I would steer clear of any health “professional” or  diet plan that claims that consuming 20% or more of our 
calories from fat is healthful (or even acceptable). Several years ago, I read an interview in an airline magazine wit h the then-current director of nutrition for the U.S. Olympic 
Team. In it, she stated that the relative percentages of fat, prot ein, and carbohydrates in an athlete’s diet should not vary , regardlessof whether the athlete runs the mile or the marathon, lifts weight s or plays table tennis, shoots skeet or puts the shot. She stated that 
without a doubt, the only nutritional change she would recommend from athl ete to athlete would be the number of calories 
consumed, not the choice of food or caloronutrient ratio. She went on to assert t hat fruit is like magic food for athletes. The 
International Olympic Committee, in its book Food, Nutrition and Sports Performance,  concluded that a diet based on fruits and 
vegetables was the healthiest for athletes and would result in the  best possible performance. 57 
 
The Role of Fats 
Fats serve a wide variety of functions in our diet and in the human body. It  is wrong to think of fats as being all bad. Fats are a 
concentrated source of fuel, providing more than double the calories per gra m of either carbohydrates or proteins. They play an as- 
yet not totally understood role in satiation, possibly because they are so dif ficult to digest. The fat in foods serves as the sole 
carrier/source of our fat-soluble vitamins. Dietary fat is also the  source of the widely misunderstood nutrients known as essential fatty
acids. Fat plays many important roles in regulation of various bodily functions . It is essential to our production of hormones, although 
too much fat will exert an adverse influence on our hormones. It also hel ps to regulate the uptake of nutrients and excretion of waste 
products by every cell. Fat is the primary insulator within the body. It prot ects us against cold and heat, keeps the electricity that 
flows through our nerves on course, and protects our vital organs from jarr ing and other types of physical shock. Types of Fat 
Fat is fat, or so a great many people think. Actually, there are many type s of fat. Some are considered good; others are 
considered bad, and still others are a mixed bag. Some fats are solid at room tempe rature; others are liquid. Many fats are 
indigestible and unusable by the body, while some are indispensable. There a re overt fats and covert fats, short-, medium-, and 
long-chain fats, saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fa ts. There are cooked fats and raw fats—and yes, there is a 
difference. There is also a big difference between animal-derived fa ts and plant-based fats, at least where our health is concerned. Yet with all the dietary fats available on the planet, a man walking i n the jungle with nothing more than his bare hands would 
have a very difficult time putting his lips to any but a minimal amoun t of fat, and then only if he hit the season exactly right. Animals 
that are built similarly to man eat a diet that is very low in fat. T hey rely upon fruits and vegetables for their calories, not fats. Let ’s 
look at fat in a little more detail. Fatty acids comprise the basic structural unit of all “lipids” ( a term comprising oily , water-insoluble substances that include  fats, 
oils, waxes, sterols, and triglycerides). You can think of fatty acids as  the building blocks of fat. They are found, on their own, in all 
whole foods. When fatty acids are joined to the other more complex lipid struct ures, the fatty acids are responsible for the 
properties demonstrated by that lipid. Overt and Covert Fats 
Overt fats are the fats that you can see, or at least tell, are in our f oods. Since our taste buds cannot distinguish fat, we only detect it 
by the greasy feeling on our hands or lips. To us, fat is tasteless. If a food is  fatty, oftentimes people have to be told. Many people 
are surprised to find out the actual fat content of the foods they eat. Typical Fat Content of Selected Foods 
(percentage of calories) 
 
 
Nuts and seeds: 60 to 90% fat 
Wieners and sausages: 70 to 85% fat 
Beef ribs: 65 to 80% fat 
Hamburger patty: 55 to 65% fat 
Chicken with skin, roasted: 36 to 63% fat 
French fries: 45% fat 
Chocolate chip cookies: 45% fat 
Apple pie: 40% fat 
Swordfish, grilled: 30% fat 
Baked potato with ¼ cup of reduced-fat sour cream: 20% fat  
Chicken breast, broiled skinless: 20% fat 
 
Flesh, including fish, fowl, and game, as well as eggs and dairy, nuts and s eeds, olives, avocados, and all oils make up the bulk of the overtly fatty foods. Deep-fried foods of all kinds are extremely fatty  and also count as overt fats. Many desserts are also 
overtly fatty, such as cheesecake, ice cream, pastries, and nutty can dies. Yet all of these foods account for less than half of the fat 
