Nina Teicholz is a science journalist and author with a healthy focus on diet and specifically saturated fats.
Her book The Big Fat Surprise dismantles decades of myths surrounding saturated fats (and carbohydrates), arguing that butter, meat, eggs and cheese are not the enemy.
I remember growing up in the 80s, when everything was low-fat and high cholesterol—which Tim Noakes has spoken about—were the boogeymen.
It’s all nonsense.
Saturated fats are good for you.
Saturated fats play many important roles in the body, including building cell membranes and enhancing the immune system. They also provide energy and are essential for calcium absorption.
Mary Enig, nutritionist and biochemist
For a long time, we have been told that the healthiest diet involves eating less fat.
Fat makes you fat, apparently.
The mainstream narrative was that if we weren’t losing weight or getting healthier, then it was because we weren’t eating enough rice cakes and bran cereals with skimmed milk. Basically, we were told to eat more food from a box.
Ironically and totally coincidentally, obesity and diabetes began rocketing around the same time low-fat became a trend.
Saturated fats have been unfairly demonised. They are a necessary part of the human diet and are vital for the proper functioning of our heart and brain.
James DiNicolantonio, cardiovascular research scientist
The actual science
These days, science scienticism has become less about truth and more about funders, politics and agendas. Look no further than virology and climate change.
Thankfully, Nina’s extensive research is rock solid and backed up by many others such as Tim Noakes, Anthony Chafee and Thomas Seyfried.
And it’s personally testable.
In other words, you can change your diet and see what happens.
For example, I have been following a low-carbohydrate lifestyle for many years and have found numerous benefits including reduced heartburn and improved energy levels.
Never eat a low-carb, low-fat diet; your body needs the fat to thrive.
Jimmy Moore, author of Keto Clarity
Conversation
Nina explained how she became interested in researching saturated fats, followed by diving into the history of how saturated fats were vilified. (I recommend my conversation with Tim Noakes.)
Then Nina debunked the myth that saturated fats are bad for health and explained why reducing grains, starches and sugars improve overall health.
There is no association between saturated fat consumption and heart disease. In fact, it can be part of a healthy diet and help raise good cholesterol levels.
Aseem Malhotra, cardiologist
She also covered the negative imapct of carbohydrates, the ineffectiveness of calorie counting and the ‘differences’ between simple and complex carbohydrates (the latter of which is quite interesting).
Towards the end, Nina touched on various types of sugars like fructose and sucrose.
Oh, and very importantly, Nina does not receive any money from any interest groups. She is independent and has never sold herself to any of the food industries.
The fewer carbohydrates we consume, the leaner we will be.
Gary Taubes
