Eat Fat, Lose Fat

Nourishing Traditions:

The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition

and the Diet Dictocrats

Lose Weight and Feel Great with Three Delicious, Science-Based Coconut Diets

HUDSON STREET PRESS
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First published by Hudson Street Press, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Copyright © Mary Enig and Sally Fallon, 2005
All rights reserved

CIP data is available.

ISBN: 978-1-1012-1322-3

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE
Neither the publisher nor the authors are engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader. The dietary programs, recipes, resources, ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained in this book are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician. Consultation with your health practitioner is advised. The publisher and authors are not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision, for any adverse reactions to the dietary programs or recipes or products contained or referred to in this book, or for any loss or damage arising or allegedly arising from any information or suggestions in this book. While the authors have made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers and Internet addresses at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the authors assume any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication.

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America’s Anti-Fat Obsession

As the French maintain their trim physiques while consuming triple cream brie, steak au poivre, and béarnaise sauce, most American adults would barely dare to drink a glass of whole-fat milk. For the last 25 years, government recommendations, medical doctrine, food advertising, and so-called health experts have stressed low-fat and non-fat foods, cautioning people to avoid fats in general, particularly saturated fats from animal products and tropical fats, like coconut.

“Are you eating lots of foods high in fat (especially saturated fat) ?” worries the American Heart Association website. “Choose a diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol,” echo the current (2000) United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) food guidelines. A scant two to three daily servings of dairy or other animal foods—specified to be “low-fat or fat-free”—are recommended in the Food Pyramid (developed by the USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute website offers “heart healthy recipes” with reduced fat content, such as Stuffed Potatoes made with soft margarine, low-fat cottage cheese, and low-fat milk.

Yet America, not France, is the nation with galloping rates of obesity, leading many people, and now many researchers, to wonder:

• Are the vegetable oils and trans fats contained in processed foods really healthier than the fats in natural foods, like butter and cream?
  
• Is coconut oil, a staple in countries with lower rates of chronic disease than ours, really so deadly?
  

How effective have the recommended low-fat diets and low-and non-fat foods really been, given that
97 million
Americans (that’s 64 percent, an 8.6 percent jump from 1994 to 1999) are overweight, according to a study published in the October 2002
Journal of the American Medical Association.

And weight gain is not just a question of appearance. Obesity was number two on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention list of preventable causes of death in 2004 (after smoking). According to government statistics, being overweight substantially increases the risk of hypertension, type II diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, and respiratory problems, as well as endometrial, breast, prostate, and colon cancers. Higher body weight increases mortality for all causes.

If you are among the overweight and want to avoid these diseases, you’re caught in a vicious cycle. Once the pounds pack on, your energy plummets, making it harder to exercise. Even if you only need to lose a few pounds, or are not overweight at all, you may find that you suffer from low energy, chronic fatigue, food cravings, and depression. Why?

Based upon our collective experience—Dr. Mary Enig is a world-renowned biochemist and nutritionist, best known for her pioneering research on healthy fats and oils and her early protests against trans fats, and Sally Fallon is a food industry researcher, chef, and president and cofounder of the Weston A. Price Foundation—we believe that while you may be overweight, you are also likely to be
undernourished
, lacking vital nutrients that your body derives from fat. In this book, we offer you a dietary program that, depending on your needs, will help you lose weight (or gain weight if you need to), recover from debilitating health disorders, enhance your overall health and, last but not least, introduce you to a whole world of satisfying, delicious, wholesome foods that everyone in your family can enjoy.

Our three diet plans—Quick and Easy Weight Loss, Health Recovery, and Everyday Gourmet—are all based on eating adequate amounts of good,
healthy fat,
especially the valuable saturated fat of the coconut
.
Think “healthy fat” is a contradiction in terms? Read on.

Are You Fat Deficient?

Dutifully following the anti-fat recommendations, many people are mystified when they get results contrary to those they’re led to expect. For example:

• Have you relied on fat-free foods and counted fat grams to lose weight, only to find that your weight has plateaued and you always feel hungry?
  
• Do you avoid red meats, butter, and eggs to lower your cholesterol, but lack sufficient energy to get through the day?
  
• Do you eat margarine because of a family history of heart disease, but feel listless and depressed?
  
• Do you eat so-called healthy meals (like a salad with no-fat dressing), only to be overtaken by cravings that drive you to eat fatty foods, such as chips, french fries, doughnuts, or ice cream?
  

Or perhaps, like so many Americans, you suffer from one or more of these symptoms:

• Has your weight slowly been creeping up?
  
• Is it impossible to lose that last ten pounds no matter how hard you try?
  
• Have your energy and enthusiasm drooped?
  
• Do you still feel hungry after you’ve finished your meal?
  
• Do you crave fried foods, sweets, and sugary snacks?
  
• Do you experience a mid-afternoon “energy crash” and need caffeine or sweets to get through the rest of the day?
  
• Do sharp cravings for fattening foods overwhelm your best intentions to eat healthy, whole foods?
  
• Do you feel too fatigued to exercise, though you know you should?
  
• Do you blame yourself for your lack of “willpower”?
  
• Are you resigned to weight gain and fatigue?
  
• Do you suffer from a chronic illness like depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, hypothyroidism, digestive problems, or hormonal imbalances?
  

Every single one of these problems can signify a dietary fat deficiency. Instead of resulting in weight loss as promised, eating a low-fat diet can spark food cravings that lead to overeating. Instead of making you healthy, avoiding healthy fats can actually undermine your health because you
need
fats for countless bodily functions.

Creamy sauces, buttered vegetables, and ice cream taste good for a reason. It’s not that your body is trying to torment you by making unhealthy foods seem delectable. Instead, your body is using your taste buds to signal what you need. That’s why most of us enjoy rich foods, like succulent lamb chops, berries with heavy cream, and crispy turkey skin. But because we believe that fats are bad,
we are afraid to listen to our bodies
.

In fact, rich, delicious foods are nature’s gift to us, in contrast to processed foods, the creations of the food industry. And helping people understand, prepare, and enjoy wholesome foods is the mission of the Weston A. Price Foundation. With 200 chapters around the world, the Foundation has helped thousands of people find their way to health and optimal weight while enjoying a wholesome, traditional foods diet.