Book Review- 'Why Women Need Fat'
(This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club, but the opinions expressed are my own.)
When you’re brought up thinking one way, it can be very difficult to change that way of thinking. This was my dilemma as I began reading ‘Why Women Need Fat’. The authors presented a new, (and a bit radical), idea about the way we eat. Basically, it's that the oils we’ve been using, that are touted as ‘good for us’, are making us fat. This was a hard pill to swallow. We all hear daily about trans fats and cholesterol and how we must use vegetable oil or soybean oil to keep those dangers at bay. The book presents lots of scientific evidence to show that this isn't true. (And, I'll admit, I had a hard time getting through some of the chapters that were so filled with this evidence.)
The authors, Dr. Lassek (a physician) and Dr. Gaulin (an anthropologist), have found that women today are much heavier than their counterparts of the 1960’s. Look at a photo of your mom or grandmother at the same age you are now. Is she thinner than you? Mine are, both of them. According to the book, this isn’t an unexplainable event. It’s a result of how we eat, most especially the oils that we use. We've gotten away from the animal fats we used to use and this change in our diets has led us to be fatter.
I liked the way the doctors explained why we as women need fat, why our body shapes are so different than men’s and why men find our shapely figures attractive. I also felt a bit empowered with the knowledge that my hips and thighs are supposed to be heavier, and that the weight I gained after having kids was natural. I struggled though, when they said that we have a 'set' point for our weight, and if you're heavy, you're set point is higher. I honestly felt like they were telling me that I'm stuck where I am and even if I changed to the 'natural diet' they were touting, my weight loss would be minimal.
I started this book thinking it would be more like, ‘Why Women Need to be Fat’, but that wasn't the case. It did give me some food for thought about how I eat.
If you're interested in learning about how our diets have changed, and in eating a more natural diet, I would recommend this book.
You can learn more about the book and join the discussion here on BlogHer.
This sounds like an interesting book. I have been fuming around for years that our society no longer accepts that people come in all shapes and sizes and that we are made to eat real food.
ReplyDeleteI KNEW I would have the last laugh over my scale!!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! Just enough info to whet my appetite for more 'fat'! :D lol I'm so proud of you and all you are accomplishing!
ReplyDeleteGreat to *see* you in the Blog Her Book Club Discussion for this selection! I had a similar reaction to this book. I liked it, but didn't love it. I learned a lot, but was surprised what much of it ending up being about (not really what I expected).
ReplyDeleteThis part of your review especially resonated with me:
"I liked the way the doctors explained why we as women need fat, why our body shapes are so different than men’s and why men find our shapely figures attractive. I also felt a bit empowered with the knowledge that my hips and thighs are supposed to be heavier, and that the weight I gained after having kids was natural. I struggled though, when they said that we have a 'set' point for our weight, and if you're heavy, you're set point is higher. I honestly felt like they were telling me that I'm stuck where I am and even if I changed to the 'natural diet' they were touting, my weight loss would be minimal."
I hear you and felt somewhat the same way.