The big fat surprise
Investigative journalist Nina Teicholz reveals here that everything we thought we knew about dietary fat is wrong. She documents how the low-fat nutrition advice of the past sixty years has amounted to a vast uncontrolled experiment on the entire population, with disastrous consequences for our health. For decades, we have been told that the best possible diet involves cutting back on fat, especially saturated fat, and that if we are not getting healthier or thinner, we are not trying hard enough. But what if the low-fat diet is itself the problem? Based on a nine-year investigation, Teicholz shows how the misinformation about saturated fats took hold in the scientific community and the public imagination, and how recent findings have overturned these beliefs. She explains why the Mediterranean Diet is not the healthiest, and how we might be replacing trans fats with something even worse. She upends the conventional wisdom with the groundbreaking claim that more, not less, dietary fat--including saturated fat--is what leads to better health and wellness. Science shows that we have been needlessly avoiding meat, cheese, whole milk, and eggs for decades and that we can now, guilt-free, welcome these delicious foods back into our lives.--From publisher description. Challenges popular misconceptions about fats and nutrition science, revealing the distorted claims of nutrition studies while arguing that more dietary fat can lead to better health, wellness, and fitness.
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19recommend
45mentions
31people
2014–2026years
67% recommend24% neutral9% critical
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What Hacker News says
- Please read The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz to get the "science on saturated fat and CVD". You will find that it supports my perspective. Phenomenal book -- deeply researched over ten years and well-written.
- A lower carbohydrate diet is key to improving mental and physical health. More fat, less sugar. Read Big Fat Surprise [0].
Social interaction also seems to be key to healthy longevity, frailty can be a barrier to socialisation, as can be hearing loss.
However, your parents are their own people. You won't be able to force them to do anything they don't want to do, but you still need to love them even if they won't listen.
- In fact, I had my annual checkup earlier this week. Things are looking good.
Heart Rate: 56
Cholesterol: 190
HDL: 70
LDL: 110
Triglycerides: 51
Note that very low cholesterol is associated with increased all-cause mortality -- see Nina Teicholz's book The Big Fat Surprise to learn more about this.
- I just had my annual checkup earlier this week.
Heart Rate: 56
Cholesterol: 190
HDL: 70
LDL: 110
Triglycerides: 51
Note that very low cholesterol is associated with increased all-cause mortality -- see Nina Teicholz's book The Big Fat Surprise to learn more about this.
- Not only is Nina Teicholz a well-established journalist, but she is the author of this book, which made a huge splash and has 2,000+ Amazon Reviews: https://www.amazon.com/Big-Fat-Surprise-Butter-Healthy/dp/14...
- Almost everyone thinks this, but I don’t. I have come to believe that a person’s risk for heart disease, cancer, stroke, and high blood pressure will all be reduced by switching to a 100% red meat diet. If anyone actually cares, they can read The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz to learn about nutrition science.