consumed in the typical American diet. The remainder is often referred to as “invisible” fat. W e will call  it “covert.” Covert fats are more hidden. V egetables, sweet 
fruits, and nonsweet fruits like tomatoes and cucumbers contain enough  fat that should you eat them exclusively (in quantities 
sufficient to meet your caloric needs) and consume no overt fats whats oever, you will average between 3 and 5% of your total 
calories from fat. Eating primarily low-fat fruits and vegetables—accompanied by a very small amount of nuts, seeds, and fatty fruits such that 
total fat does not exceed 10% of calories—provides sufficient fat to cover al l of our nutritional needs. Solid and Liquid Fats 
We readily identify fat when we see it congealed on the top of soup that has  cooled. We have no problem recognizing a stick of 
butter, or that white stuff around the edges of our steak, as fat. But many pe ople find it difficult to conceive of liquids as fat. All oils are fats, but all fats are not oils. What is the difference? Oi ls are fats that tend to be liquid at room temperature. Both 
solid and liquid fats function nutritionally as fat. Both oils and fats ex ist within walnuts and avocados. Whereas you can feel the liquid 
oil in a pine nut, you cannot separate the oil from the lettuce; they are  one. The 80/10/10  diet does not recommend the consumption 
of refined oils, those separated (extracted) from foods; rather, we recomme nd eating foods with oils in them, especially over foods 
with solid fats in them. How Can 2% Milk Be 35% Fat? Y ou may have heard someone say that “2% milk” is anything but low fat. M ost of us who have not taken the time to learn the 
nuances of interpreting food labels find this quite paradoxical. How can it  be? The answer lies in the distinction between percentage by weight ve rsus percentage by calories. The following macronutrient 
calculation example demonstrates this distinction and shows just how  misleading food marketing can be. 100 grams of whole milk contain 60 calories. Its weight (100 grams) is distributed as follows: 
88.3 grams of water 
0.7 grams of ash (solid residue) 
4.5 grams of carbohydrates ( 4 calories per gram = 18 carb calories) 
3.2 grams of protein ( 4 calories per gram = 13 protein calories) 
3.3 grams of fat ( 9 calories per gram = 30 fat calories) 
100       grams total 
 
As you can see, 88% of the milk’s weight (the water) provides no calories . Among the remainder, 3.3 grams out of the 100 
grams are fat, which is why the milk label shows “3.25% milk fat.”  
However, protein, fat, and carbohydrates do not all contain similar energy v alue; fat packs more than twice the calories of an 
equivalent amount of carbohydrates or protein. In rough numbers, each of the  3.3 grams of fat contain approximately 9 calories, 
while the 3.2 grams of protein and 4.5 grams of carbohydrates contain about 4 calori es each. Thus, in terms of calories, 30 of the 60 calories in whole milk come from fat, a fa ct the dairy industry is very happy to obscure. The table below summarizes the fat content of the common fluid milk product s: 
  
Interestingly , the “nonfat” milk contains the 2% fat that the dairy  industry would like you to think is in its “2%” product! The idea that all fats derived from animals are solid while all those f ound in plants are liquid is inaccurate, although this is true in 
the majority of cases. The primary exceptions are liquid fish oils in th e animal kingdom and solid coconut oil in the plant world. Essential and Nonessential Fats 
Essential fatty acids 58  (also referred to as EFAs) are so named because they cannot be synthesi zed; we must consume them in our 
foods. They play an integral role in the health of our skin, in growth and deve lopment, the stability of our heartbeat, and the clotting 
and flowing of our blood. Too much, too little, or the wrong ratio of these vital nutr ients can wreak havoc on our health. Currently, two fatty acids are thought to be essential: alpha-linole nic acid (ALA), and linoleic acid (LA), omega-3 and omega- 
6, respectively . Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are commonly understood as  synonyms of the term “EFA,” but twelve different 
fatty acids are actually made from ALA and LA. And all of the fatty ac ids that stem from these are classified as omega-3 and 
omega-6. Thus, by definition, not all omega-3 and 6 family fatty acids are ess ential. Only the polyunsaturated fats ALA and LA must 
be attained from external sources. The omega-3 fatty acids made from AL A include some notable members such as EPA 
(eiocosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). In the omega-6 fa mily, the most notable members are arachidonic acid 
