The Queen of Fats: Why Omega-3s Were Removed from the Western Diet and What We Can Do to Replace Them (California Studies in Food and Culture, 15)

By Susan Allport

Book Overview

A nutritional whodunit that takes readers from Greenland to Africa to Israel, The Queen of Fats gives a fascinating account of how we have become deficient in a nutrient that is essential for good health: the fatty acids known as omega-3s. Writing with intelligence and passion, Susan Allport tells the story of these vital fats, which are abundant in greens and fish, among other foods. She describes how scientists came to understand the role of omega-3s in our diet, why commercial processing has removed them from the food we eat, and what the tremendous consequences have been for our health. In many Western countries, epidemics of inflammatory diseases and metabolic disorders have been traced to omega-3 deficiencies. The Queen of Fats provides information for every consumer who wants to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and obesity and to improve brain function and overall health. This important and compelling investigation into the discovery, science, and politics of omega-3s will transform our thinking about what we should be eating. * Includes steps you can take to add omega-3s to your diet * Shows why eating fish is not the only way, or even the best way, to increase omega-3s. * Provides a new way to understand the complex advice about the role and importance of fats in the body * Explains how and why the food industry has created a deadly imbalance of fats in our foods * Shows how omega-3s can be reintroduced to our diet through food enrichment and changes in the feeding of livestock

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0520242823
• ISBN13: 9780520242821
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.89 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

What Allport Does Best

As always, in "The Queen of Fats," Susan Allport brings a science story alive with just the right amount of esoteric detail to draw the reader in and keep him/her there. In this book, she ferrets out intriguing human dramas behind one of the most misunderstood topics of the day - Omega-3s -- which themselves appear to be the crucial and often-missing cornerstone of personal health. In contrast to diet books that tell you what to eat in a way that is never completely convincing, Allport lays out the facts in such a way that readers can decide for themselves how to make healthy decisions about what they eat. Mary Carpenter author, "Rescued by a Cow and a Squeeze"

Excellent book!

I have read a great deal about omega-3's and the essential fatty acids over the past couple of years and yet I still had many unanswered questions. Susan Allport delivered a compelling story that clearly addressed most of my questions. I highly recommend this book!

Important stuff for our health

I've just completed Susan's latest book, The Queen of Fats: Why Omega-3's were removed from the western diet and what we can do to replace them and it's terrific! The title really says it all and the book reads like a thriller - I couldn't put it down. Be warned, there is a good bit of scientific-speak in this book but the subject matter is so compelling that it's a bit like reading sexy passages of a naughty novel in the foreign language you nearly learned in high school. It's well worth the time and this is important stuff for our health - I just had my first taste of flaxseed oil ... Enjoy!

Ain't no Humpty Dumpty! Great read!

This book is part detective story, part science lesson and part narrative. It is written in clear, straightforward prose that clarifies and educates as well as entertains. It answers a lot of the questions you may have about fats: why are they called Omega-3s? What is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats? Why are animal fats called fats and plant fats called oils? Are there good fats and bad fats? Is the Atkins diet really healthy? The narrative format used to trace the history of the discovery of these amazing fats really works. Learning how the facts about fats were uncovered helps the reader understand why a diet rich in Omega-3s is important, unlike many of the fad diets and spurious nutritional advice that are pitched in the media today. It is also very instructive to see how the facts were often misinterpreted and misunderstood when they were first discovered and what new discoveries brought the truth into focus. Allport provides a thorough and balanced account of the science underlying her thesis that these fats, the Omega-3s, are truly the Queen of the Fatty Acids. And on a final note, unlike most science books, this one has a conclusion that could change your life... for the better. It not only provides a well documented, clearly reasoned case for the benefits of having more Omega-3s in your diet, but it also offers simple, practical advice about adding them back into your diet. Read the book, heed her advice and you're sure to be healthier, smarter and smile more!

An interesting history of omega-3 fats

Allport does an excellent job of recounting the history of omega-3 fatty acids, the people involved in the discovery of the essential nature of omega-3, and why these vital fats are rare in the typical diet. My only critique would be that Allport seemed to ignore the evidence that alpha-linoleic acid, the so-called parent omega-3 found in the food supply, is poorly converted into the real players of omega-3, EPA and DHA, in humans. Men convert only about 2% of ALA into EPA, and none into DHA. Women are a bit more efficient in this conversion. As such, it makes far more sense to rely on direct sources of EPA and DHA, such as fish oil supplements and fatty fish. Allport also makes an error when she says that " all fish are rich in omega-3." In fact, only fatty fish are rich in omega-3, such as sardines, herring, mackeral, and halibut. The lean fish sources are poor to mediocre sources. These minor errors aside, however, the book is an entertaining and educational source of information about omega-3 fats.