Book Review - Eat Fat Get Thin
I've read a lot of different books about health and nutrition since I started reading a lot. I came across Dr. Hyman's book via a podcast from Lewis Howes where Dr. Hyman was interviewed talking about nutrition. You can find the podcast here.
Review
The book starts off by reviewing past research about the causes of a term called Metabolic Syndrom . The term is often used to describe the following diseases originating from a bad diet and unhealthy habits : - Obesity - Elevated blood pressure - Elevated fasting glucose - High triglycerides - Low HDL ( good ) cholesterol levels
In the past, most researchers blamed a high-fat diet, especially a diet high in dietary cholesterol and saturated fats to be the main causes of metabolic syndrom. Dr. Hyman invalidates the research and shows that the real cause of metabolic syndrome is actually an excess of refined carbohydrates, mostly sugar.
The book shows that eating a diet high in good fats leads to a healthy environment for our bodies which allows for long-term weight loss to occur. The most recommended foods high in healthy fats are : - Fatty fish ( Salmon ) - Nuts and Seeds ( Macadamia nuts, flax seeds ) - Oils ( Olive oil, Coconut oil ) - Avocados
It also shows that consuming saturated fats combined it with healthy fiber containing vegetables does NOT cause metabolic syndrom. The book also mentions that our gut bacteria are playing a central role in our health and that eating a lot of fiber is important to achieving a healthy body. The main message from the book is that eating the right food is the most powerful medicine. Dr. Hyman provides a 21 Day diet for resetting your gut and improving your metabolism. In the end, the book also contains a lot of healthy high-fat recipes.
Rating
The book is very well-written and contains a lot of science references. Dr. Hyman presents the information in an understandable way and gives good recommendations.
My overall rating is 8/10.
Quotes
"When you have enough omega-3 fats in your diet, the effect of saturated fat on your cholesterol is either neutral or beneficial."
Actions
I've already been eating a healthy diet consisting of whole foods for some years now. I am also really active with weight training multiple times a week. I do a caloric restriction period once a year to shed some body fat. I always went very low fat during those periods, but after hearing the benefits of eating higher fat on health and overall metabolism I'm going to try a higher fat diet together with a caloric restriction to try out how it's affecting my body.
Recommendation
I can highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about the current state of research regarding the very common diseases around metabolism and obesity. Also, anyone who is not happy with his/her current body condition and wants to improve not only the look but also the feeling of his/her body.