Stating that she was "Not at
all exempt from the whines of dietary wisdom that evolved over the last
part of the twentieth century," McCullough, an advocate of low
carb eating, set herself to the task of wading though the myths and
misrepresentations about fats. The result is sometimes revelatory, as
in the positive reports about coconut oil which McCullough recommends.
We did not approach this book eagerly,
but discovered a page-turner. Our initial response when this book came
across our desks was to groan. Who wanted to read a book with words
such as hydrogenated, trans-fat, free radicals? Who wanted to hear more
about Omega 3 oils, who wanted to discover the harmful omega 6 oils?
But McCullough writes with such clarity and such passion that we became
as riveted by hydrogenation as we would had we been reading a good whodunit.
And no mystery, however compelling, would improve our health.
McCulloughs explodes the myths that
have been tossed in the press for so long that we THINK we know. In
six chapters, she wends through the intricacies of fats, be they animal
or vegetable, natural or altered by man. The longest chapter is devoted
to a discussion of fats individually, from coconut, butter, fish and
shellfish to nuts, olive oil, dairy, eggs, meat and CHOCOLATE. Each
item contains a list of the best, the acceptable, and what should be
avoided. For example, the section on nuts suggest that the best is very
fresh raw nuts that you roast yourself and suggests that you avoid preroasted,
salted nuts and nut butters that are hydrogenated. This is is a book
that works with the reader.
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