(AA) and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). Interestingly, current research in nutritional science is que stioning whether ALA is actually essential, since evidence ex ists that 
the body may be able to synthesize it, as well. Thankfully , we needn’ t worry about this, since both linoleic and alpha-linolenic fatty 
acids are both common in the makeup of plant lipids. There is no established minimum recommendation for EFAs, but we do know that their ratio to one another is as im portant, if 
not more important, than the quantity we consume. Scientists general ly accept that early man consumed omega-6 and omega-3 fatty 
acids in roughly a 1:1 ratio. This happens to be the same ratio of essential f atty acids found in the human brain. 59 
Historically, as grain consumption escalated and the use of oils heavi ly laden with omega-6 became commonplace in our diets, 
this ratio began to shift. Current recommendations suggest that the  ideal ratio is between 1:1 and 4:1 (omega-6 to omega-3). In spite 
of this “ideal’ range, the average American diet shows a ratio rang ing from 10 to 30:1, a dietary choice that contributes significantly 
to the prevalence of inflammatory diseases and other very serious hea lth issues in our nation. This seriously skewed ratio 
compromises the  body’s ability to convert ALA into longer-chain fatty acids, such a s EP A and DHA. Lacking an agreed-upon minimum EFA requirement, we do have some data to gu ide us. In November of 2008, the Food and 
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health  Organization convened a meeting of experts to review the 
major developments in the field of fatty acids in human nutrition. Its f inal report is yet to be published, but a preliminary summary 
concludes, “the available evidence indicates that 0.5 to 0.6%E [percenta ge of energy , or calories] alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) per 
day corresponds to the prevention of deficiency symptoms.” 60  Previously in 2002, the Food and Nutrition Board of the U.S. Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended an “adequate intake” (AI), wh ich is not a minimum, for omega-3 of 1.1 (women) to 1.6 
(men) grams per day. 61  If consumed as oil (not recommended), this amount would be extraordinarily s mall: 1.6 grams equates to 
approximately a third of a teaspoon, or a couple dozen drops … and even this low n umber may be substantially inflated. 62  
The information above can be combined to guide us in determining our nutrit ional needs. On a 2,000-calorie diet, 0.5% of 
calories from ALA, or omega-3 represents 10 calories. This is approximat ely 1.1 grams of ALA, which falls within the IOM’s 
adequate intake levels (albeit at the bottom of the range). This quantit y of ALA can be obtained through the consumption of whole 
fresh fruits and vegetables, with the occasional addition of nuts and se eds. The following table shows ALA and LA content of 
selected whole foods. Based on the above numbers, on a 2,000-calorie 80/10/10 diet, we could obtain recommended lev els of EFAs with the 
following: 
 
Breakfast: 1.5 lbs. of mangos (about 3) and 12 oz. blueberries. Lunch: 44 oz. of bananas (about 11). Dinner: 1 lb. of oranges, 1 lb. of romaine lettuce, and 8 oz. of tomatoes. According to the USDA nutrient database, this meal plan (totaling 2048 cal ories) provides 1.3 grams of ALA and 1.4 grams 
of LA. This maintains the 1:1 ratio and supplies the adequate EFAs without  including any overt fats at all. Adding healthful (very 
small) amounts of overt fats on occasion will ensure your needs are met . Since the average American consumes a higher ratio of omega-6 tha n omega-3, we are bombarded with nutritional 
information directing us toward omega-3 supplements. The idea that we ne ed to consume more of some particular nutrient to 
balance another that is overconsumed is as ineffective as taking vi tamin C to minimize the damage from smoking cigarettes. The 
result of increasing fat consumption, whether from “good” fats or not, is  that we end up consuming too much fat. Our need to 
supplement for nutritional balance would not exist if we were not harmi ng ourselves through our lifestyle and foodstyle choices in the 
first place. In our natural diet, the foods are automatically balanced to s uit our nutritional requirements. Cholesterol 
Cholesterol, a sterol (combination steroid and alcohol) and lipid, is found in th e makeup of every cell membrane and is transported 
in the blood of every animal. The precursor of the five major classes of ste roid hormones  (progestagens, glucocorticoids, 
mineralocorticoids, androgens, and estrogens), cholesterol is not all bad but  is vital to human life. Some of its many functions include 
the production of vitamin D and the formation of the bile salts, the sex horm ones testosterone and progesterone, and the myelin 
