Hey everyone! I’ve been trying to improve several aspects of my life lately. And I thought that the book Eat Fat, Get Thin might help me with my weight problem. And after having read it, I think it definitely will!
Here you’ll find my summary of the book, and my thoughts of the book are at the end.
The book divided into four parts:
- How did we get into this big, fat mess?
- Separating fat from fiction.
- The eat fat, get thin plan.
- Recipes
Chapter 1
- seemingly good advice from government, health care industry, and food industry is only “seemingly” – they were wrong about a lot of stuff
- now we eat 152 pounds of sugar and 146 pounds of flour per year
- there are lots of types of fat
- saturated
- monounsaturated
- polyunsaturated
- trans fat
- lots of variety within saturated and polyunsaturated fats
- truths:
- not all fats are bad
- eating liberal amounts of the right ones will NOT make you fat
- thankfully scientific evidence is mounting that this is the case
- you can lose weight on a high fat diet, as long you eat the right kinds, and as part of a healthy diet
- sugar and refined carbs – not fat – are responsible for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart desease, as well as causing increased risk of dementia and premature deaths
- Dr. Hyman talks about his own conversion from recommending low fat diets to high fat diets
- includes a survey of 13 questions that will help you determine if you’re on the wrong path
- has a checklist for the FLC (feel like crap) syndrome
- says that following his guidelines will remove FLC
Chapter 2
- we’ve been told two big falsehoods about fat
- all calories operate in the same way in the body
- fatty cholesterol deposits cause hear disease
- but the body is more complex than that
- delves into those two falsehoods, why they’re accepted, and how they’re wrong
- talks about the roles of:
- big government
- big food companies
- sugar is the new fat – sugar is BAD
- the redemption of fat
Chapter 3
- eating fat does NOT make you fat
- if you believe all calories are created equal, then might think that staying away from fat is a good idea, but it just doesn’t work out this way
- calories are digested differently, depending on the type of food
- it’s not eating more and exercising less that makes you fat – rather, BEING fat makes you eat more and exercise less
- restricting calories makes your body perceive a starvation situation which makes you tired and hungry and slows down your metabolism – things we don’t want
- when talking high fat versus low fat diets, you must consider the type of fat
- eating a low-fat diet can make you crave bad foods
- there can be problems with high fat low-carb diets, but they’re easily avoided
Chapter 4
- all about the kinds of fats in detail
- four types of fat: saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat PUFA (omega-3 and omega-6), and trans fats
- saturated fats are misunderstood
- monounsaturated fats are good for you (like olive oil, oil from nuts)
- some PUFA are good, others are not, also it can depend what you eat them with
- transfats are bad – at least everyone agrees on that
Chapter 5
- all about fat and heart disease
- lots of research, and it basically says there’s no link between total dietary fat (the fat you eat) or saturated fat and heart disease
- added fat can actually be beneficial
- big 2014 study said vegetable oils are NOT good, contrary to what many people espouse
- trans fats increase heart desease while omega-3 fats decrease it
- saturated fats in your blood that cause heart attacks come from eat sugar and carbs, not from eating fat
- omega-3 fats from fish are the most protective
- how saturated fats relate to inflammation, carbohydrates, and cholesterol
- the big business statins – basically they only help if you’ve already had a heart attack
- the right kind of tests you should get from your doctor, and what they mean
Chapter 6
- at the turn of the last century vegetable oil’s were almost unheard of
- but now 20% of Americans diet is made up of soybean oil
- increasing omega-3 oil‘s in your diet reduces heart attacks and death
- many studies show correlation, like someone ordering a big Mac also ordering fries, but not causation. Because ordering a big Mac does not MAKE you order fries – they just often occur together.
- careful study of past trials shows that omega-6 oils are to be avoided
- 94% of US soybean crops are genetically modified
- some recommendations are:
- cut out refined oils except extra-virgin olive oil
- use extra virgin coconut oil and a little grass fed butter or ghee
- stop fearing animal fat, but stick with grass fed, pasture raised, and organic.
- get fats from Whole Foods like avocados, nuts, and seeds.
Chapter 7
- all about meat – is it good or bad?
- is it meat vs veggies, or rather the sugar and refined carbs that are part of the typical meat eater’s diet that we should be concerned with?
- why it’s hard to determine the effects of meat on the typical meat eater in North America
- does saturated fatl in meat cause heart disease?
- red meat and its relation to bad gut bacteria
- does red meat cause type 2 diabetes and weight gain?
- does red meat cause cancer?
- does red meat cause inflammation?
- is eating meat immoral or unethical?
- is grass-fed meat better?
Chapter 8
A chapter about these different kinds of foods:
- eggs
- butter
- coconut oil
- MCT oil
- palm oil
- olive oil
- nuts and seeds
Chapter 9
Fat Benefits:
- reverses type 2 diabetes
- prevents brain aging and dementia
- helps with seizures, depression, ADD, autism, trauma, more
- reduces inflammation and autoimmune disease
- boosts sports performance
- gives beautiful hair, skin, nails
- enhances sex life
Chapter 10
No longer about the theory but starts the really practical stuff. What to eat? What not to eat? Etc.
- the Eat Fat, Get Thin Plan
- comparing vegan and paleo diets
- combining the best of vegan and paleo
- dairies, grains, beans, meat, eggs
- personalizing your diet
- testing your genes
Chapter 11
This chapter continues with the really practical stuff – the eating prorgam. It lays the groundwork for chapters to come with a quick summary.
- getting ready to start the plan
- implementing the plan kick-off phase
- the long-term plan
Chapter 12
All about laying the groundwork for your new way of eating.
- kitchen makeover
- good ingredients
- foods to avoid
- coffee
- examples from real life
- supplements
- your numbers from your doctor
Chapter 13
Outlines the eating plan itself. This is the juicy stuff!
- what to eat
- breakfast
- lunch
- dinner
- foods to avoid
- good sources of fat
- good sources of protein
- protein powders
- good carbs
- daily schedule
- troubleshooting tips
Chapter 14
Discusses the transition from the intro part of the plan to the full time part of the eating plan.
- exit interview after the 3 week intro diet
- transition plan, option 1: continue as before
- transition plan, option 2: the pegan diet
Chapter 15
This chapter gives some cooking tips!
- planning eating for the week
- how to cook vegetables
- how to cook chicken, seafood, and meat
- shopping tips
- basic kitchen tools
Chapter 16
Dr. Mark Hyman gives a bunch of recipes that fall neatly into his eating plan.
- snacks
- smoothies and more
- eggs and pancakes
- salads
- chicken, turkey, duck
- beef and lamb
- seafood
- soups and stews
- sauces
- sides and vegetables
My Thoughts
I borrowed this book from the library, and it’s going on my Amazon list. It’s really good. Some of the theoretical stuff (like chapters 4-6) was a little tough slogging, and I actually skipped them at first and came back to them later. In retrospect I don’t think I should have done that. Good groundwork in those chapters.
I’ve been trying to lose weight for several months now, and this book really helps me determine what I should eat, and helps me feel good about those decisions.
The recipes are interesting, but to be honest I don’t know how much use I’ll be able to make of them. Many of them include nuts or milk from nuts, and I am allergic to ALL nuts. Tree nuts, coconuts, peanuts – all that stuff. So the number of recipes I can use is pretty small. As well, the recipes use lots of ingredients. Even if lots of them are spices, it’s quite daunting.
On the whole, though, it’s a great book, and it’ll be going on my reference shelf.
Here’s my video review: