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143rd out of 469 books
—
976 voters
The Queen of Fats: Why Omega-3s Were Removed from the Western Diet and What We Can Do to Replace Them
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...more
Hardcover, 232 pages
Published
September 12th 2006
by University of California Press
(first published August 22nd 2006)
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Fascinating science.
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A few hours after finishing . . . I should say a little more: Not just fascinating science, but an important public health message. Allport does a lot in this short book: she explains the fats and how they work in the body -- linoleic acid, alpha linolenic (ALA), arachnidonic, eicopentaenoic (EPA), etc. -- there is plenty of chemistry here and I followed all of it with abiding concentration, despite never having taken a chemistry class. At the same time she traces the...more
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A few hours after finishing . . . I should say a little more: Not just fascinating science, but an important public health message. Allport does a lot in this short book: she explains the fats and how they work in the body -- linoleic acid, alpha linolenic (ALA), arachnidonic, eicopentaenoic (EPA), etc. -- there is plenty of chemistry here and I followed all of it with abiding concentration, despite never having taken a chemistry class. At the same time she traces the...more
Mar 13, 2010
Ladiibbug
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Everyone Who Eats!!
Recommended to Ladiibbug by:
Michael Pollan "In Defense of Food" author
Shelves:
weight-loss-health
An absolutely crucial book everyone who eats needs to read! Once again, the food mfgrs. have stripped an essential ingredient necessary for human health from our food in order to prolong the shelf life of processed foods.
Omega 3s are fatty acids -- "good fats". Omega 3's are found in green plants, including fruits & veggies and in fish. Flax seed and flax seed oil contain the highest amounts of Omega 3's. Many oils have much healthier levels of Omega 3's than others - a chart is included. Ac...more
Omega 3s are fatty acids -- "good fats". Omega 3's are found in green plants, including fruits & veggies and in fish. Flax seed and flax seed oil contain the highest amounts of Omega 3's. Many oils have much healthier levels of Omega 3's than others - a chart is included. Ac...more
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Aug 13, 2009
Margaret
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone interested in improving their health and/or students of biochemistry
Recommended to Margaret by:
Michael Pollan
This very interesting and well written book helped me understand the biochemistry of omega-3 fatty acids and convinced me to immediately add fish oil to my diet! Much of the reading I had been doing about sustainable agriculture (e.g, Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food and various reports on the merits of grass-fed versus corn-fed livestock) had discussed omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, but left me wanting to know more.
Now I understand why grass-fed beef contains more omega-3s than does beef f...more
Now I understand why grass-fed beef contains more omega-3s than does beef f...more
I hope this book makes the talk circuit so that more people will hear its message and take action in their lives. I have been confused about omega 3 vs omega 6, but this cleared it all up with a scientific presentation that leaves no doubt that you can change your diet and likely improve your health. Bottom line, we need to eat as much omega 3 as possible. Omega 6s are good too, but its very easy to get them in our regular diets and they compete with omega 3s in the body, so the ratio of 3:6 is...more
Feb 23, 2013
Melanie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Melanie by:
Michael Pollan- in defense of food
A few chapters in this book are absolutely brutal, but otherwise it's not so bad.
Book discusses the different types of fat, omega 3 and 6 and 9 (alpha lenolenic acid, lenoleic acid, and oleic acid, respectively) and their role in the body health. The idea is that the optimal ratio for omega 3 and 6 is about a 1:2.3, but the Western Diet has a far higher proportion of omega 6 to omega 3, which may cause a lot of our heart and health woes. Suggestions are to avoid high omega-6 oils (sunflower, saf...more
Book discusses the different types of fat, omega 3 and 6 and 9 (alpha lenolenic acid, lenoleic acid, and oleic acid, respectively) and their role in the body health. The idea is that the optimal ratio for omega 3 and 6 is about a 1:2.3, but the Western Diet has a far higher proportion of omega 6 to omega 3, which may cause a lot of our heart and health woes. Suggestions are to avoid high omega-6 oils (sunflower, saf...more
Jul 27, 2008
Elizabeth
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Eva
Shelves:
non-fiction,
food-writing
I added this one to my "food writing" shelf, but I'm not sure it belongs there. The author definitely would say it doesn't, but they're my damned shelves, and I'll classify things any way I please.
Ahem.
While the names of the acids and fats got me totally confused (I'm not even sure how to pronounce 'eicosapentaenoic'), I did really enjoy this book and feel like I learned a great deal. On the way home from Buzz tonight (after indulging in plenty of linoleic acids, no doubt), I rattled off many of...more
Ahem.
While the names of the acids and fats got me totally confused (I'm not even sure how to pronounce 'eicosapentaenoic'), I did really enjoy this book and feel like I learned a great deal. On the way home from Buzz tonight (after indulging in plenty of linoleic acids, no doubt), I rattled off many of...more
Although this is heavily scientific and can be difficult to read at times, I have to give it 5 stars for the quality of information I gained from it. I've been adding omega-3's to my diet for several years now, and I thought I knew a fair bit about them. I learned so much from this book about how these fatty acids work inside the body and how to get the most benefit from them.
Lots of chemistry, yes, but worth reading. Just read it slowly if you don't have a lot of science background. The actual...more
Lots of chemistry, yes, but worth reading. Just read it slowly if you don't have a lot of science background. The actual...more
Mar 31, 2008
Happyreader
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Happyreader by:
Kristine B
Shelves:
health-and-diet,
science
I really enjoyed this book. Be warned that this is a science book, not a food book. While it’s not a necessity, this book is more enjoyable if you have an elementary understanding of organic chemistry and biochemistry.