sheath that surrounds our nerves. Discovered during the late 1700s in gallstones, cholesterol is still the  subject of much study. We know that cholesterol is not 
an essential nutrient for humans (we don’t need to eat it). Our liver s produce all the cholesterol we need. However, when we 
regularly consume animal foods that contain cholesterol or saturate d fat, we ingest quantities that exceed our physiological needs, 
with deleterious consequences to our health. Excess cholesterol accu mulates and forms plaques within artery walls, leading to 
atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), decreasing the oxyge n-carrying capacity of the blood, disrupting hormonal balance, and 
sometimes decreasing cell permeability. Saturated and Unsaturated Fats 
Saturated fatty acids are so named because their long chain of carbon at oms contains the maximum possible number of hydrogen 
atoms—in other words, they are saturated  with hydrogen. These fatty acids have the highest melting point and a re solid at room 
temperature. Saturated fats are stable molecules, and as such are ve ry unlikely to change, making it impossible for the body to do 
anything constructive with dietary saturated fats. Yes, our brains are high in saturated fats, but eating saturated fats  will not improve brain function or slow its degeneration. In 
fact, our bodies are simply not capable of utilizing dietary saturated fat s. At best, the body stores dietary saturated fats as body fat 
and at worst, the fats accumulate along arterial walls. Do We Need Lauric Acid from Virgin Coconut Oil? Lauric acid is the subject of quite a bit of current research. This m edium-chain fatty acid is primarily found in mother’s milk, 
coconuts and their oil, cocoa butter, palm oil, and palm kernel oil. The latter th ree are highly saturated plant fats. While virgin 
coconut oil may pose less health risk when consumed raw than saturated c ooked fats, it is still a fractional, artery-clogging refined 
saturated fat that our digestive system is not designed to process. 63  Later in this chapter I talk more about why oils in general are 
unhealthful; please see “Oil Is Not Health Food.” The antibacte rial and antimicrobial properties of lauric acid are not desirab le traits, 
as slick marketing would have you believe. Antibiotic (literally  meaning “anti-life”) is not a property that we should seek in food. Th e 
internal environment of a healthy adult who eats a low-fat, low-toxin  diet does not harbor excess harmful bacteria. 64  When we 
develop healthful living habits, our body has all the resources it needs t o care for itself. Unsaturated fatty acids make up the bulk of plant fats. Mono unsaturated fats contain one double or triple bond; 
poly unsaturated fats have two or more double bonds. Hydrogen atoms are eliminate d where double bonds are formed. The body 
adds hydrogen, a process that saturates the fat. In other words, the unsatu rated fat molecule is malleable and is subject to change 
within the body. The body can work with it and utilize it. It then integrate s these self-manufactured saturated fats into our bodily 
structure as needed. Monounsaturated fatty acids can accommodate a single pair of hydrogen at oms. Monounsaturated oils have a lower melting 
temperature than saturated fatty acids. Whole-food raw plant sources of  monounsaturated fat include avocados, almonds, and other 
nuts and seeds and their butters. Polyunsaturated fatty acids are the least saturated, with room for tw o or more pairs of hydrogen atoms. Polyunsaturated oils 
have even lower melting points, meaning they are all liquid at room tem perature. Whole-food raw plant sources of polyunsaturated 
fat include walnuts and other nuts and seeds and their butters, as well  as leafy green vegetables. Generally, the less saturated the fatty acid, the more easily it ca n be utilized by the body. S/P Ratio 
Nutritionists have recommended a healthy ratio of saturated to polyuns aturated fats for the last fifty years. The ratio is called the 
“S/P ratio.” The suggested ratio that is best for health has been  placed at 20/80 (20% saturated to 80% polyunsaturated). This is an 
accepted standard in the world of nutrition. Note that the S/P ratio of most plants, including nuts and seeds, is ideal:  20/80, or extremely close to it. The proportion of 
saturated to polyunsaturated fatty acids in most animal foods is 80/20, the ex act opposite of the ratio we require. When we discuss the health values of different types of fat, it is impor tant to remember the S/P ratio. The structure of the fat 
we consume very profoundly affects bodily function. As this number skews  toward saturated fats in the diet, we see increases in 
atherosclerosis and other forms of heart disease, the number-one killer  in the westernized world. It is literally impossible to achieve a 
healthy S/P ratio while including products of animal origin in our diet s. 
 
How Much Fat Do We Eat? Americans consume one-third to one-half of their calories as fat. In m y experience, the number tends to gravitate around 42% 
for the average fast-food connoisseur. Government national average s tatistics weigh in lower, because they include people who eat 
low-fat diets, people who eat massive amounts of refined sugars, and those on  every other conceivable dietary plan. In 2004, the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a repor t entitled “Trends in Intake of Energy and 
Macronutrients—United States, 1971–2000,” 65  which highlights an important distinction: although the average  percentage of 
calories from fat decreased a few percentage points from 1971 to 2000 (4% for men, from  37 to 33% of calories, and 3% for 
women, from 36 to 33%), the total fat consumed shows a different picture. On average, total fat intake (in grams) increased among women by 6.5 g and de creased among men by 5.3 g, reflecting a 
near-zero overall change. This is because a statistically signi ficant increase in average energy (calorie) intake occurred duri ng that 
period: men’s calorie intake increased from 2,450 to 2,618 calories per day , and wome n’s calorie intake increased from 1,542 to 
1,877 calories per day. (This data includes numbers for men and women from 20 to 74 year s of age; younger people eat more and 
older people eat less than these averages overall). The bulk of increase d calories has come in the form of carbohydrates, as 
consumption of refined sugary desserts, breads, crackers, pastries, soft dri nks, and alcohol have skyrocketed. People commonly consume more fat than they need in one of the following thr ee ways: 
 
Some people overeat fat while keeping their total calories at the right  level to maintain their weight. To accomplish this, they 
must, of necessity, undereat carbohydrates. The immediate consequence s of eating too few carbohydrates can include 
lethargy, cravings, bingeing, and emotional instability. Other people overeat fat while undereating in terms of total calories . Such a diet produces weight loss, but it falls far short in 
some nutrients—while providing potentially fatal overdoses of oth ers. If we minimize one of the caloronutrients from our diets 
(carbohydrates), of course we will lose weight; we will have almost ha lved our calorie intake. However, we have to learn to 
ignore our natural sweet tooth, while living with an incessant and e ver-growing craving for carbohydrates. Finally, there are those who overeat fat while overeating in terms  of total calories. The results of this practice are well known. In addition to all the ill effects which result from a high-fat diet, ov ereating on calories contributes to overweight, obesity, 
lethargy, digestive illness, a reduced life-span among other illnes ses. Whether they realize it or not, most people tend to gravitate toward 42% fat, r egardless of the type of diet that they follow. Vegetarians 
Many people think of themselves as vegetarians even though they eat  at least some flesh food. Their diets are generally skewed 
toward fish and fowl, under the false assumption that these are more he althful choices. They consider themselves “on the vegetarian 
path,” and they eat flesh “sparingly” compared to the amount they at e in the past. Lacto-ovo vegetarians, (those who don’t eat flesh) tend to make up for the l ack of meat in their diets by increasing their 
consumption of dairy and eggs. Vegetarian options such as cheese sandwic hes, fried potatoes, cheese- and oil-drenched pastas, 
and rich fatty desserts often become the focus of their dietary regime ns. Vegetarians quickly learn to recreate all their old favorite foods in a  style that is acceptable to their new ethics. Vegetarian 
pizza may not have meat, but it often has a double portion of cheese and does not la ck at all in fat. Vegetarians are generally happy 
that they can eat familiar foods while feeling no sense of deprivation . In the final analysis, the vegetarian diet averages around 42% 
fat. Vegans In addition to eating no flesh of any kind, including seafood, vegans do not consum e dairy, eggs, honey, or any other animal-derived 
products. Vegan alternatives to most conventional food items are now sold in  supermarkets. They are also the stock-in-trade of the 
larger health-food stores nationwide. Vegan lasagna (using soy chee se) and even vegan milk (from soy, almonds, or rice) are 
common today. Vegan chefs abound, and big cities like Los Angeles, New York, an d Seattle boast vegan restaurants featuring the 
cuisines of many nations of the world, including India, China, Jamaica, I taly, Thailand, and others. Margarine, a vegan product, (the health “value” of margarine, eve n compared with butter, is another story altogether) contains 
the same percentage of calories from fat as butter: 100%. Oil generally  plays a larger role in the vegan diet than in the standard 
American diet, as it replaces many of the animal fats. Vegans often i ncrease their use of nuts, seeds, avocados, and olives, as well. Essentially, vegans eat their own version of the standard America n diet, with vegan versions of all the same foods that they ate 
