Dark Calories
How Vegetable Oils Destroy Our Health and How We Can Get It Back
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $20.99
Publisher Description
The New York Times bestselling author of Deep Nutrition explains how eight common seed oils inexplicably lead to chronic disease, and exposes the corruption that deceives doctors and consumers alike—providing a clear roadmap to recovery and rejuvenation.
Did you know that consuming a large serving of french fries—cooked in vegetable oil—delivers the toxicity of smoking 24 cigarettes? Cornell-trained biochemist turned family physician Dr. Cate Shanahan introduces us to well-respected scientists who warn that vegetable oils are a public health disaster, wreaking havoc on our bodies’ cells by depleting antioxidants and promoting free radical toxicity. Their many effects include:
·Uncontrollable hunger, leading to weight gain
·Inflammatory fat buildup under our skin and within our internal organs and arteries
·Blood sugar swings that promote bad moods and antisocial behavior
·Disrupted brain energy, concentration problems, and mental illnesses
·Intracellular oxidative stress that promotes cancer development
·Gut inflammation, bloating, heartburn, and the runs
Americans were enticed into buying these oils based on their cholesterol-lowering property, but the idea that cholesterol-lowering is beneficial was pushed on us without solid evidence to support it. In Dark Calories, Dr. Cate reveals the financial entanglements between industry and underhanded academics who created and sustain our 1950s-era, arbitrary dietary rules. As a solution, she proposes a clear, no-nonsense plan that aligns with our genetic needs and nature’s laws.
Thankfully, recovering our health is simplified by the fact that nutrients that treat one condition also tend to treat all the rest. As an added bonus, we also revive our sense of taste so that our cravings shift to wholesome, nourishing foods.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Vegetable oils are terrible for one's health, according to this troubling warning. Physician Shanahan (Deep Nutrition) explains that they contain polyunsaturated fatty acids that undergo a chemical transformation when heated during the manufacturing process, creating "brand-new compounds within the oil that... are mildly to extremely toxic." Such toxins can cause oxidative stress, a "cellular imbalance that disrupts everything the cell is trying to do" and leads to chronic inflammation. Shanahan's assertion that vegetable oils are the primary reason why inflammatory diseases have ticked upward in recent decades doesn't quite persuade, as it relies on circumstantial evidence that vegetable oil use has increased over the same period, and she admits that there's relatively little research studying a direct link between vegetable oil and inflammatory disease. Still, readers who want to err on the side of caution and steer clear of the substance will benefit from tips for replacing it with healthier fats. For instance, she recommends substituting butter, ghee, or unrefined coconut oil for vegetable oil; loading up on almonds, avocados, and pecans; and eating meats with low polyunsaturated fat content, such as beef and lamb. Shanahan also lists vegetable oil–free meal ideas, recommending steak, roasted vegetables, and hummus made from olive oil. Though this perhaps overstates vegetable oils' evils, it provides sound guidance on how to reduce one's intake of the stuff. Health enthusiasts will want to take note.
