your butter and cheese and eggs. It's good for your heart!
Thank you, Nina, for this amazing book. I just hope it makes a difference.
After reading this, I'm probably never eating French fries again unless I can find ones fried in animal fat. Polyunsaturated oils are one of the worst things to have happened to the human diet, apparently. They lower LDL, sure, but that isn't reliably correlated with heart disease except in a very small group of people. HDL is far more predictive of heart health, and the only thing that raises it is saturated fat. So, eat your butter and cheese and eggs. It's good for your heart!
Thank you, Nina, for this amazing book. I just hope it makes a difference.
jencafardi's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent book that points out how mediocre science gets perpetuated thru the years. A must-read for anyone who thinks about health and nutrition.