before. It should then come as no surprise that when we analyze the ca loronutrient ratio of the vegan diet, we find that it doesn’t 
change much. If anything, vegans often allow their dietary fat intake to swell ev en higher than the mainstream. Vegans think that they do not 
need to limit their fat intake, because they believe that the an imal products were the only “offenders” in their old program. Even if
their fat intake remains the same, overall calorie intake often drops w hen vegans replace animal foods with plant foods (which 
provide fewer calories per bite). Thus, the percentage of the vegan diet t hat comes from fat rises. The average, however, remains close to 42%, because a good number of vegan s follow “low-fat” programs, as well. Nonetheless, the vegan diet, with its increased use of fruits and veg etables, and its superior S/P ratio, is overall a far healthier diet 
than the standard American diet or vegetarian options. Still, too much f at is too much fat. Eating Fat: Good or Bad for Us? More fat than we require is not an asset but a detriment to good nutrition. T he more fat we eat, the further we stray from 
meeting our nutritional needs. A steady flow of research comes out reg ularly relating high-fat diets to almost every type of digestive 
disturbance, blood disorder, and degenerative disease. Much of this is cau sed by the body’s reduced ability to uptake, transport, 
and deliver oxygen to our trillions of cells. (We discussed this at lengt h in Chapter 2. In addition, too much fat reduces the actual 
number of viable red blood cells. Excessive fat consumption may be commonplace , but it is nothing short of nutritional disaster. A high-fat diet not only destroys our health, but it ages us, as well. Due t o our inability to taste fat, we tend to dress our fatty 
foods with stimulants and irritating condiments, to give them flavor. T hese very stimulants and condiments accelerate the aging 
process. W e pay for every “up” with a subsequent down. All isolated su bstances extracted from whole foods have this effect upon 
the body, even if they are promoted as supplements, beauty or rejuvenation ai ds, or other types of health builders. Combine the 
influence of these food additives with the extra work the body performs to proce ss high-fat meals, as well as the compromises in 
blood function that plague people in the habit of eating heavy, fatty diets, a nd you have the perfect recipe for the early onset of aging 
and health decline. Oil Is Not Health Food 
While we have learned and repeatedly demonstrated that whole foods are th e only source of balanced nutrition, many health 
advisors tell us that refined, isolated fats and oils should be considere d “health foods.” They almost all sell some type of “food- 
grade” oil, which seems like a fairly strong endorsement. Are we jus t supposed to ignore the obvious contradiction? Some  vendors promote the consumption of oil as part of an internal “cleans e” program. I have even heard oil referred to as 
“juice,” with the suggestion that we drink it as a daily health pra ctice. This is the stuff that draws ridicule from mainstream scie ntists 
and nutritionists, and, at least according to many health experts, is wh y the raw movement is being laughed out of the scientific 
community. Oils … Empty Calories at Best, Carcinogenic Junk Fo od at Worst 
Across the board, refined oils (including coconut, flax, olive, hemp, almon d, borage, and the like, which are touted as “pure” 
or “special” because of their source or careful processing meth ods) are essentially empty calories, not fit for human consumption. They are stripped of the fiber, protein, and carbohydrates that accompanied th e whole foods from which they were derived, leaving 
an imbalanced fractional product that is 100% fat. In contrast, whole-food  fats eaten sparingly  (fresh nuts, seeds, avocados, or young coconut flesh) provide some useful 
nutrition and are not automatically detrimental to health. Using su ch intact sources of fat in salad dressings and other dishes with thei r 
full complement of macro and micronutrients is by far preferable to usin g refined oils. Although oil vendors tout a wide variety of health benefits to be gained fr om the phytochemicals contained within cold 
expeller-pressed oils, there can be no doubt that these delicate micronut rients are more potent when left untouched within the whole 
foods. Maximum nutrition occurs when our teeth  are the first thing to break Nature’s package … rather than a ma chine, an 
appliance, or even a knife. Further, the fiber contained in whole plant foods helps keep fats from going r ancid. Shortly after extracting any oil from its source and discarding the fiber, early-stage rancidity (and therefor e potential carcinogenicity) ensues, even if we cannot detect it. A s 
rancidity begins to set in, micronutrients become deranged. If calling refined oil “empty calories” doesn’t sit well with you, ch alk it up to good marketing—because oil (pure fat) fits the 
