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Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill: The Complete Guide to Fats, Oils, Cholesterol and Human Health By Udo Erasmus ( Alive Books )
Release Date: 1993-01-01
Average Customer Rating:
List Price: $22.95
Price: $15.61
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 Amazing. ( cosmodoc )
This is an amazing book. It is an encyclopedic look at fats and it clearly shows the author's passion for and expertise in this subject area. He is clearly an independent thinker and often disagrees with prevailing views-both within the medical community and the industrial/advertising complex. When he disagrees, he makes his case well and, in my opinion, is usually correct. The author airs his opinions and philosophies regarding a variety of other subjects, many outside the arena of nutrition. Many would cite this as a flaw of the book-I enjoyed them however. Again, independent thinking and passion on display. There are issues that will concern some readers.
1)The author does sell his own line of fat related supplements-however, the book arms readers with the info they need to get along just fine without supplements by simply making better food choices.
2)The book is long and very deep and this may put off some readers. It is well explained though and should be accessible to motivated readers who want more than a superficial review. I have owned the book for over 5 years and still finding myself picking it up often to answer new questions I have.
3)The author's opinionated nature at times make portions of the book seem rather quirky.
Overall though it is fantastic. I am a physician with a strong interest and a lot of training in nutrition and I think this is one of the most thought provoking health related books I've ever seen. It is not orthodox and does not tow the party line of the medical community. At the same time, it is very insightful and leaves the reader with an 8 page bibliography which they can use to further their own research in this area.
Not for everyone but remarkable none the less.
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 Good book, written fairly ... ( mikewofsey )
I found this book to be an excellent source of knowledge. The author does something that other 'experts' in the field have a harder time doing ... he actually brings information that everyone can use. I'm a vegan, but I see no point in demonizing animal fats just because I reject them for myself. Erasmus seems to understand this subtle difference. He gives an honest evaluation of butter and margarine and animal fats, and even if they are not completely healthy, he presents useful information for people who do chose to consume these foods.
I've listened to 'authoritative' sources on the value of freshly pressed young coconut oil, freshly pressed hemp oil, freshly pressed flax oil, etc.. And in each case the author inevitably ended up trying to sell his or her product to me. How can I trust that?
Erasmus even mentions some of this, which is perhaps why he doesn't push his own brand of oils. He says that advertising tends to cloud the understanding of consumers.
In fact, in his book he even mentions that the ideal way of getting LNA and LA essential oils is by simply eating the seeds of select foods, because he points out that Nature's method of containing the oil in the seed is the only way to be sure that the oil is not modified by light or oxygen.
So when I hear a nutritional expert's sales pitch of his own brand of young coconut oil, I wonder why that expert doesn't tell us how to get these nutritional benefits in foods that are more accessible than coconuts, or at least tell us how we can press our our coconut oil fresh. Why? Erasmus explains why ...
"In this frenzy for sales, consumers are 'educated', choices are affected, habits are changed ..."
And while Erasmus wrote these words before 1986 about the big-business of oil production, it also increasingly holds true about alternative, 'health-concious' oil marketers. They simply want us to buy their products.
In this age of fairly inexpensive seed grinders and oil presses, it's nice to read the work of someone who encourages the reader to bypass the industry and simply d.i.y. it.
In the end though, I would like for him to include more information about oils from a wider variety of sources, like canteloupe seeds, pine seeds, watermelon seeds, etc., but armed with the basic chemical knowledge from Erasmus, this knowledge can be found from other sources, and understood more completely after reading this book.
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One of the best health books ever written
After reading this book you won't give fat a bad rap ever again! It is critically important to understand why and which fats are essential for our health. Udo's warnings about why commercial cooking oils should not be a part of your diet (and which oils to use instead) have helped me to make much better choices. I am eating more fats (the good kind!), less carbs and feeling more satisfied with my meals. And, believe it or not, finally losing those few extra pounds!
As a holistic veterinarian, I have long advocated home cooked meals for dogs and cats. Processed pet foods, like the processed foods that people eat, are deficient in essential fatty acids--destroyed by heat and exposure to light and oxygen. These same essential fatty acids should also be added to the diets of our pets.
Get this book!
Dr Paula Terifaj,DVM
Author of 30MinVetConsult.com
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This country needs more of this kind of information ( stedystate )
I notice some folks tend to put this work on a pedestal and call it essentially a definitive work, and others want to totally discredit it. What is important here is this book is certainly nothing less than a portal into a body of information that is critical to human health. The mainstream population has been confused and duped by the food industry, among others. This information at the very least opens a path to understanding in a way that is not available from mainstream sources. Folks who study nutrition and take responsibility for their health (as opposed to relying on others) will immediately recognize the value in this work. There are others out there as well, such as Enig that are also most valuable. But this is as good a place to start as any. If everyone in this country understood this information, there would be a health revolution that is unprecedented.
CZ
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 Udo - the man in person ( wewa2 )
Sorry, this is more of a review of the author, than the book itself.
Just came back from a 2+ hour seminar. It was supposed to be 90 min, but he spent the first hour on his life history, his flower photography hobby, and philosophy. And I could have sworn there was some metaphysical stuff thrown in there somewhere...all I wanted was to learn about EFAs...
He made a number of contradictory statements such as 'Fresh, Whole, Raw, Organic' as the ideal diet. Then he starts promoting his bottled oil line, which is only 1 of the 4 criteria he just spoke about (organic).
Then he said that the omega oils are 'essential' and that carbohydrates are 'non-essential.'
Hmm.
The brain runs only on glucose, so if carbs are 'non-essential,' we would all be brain dead...
Finally, he stopped talking when some audience members started clapping, as if to clue him in that he was running way over, and to end the lecture, were we finally able to ask questions.
The problem was, he would not answer the questions directly.
One lady asked the same question I wanted to ask:
"so isn't it better to get your omega EFAs from whole foods instead of oils?"
Udo: "Let me tell you a story. Can I tell you guys a story? blah, blah...."
So I rephrased it and asked the same question:
"Earlier you stated that we should seek 'fresh, whole, raw, organic.' So for those who cannot or choose not to eat raw, and have oils in their diet, cooked or otherwise, we should use your oils instead of the commercial oils that are out there, is that correct?'
Udo: "Let me tell you what you should do..."
Long story short, we spent the next 5 minutes about whether he was answering my question or not. So I walked out. And so did others. This guy is a snake oil salesman, I told myself. Defending the oil with his name on it, and his profit sharing. Its just not snake, its flax, sunflower and some other free radical causing dangerous products.
Take care.
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