Eat Your Words Presents: Saved by the Bellini

Episode 184: The Big Fat Surprise

Episode Summary

Low-fat, non-fat and heart healthy.. weve heard it all. Americans are constantly avoiding the f word to try and stay fit and healthy, but should fat be an essential part of a healthy diet? Nina Taicholz thinks so. Shes the author of The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet, and shes this weeks guest on Eat Your Words with guest-host Talia Ralph. How did we start to think that saturated fat was bad for us? Why are fad diets constantly proven wrong? Can you finally feel good about putting mountains of butter on your toast? Tune in and find out on a fat-friendly edition of Eat Your Words. This program was sponsored by The International Culinary Center. Fat is the nutrient thats been targeted the most - and Ive realized that all of our nutrition recommendations over the past 50 years have turned out to be wrong! [03:00] This story [of low-fat diets] is a failure of scientists - good intentioned men who really wanted to solve the heart disease epidemic, believed this is the best possible solution and jumped the gun before it was ready. [11:00] Theres a small group of nutrition aristocrats who control all the expert panels and are in charge of all the studies. They control the nutrition agenda in the country. [14:00] My book is not a diet book - its a book of science and history. [20:00] --Nina Taicholz on Eat Your Words

Episode Notes

Low-fat, non-fat and “heart healthy”.. we’ve heard it all. Americans are constantly avoiding the “f” word to try and stay fit and healthy, but should fat be an essential part of a healthy diet? Nina Taicholz thinks so. She’s the author of “The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet”, and she’s this week’s guest on Eat Your Words with guest-host Talia Ralph. How did we start to think that saturated fat was bad for us? Why are fad diets constantly proven wrong? Can you finally feel good about putting mountains of butter on your toast? Tune in and find out on a fat-friendly edition of Eat Your Words. This program was sponsored by The International Culinary Center.


“Fat is the nutrient that’s been targeted the most – and I’ve realized that all of our nutrition recommendations over the past 50 years have turned out to be wrong!” [03:00]

“This story [of low-fat diets] is a failure of scientists – good intentioned men who really wanted to solve the heart disease epidemic, believed this is the best possible solution and jumped the gun before it was ready.” [11:00]

“There’s a small group of nutrition aristocrats who control all the expert panels and are in charge of all the studies. They control the nutrition agenda in the country.” [14:00]

“My book is not a diet book – it’s a book of science and history.” [20:00]

–Nina Taicholz on Eat Your Words