description of empty calories perfectly, as do protein powder (pure protein) and t able sugar (pure carbohydrate). These include 
commodities popular among raw fooders such as evaporated cane sugar (Rapadur a) and hemp protein. Empty calories invariably 
provide less nutritional value than their whole-food counterparts. If we think only in terms of symptoms, we may indeed perceive some benefits  from consuming oil. But when we extract the oil 
from nuts and seeds in a vain attempt to maximize their anticancer pr operties and concentrate other nutrients, we create (often 
undetectable) imbalances within the body that inevitably produce unin tended health problems. Adding oils into the diet to treat 
symptoms such as dry skin, eczema, dandruff, candida, joint aches, etc., which  were not caused by a lack of oils (no known 
symptom is actually caused by a lack of oil), is totally nonsensical. Rather than treat or suppress the symptoms of any condition, it is always  a healthier strategy to remove the causes of the 
condition. True health is created from the inside out, not through lotions, pot ions, or other aids. Increasing the amount of high-water- 
content fruits and vegetables while reducing fat consumption to a hea lthful range is the foundation for creating a healthful life. Eating for health requires a shift in thinking, from “is this good for me ” to “what am I designed for?” No matter how we look at 
it, oil is simply not necessary in our diet and should never be considered a he alth food (or even a food, in my opinion). 10% Fat for Health 
If you are relatively new to the idea of monitoring your caloronutrient  ratio, bringing your total fat consumption down to the 
teens (under 20%) is an excellent initial goal. You can accomplish th is by just calculating the fat in your nuts/seeds/avocados/etc., 
without factoring in the covert fats in your low-fat fruits and vege tables. These foods add only a negligible amount of fat to the daily 
intake—just a few percentage points total. As eating a greater volume of fruits and vegetables gets easier, you  may decide that it is worth your effort to track the covert 
as well as the overt fats for a short time, in order to get a more realisti c view of your total fat consumption. You may find that you 
need to be vigilant in monitoring fat intake, at least at first, because  fat calories are more concentrated than carbohydrate or protein 
calories and therefore, are easy to miss. The Caloronutrient Seesaw 
A truly healthy diet is well balanced in nutrients, but the balance i s not the one we have been taught. Eating 80% + of calories 
from carbohydrates, with fat and protein in the upper single digits, a ctually balances what I term “the caloronutrient seesaw” quit e 
nicely. In the graphic above, protein is the fulcrum, and fat weighs so heavy on our  system that just a little bit goes a very long way. A 
balanced caloronutrient seesaw would be 80% + carbs, with single-digit (less than 10%) protein and fats. When this ratio comes from 
whole, fresh, ripe, raw, organic, plants, all the rest of your food-related nut rients will be consumed in the optimum quantities for 
human health. Chapter 8. The Big Surprise: Raw Fooders Average 60 %+ Fat! As is true of new vegetarians or vegans, when people initially begin i ncorporating raw foods into their diets, they almost 
automatically gravitate toward foods of similar composition to the ones th ey are used to, in order to feel satisfied. With delight and 
abandon, they eat their fill of luscious raw concoctions that are treme ndously rich and difficult to digest, certain that they have 
reached “nutrition nirvana.” In the back of their minds, they may re call someone having mentioned that these are “transitional” or 
“celebration” foods, but today they are still celebrating their tr ansition … and what a party it is! Can you make raw pizza? Sure, that’s easy . Y ou can find hundreds of pi zza recipes among the dozens of raw websites and 
recipe books available today. Virtually any dish from any cuisine can be re plicated using only raw ingredients. In some parts of the U.S. and abroad, it is becoming easier and easier to jump on th e raw food bandwagon. The raw-curious 
can dip their toes into an ever-expanding array of potlucks, food-preparation w orkshops, chef trainings, and prepared food 
offerings being presented by local raw chefs, speakers, and food ven dors. Prepackaged raw snacks, desserts, and entrées are 
becoming popular in many health-food stores, sometimes meriting a secti on of their own with multiple rows of taste sensations. And 
it seems a new raw restaurant, or at least a deli with a few raw options , opens every week in some area of the country. For those with computer access, virtual communities and online discu ssion boards abound, and it doesn’t take much searching 
to find plenty of helpful support (and confusing information) for your new en deavor. And if you can afford the luxury of travel, you 
