A Thumbs Down Book Review
Fats that Kill, Fats that Heal
By Udo Erasmus
Review by Sally Fallon
Fats That Kill, Fats That Heal is one of the few books for the lay public on the subject of fats and oils. It has sold well and is quoted everywhere. While there is some good information in the book, the facts about fats are so intertwined with error as to present a tangled skein, likely to do more harm than good.
The author has worked as a salesman for several companies specializing in cold-pressed vegetable oils, which explains his bias towards polyunsaturated oils and against saturated animal fats and tropical oils, bias that is highly tinged with error. For example, Erasmus states that 16-carbon saturated palmitic acid is the major fatty acid in coconut oil, leaving the impression that coconut oil has no particular health benefits; whereas coconut oil contains very little palmitic acid but is especially rich in beneficial lauric acid. His stand on butter is particularly egregious. He declares that butter is a “neutral” fat, useful for frying but not necessary, and dangerous in excess—wrong on every count. Butter is not neutral, but a highly beneficial source of fat soluble vitamins, anti-carcinogenic substances and antimicrobial fatty acids, hence a very necessary component of the American diet. There is nothing dangerous about including large amounts of butter in the diet, and while fine for sauteing, it is not a particularly good fat for frying. Stable tallows or palm oil are better.
Erasmus neglects to tell his readers that dietary saturated fats are very important for the proper utilization of essential fatty acids, especially for the omega-3 fatty acids in flax oil that he has promoted so heavily. He downplays the dangers of excess polyunsaturates, even omega-3 polyunsaturates. The result is that many people, on Udo’s advice, are now taking dangerous amounts of flax oil that the body cannot properly utilize.
Udo also gives the nod to canola oil, which almost always contains dangerous trans fatty acids formed during processing and which causes vitamin E deficiency in test animals.
His most recent gambit is the promotion of hemp oil, which has never been traditionally consumed by humans and which contains cannabinoids, the active ingredients of marijuana. Unsuspecting disciples have flunked their workplace urine drug tests the morning after a salad prepared with hemp oil. Others have suffered gastrointestinal disorders and psychological effects from hemp oil salad dressing.
Fats That Kill Fats That Heal is more sales pitch than professional science—buyer beware!
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Respectfully, I disagree with Sally in this review. I’ve read both Nutrition and Physical Degeneration as well as Fats that Heal…
a) *PASTEURIZED* butter is not a healthy addition to the American diet. Sally should mention this, and I believe she is referring to whole fat butter from raw milk as Dr. Price did.
Hemp oil itself has to go through very strict requirements to be commercially sold. A typical batch may test as 0.0004% THC or less.
Canola oil is bad bad bad, I agree. But Udo never promoted it, and certainly the industrially refined crap found in stores today…
Yes this review is nonsense: there is no cannabis in hemp seeds from which the oil is pressed: hemp oil is without doubt the most nutritious food oil there is and has been widely used as such for thousands of years.
She hasn’t read the book properly. It is very dense and scholarly – unlike her review. The warnings in the book about animal-sourced saturated fats don’t avoid the necessity for saturated fats in the diet
My money says the woman who wrote this review is well overweight like over one quarter of her country folk !
There is nothing scholarly about a book that cites not a single study
You all should read PEO Solutions by Brian Peskin and Robert Rowen, MD. 2014
You all have a lot to learn, and as the comments point out, many careless statements
have been made which erase any credibility of the authors of such statements.
I read Udo Erasmus book in 1996 around the time it was first published, and as such he is a pioneer of sorts
in the arena of good/bad fats and oils. But he missed a couple of things including the importance of unadulterated
Omega 6 – as all of you are, as well.
Time and 21st century science may well prove that Mary Enid didn’t quite get it right either – dying
of a stroke ….that was caused by clogged arteries? My guess it was the rancid Cod Liver Oil that Mary boasts
she took all her life. A wonder she lived to 84.
Ah, but was Mary’s stroke ischemic or hemorrhagic? Makes a difference. Be careful -pride goes before a fall, even in academic/scientific matters.
I’ve read both Sally Fallon and Udo Erasmus, and in light of the fact that they agree on so much I find it sad to see them arguing over butter. Both authors are in search of optimal health, and both authors base their conclusions on meticulous scientific research. They are in agreement that sugar, refined foods, white foods, deep fried foods, trans-fats, and hydrogenated fats like margarine are at the root of most of our health problems. They are in agreement that vegetables and whole grains and a moderate amount of fish are an essential part of a healthy diet, and that problems with arterial cholesterol are in large part due to mineral deficiencies. They are in agreement that a plentitude of healthy fats is a key part of an optimal diet. Where they may disagree is what constitutes a healthy fat. Fallon recommends healthy doses of grass fed and wild meats, dairy, and butter. Udo favors limiting saturated fats, which he views as a serious health risk, although he states that a moderate amount of animal fats should be fine in a nutritionally rich diet (plenty of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants). He emphasizes an ample supply of omega 3 rich expeller pressed oils like flax, hemp, chia, safflower, sunflower, and so on. He prescribes this in combination with lots of antioxidants from vegetables and supplements to counteract the higher tendency to form free radicals. Udo breaks down butter’s benefits and detracting features and concludes that it is a wash in an otherwise healthy diet with normal metabolism. Sally counters that he has missed some of the beneficial constituents of butter in his analysis. OK, big whoop. You are either going to tend towards limiting your meat and butter and upping your flax oil and supplements, or you will tend towards eating more meat and butter from free range sources and plenty of organic veg. Either way, if you follow the rest of their dietary suggestions about which they are in agreement, you are going to be eating a healthy diet and be better for it. Come on guys, you are on the same team. Life is too short to quibble over spilt butter.