What was interesting to me were the stories of how the essential fatty acids were first identified and the resistance to incorporating this new knowledge into prevailing health models, the changes in our food supply that have thrown off the omega 6:omega 3 ratio in our diets, and t...more
What was interesting to me were the stories of how the essential fatty acids were first identified and the resistance to incorporating this new knowledge into prevailing health models, the changes in our food supply that have thrown off the omega 6:omega 3 ratio in our diets, and t...more
Dec 07, 2008
Carmen
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone with health interests
Recommended to Carmen by:
steve
Very good info- a little hard to get thru the "history" parts of the research she references but excellent info and thoroughly done. required reading for anyone interested in diet, preventative health care, the food industry, even animal welfare issues(just a touch) and the roots of mental health issues (implied). every one knows to eat more veggies, now here's even more reason why. and if your a meat eater, go for the free range organic stuff. up your omega-3 and decease your omega-6's!
It is a very interesting book to read together with Michael Pollan's "In defense of food". Two drastically different viewpoint yet somehow reach the same conclusion. I prefer Michael Pollan's book more, simply because it is more wholistic and simply scientific! I love science but I don't like my life to be run by scientists and nutritionists. My grandma's cookings are always the best for me and my children!
Fascinating book describing the discovery of essential fatty acids ( esp. Omega 3's and 6's) and much of the history of the scientists and doctors involved. Pretty in depth about what fatty acids are, how they function, why we need them, and a little about how to get the right kinds of them back in balance in our diets. Not a light read, but a very interesting one (if your interested:)
I would say that I mostly skimmed this book. Lots of good information and definitely goes into the science and history of omega-3s, but I think I perhaps was looking for something more. I would say, read the chapter on how to replace omega-3s and skim the rest. The author suggests reading the book The Omega Plan for more recipes and detailed guides of nutrition and I think I will do just that.
Definitely not a beach read, as it's pretty heavy on the scientific tech-speak; however it is very enlightening. It discusses how omega-3s were "discovered", what their roles are in human nutrition (as well as some animal nutrition), as well as how they interact with one another. There is a small section near the end that gives some broad advice as to increasing omega-3s in the diet, though the author states outright that this was not meant to be a diet book, so no specific guidelines are provid...more
This is a book I loved. Easy to follow and very informative. Enjoyable to boot!! Would be a great addition to a science and nutrition unit for students. I read it over a year ago and rates right up there with The Brain That Changes Itself.
Regarding fat, you are what you eat. Food is a determinant of health. Susan Allport superbly writes about omega 3 fatty acids and in so doing she empowers the reader to make food choices that favor good health. This book can save lives.
Does a good a job as can be done explaining something so chemically complex to a non scientific audience. I liked it but don't think I can explain exactly whatthewho--....I have bought a big bottle of fish oil capsules now though.
For the first time after reading this book, I feel I understand this Omega 3/Omega 6 dietary principle. She explains it very clearly and it is very important if you want to keep healthy and clear headed.
A dry but informative history of fats, as well as a summary of the current state of knowledge about them. It is well written, but the chemical composition of various fats gets a little old.
A little bit technical at times for the non-scientist that I am, but I enjoyed it. It was written like a detective story, almost, which made it interesting. I learned a lot.
The information in this book will revolutionize how we look at diet, I hope. If you are interested in your health and staying healthy it's a must read.
Feb 24, 2010
Joseph
is currently reading it
explanation of saturation, which is not a simple matter, and our neglect of it might reduce our chances to continue developing
Interesting, a bit technical but contains some practical advise on nutrition.
An excellent explanation of Omega-3s and their importance.
Somewhat scientific, and after reading it, I feel I finally understand the omega-3 and omega-6 issue. It has changed my habits and strengthened my ideas about what to eat and what to avoid. Good: greens; fish; grassfed or pastured meat, dairy, poultry, and eggs; flax; fresh walnuts; fish oil. Not good: conventional (corn-fed) meat and dairy; high omega-6 oils like safflower, sunflower, cottonseed, corn oils. These high omega-6 oils are in everything processed, so I end of avoiding most prepared/...more
Fascinating book, easy to read and informative.
An interesting and well documented book on Omega-3 fatty acids. The history of it's discovery and research work on it's dietary benefits. I was a Chemistry major and enjoyed reading it but many might find it too technical for recreational literature.
Bottom line: Omega-3's are essential and have been squeezed out of the American diet in favor of Omega-6... Belly up to the Omega-3 food bar... with foods like green veggies, wild fish and flaxseed.
Bottom line: Omega-3's are essential and have been squeezed out of the American diet in favor of Omega-6... Belly up to the Omega-3 food bar... with foods like green veggies, wild fish and flaxseed.
Concise, readable review of the history of omega-3 science. It's hard to understand why it took decades for the general public to become aware of this essential nutrient that is so lacking in the American diet, at great cost to our health.
May 29, 2008
April
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
any person concerned about heart disease
Recommended to April by:
Jason
Great chemical overview of what is happening with Omega -3, Omega -6 and what you can do to help prevent getting heart disease.
The information and thesis of this book is very helpful. See 'Good Calories, Bad Calories'
Interesting book. I already knew about Omega-3's and my diet includes her suggestions.
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