I agree with your atttitude on the matter Mike. I would love to arrange a syposium that would include the two of them talking and hashing out their differences and joining the rest of us in a united campaign to educate the general public on eating the right fats.
what meticulous science? there is not science behind the dangers of saturated fat.
…They do not agree that one should eat “whole grains”. Grains are horrible for human health and should not be consumed; if you insist then you must sprout the grains and eat them only in small amounts.
This lady is mainstream and agenda driven.
The truth of health regarding coconut oil is obvious.
Search mercola, dr Robert o young, mat monarch, david Wolfe, livestrong, tony robins, etc.
There is a smear to hide the health benefits from people.
Don’t be fooled by agenda and corporation driven experts and science.
This is quackery !!!
In a country mostly seeking low-fat diets, I totally agree that these two esteemed fat-promoting pioneers are DEFINITELY ON THE SAME TEAM! Most readers are not very sophisticated, and still in “search” mode for the “truth”. Far better to praise all the GREAT information, and “enhance” with further “refinement”. More controversy adds to the confusion and directly leads the American public to reject the necessity for fats!! I would rather encourage readers to “keep searching!”
One of the biggest pieces of advice I got from Udo Erasmus’ book is to search for UNPROCESSED fats. Understanding the manufacturing of fats was key–especially the destructive effects of heating to high temperatures (altering the chemical structure) and chemically extracting remaining oils (leaving residual toxic chemicals remaining in the product)–yuck! Totally unhealthy! Furthermore, an absolutely huge “light bulb” for me was realizing that oils used to be delivered to the doorstep along with milk, because the oil would go rancid relatively quickly. WOW!
Maybe I don’t fully understand “oxidized fats”, but I don’t think enough comparative studies have been done on butter from organic, grass-fed cows vs butter from CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation). Obviously the former is preferable. But AT WHAT POINT DO THE TOXINS IN CAFO butter OVERRIDE THE BENEFITS of the saturated fat? Most particularly, is there a “stickiness” in CAFO saturated fats that makes it “not recommended” for individuals with a history of blood clotting and/or atheroscleratic disease? These situations are SOO common in the US! This seemed to cause Udo’s hesitations, and I am not sure I have heard Sally directly comment on these issues. Personally, I believe the lack of differentiation in most scientific research between these vastly different products is what causes the apparent “conflict” between these highly esteemed professionals. Confusion abounds due to nutritional need vs the “ill effects” quoted by these studies.
Other points of apparent “conflict” are coconut and hemp oils, which have enjoyed relatively new “trending”. It is absolutely understandable that Udo Erasmus barely mentions the now popular coconut oil in his book published in 1986 and revised in 1993. While I am no expert, Udo’s recommendation of coconut oil for infant formulas (which he recognizes must be enhanced by other fats, of course!) DEFINITELY seem to be a step above the soy formulas! Although I must admit that I prefer the WAPS recommendation of raw goal milk (plus supplementation) where possible.
Regarding Hemp Oil, Sally Fallon similarly misspeaks regarding the extremely low TCH present in most hemp oil, although I believe she is right to recommend exercising caution. While hemp seed had been used medicinally in the Orient, but I did not find reference to the oil, although I did not search extensively.
Consequently, I suggest that Udo and Sally ENHANCE each other and respect each other’s work.
While I prefer WAPF perspective on fats, I also value much of Udo’s information. I TOTALLY agree with a previous comment. These two esteemed professionals are FAR MORE FRIEND than foe!
Udo is a qualified doctor and when he had cancer nothing he had been taught as a doctor could cure his cancer . He went on his own search for health and found it . I have met Udo and he is a very healthy looking man who is self deprecating and knowledgeable . He will not stress himself to prove his points he simply has shared what he believes cured his cancer and keeps him healthy . I believe he wants to help others but knows that the stress of trying to ‘ convert ‘ disbelievers is not worth the damage it would do to his health. I am so glad I have his book and his oil!
I read Udo’s book when it first came out. He was a pioneer in helping people recognize the importance of fats in the diet. Because of him I started adding fat back into my diet. I tried following the Weston Price diet but ultimately settled on keto/carnivore being 90 percent carnivore. As much as I have respect for Weston Price Foundation Sally Fallon does not look healthy to me and that raises a big question in my mind.
If you read Erasmus’ book, you’ll find that he mostly touts the benefits of plant oils. Will there be too much animal saturated fat from your carnivore b diet?