can find raw retreats, festivals, and educational events taking pl ace across the globe year ’round. Unbeknownst to the new raw food enthusiast, however, virtually every spe aker they are likely to hear and every food they are 
likely to taste will lead them down a garden path to a raw diet that at le ast equals—and often far surpasses—the fat content of 
mainstream American fare, in terms of percentage of calories cons umed. Yes, you read that correctly: Almost across the board, raw fooders rank righ t up there with the burgers-and-fries crowd when 
it comes to ingesting fat, almost always consuming 50% of their calorie s as fat, usually far more. I see it all the time: raw fooders who 
eat a chocolate-coconut-almond shake or a fruit-and-flax-oil smoothie f or breakfast, a nut pâté for lunch with an oil-drenched, 
avocado-laden salad on the side, glorious granola bars or slices of fruit sla thered with nut butter as snacks, and tahini-dressed 
greens and sprouts for dinner with more avocado, plus a plate of seed cheese on f lax crackers. Such a regimen can easily top 75% fat and may seem far too heavy for a seas oned raw fooder. Over time, most people who 
eat a raw diet refine their menus, eventually ending up eating “s imple meals,” which include more fruits and vegetables and fewer 
fats. But it takes precious little in the way of nuts and seeds to equal or e xceed the percentage of fat consumed by the average 
American. Even longtime raw fooders who consider their diets massivel y simplified in comparison to their early days are often 
astonished to learn that they still consume an average of 40 or 50% fat! “Don’t W orry, It’s Raw …”  
Many leaders of the raw food movement endow raw foods with almost supernatu ral powers, teaching that consuming fat won’t 
harm us “as long as it is raw fat.” They tell people that the unst able fats in nuts and seeds can withstand the sustained heat of leng thy 
dehydration and subsequent room-temperature storage without degrading or  going rancid. This is wishful thinking on the part of 
people wishing to profit from the high-fat raw fad by selling flax cracke rs, granola bars, and other dehydrated prepared foods. Eating such concoctions within hours of dehydration is safest, but it is  still a far cry from eating fresh, unprocessed whole-food fats 
as they occur in nature. Some even pride themselves on eating 80% of calor ies from fat and beyond, recommending such a program 
as perfectly safe, which it categorically is not. The high-fat raw foods that well-meaning raw chefs, teachers, and a uthors promote are very likely to cause in raw fooders 
many of the same health issues that plague cooked food eaters, including c andida, chronic and intermittent fatigue, and even heart 
disease. These maladies result in large part from excess fat in the  bloodstream, a correlation explained in Chapter 2. Sadly, I 
personally know two raw fooders who have undergone open-heart surgery t his decade. Y es … their high-fat raw diets resulted in 
the total blockage of their coronary arteries. Raw fats are without question far better for us than cooked fats—espe cially when they come from whole plants as opposed to 
extracted oils or cooked animal products. But do not let anyone mislead you: the h abitual consumption of fatty foods is not a 
healthful practice. Cooked or Raw, Too Much Fat Is Still Too Much Fat 
Whether you eat cooked animal fat, cold-pressed plant oil, or whole-food raw f ats, too much fat is too much fat … and we must 
recognize its health-destroying potential. Below are a few examp les. (See “Cooking Damages Nutrients” for more information on 
the additional  health problems we create by cooking our fats.) Cooked or raw, higher-than-healthy levels of fat in the bloodstream for ce fat to “precipitate out” and adhere to arterial walls, 
a condition known as atherosclerosis. Hypertension, aneurism, atheroscl erosis, embolism (thrombus), myocardial infarction, 
cerebral infarction, and other vascular disorders are all related to ex cessive consumption of dietary fat. Cooked or raw, increased fat in the bloodstream reduces the oxygen-carryin g capacity of red blood cells, predisposing us to 
cancer. A lowered blood-oxygen level also adversely affects all cellu lar function, including muscle and brain-cell function. Reduced oxygen to the brain results in impaired clarity of thought, poor deci sion making, and a dull mind. Some researchers 
have suggested that impaired oxygen delivery sets the stage for sen ility, memory dysfunction, and learning disabilities. Cooked or raw, increased fat in the bloodstream requires an increased epineph rine (adrenaline) response in order to drive the 
pancreas to produce insulin. Following excess stimulation, adrenal exh austion sets in, as required by the Law of Dual Effect. Adrenal exhaustion is the precursor for conditions such as mononucleosi s, Epstein-Barr virus, chronic fatigue 
syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), post-viral fatigue syn drome, lupus, and myofascial disease, to name just a few. Cooked or raw, increased fat in the bloodstream results in increased demand f or insulin, known as insulin resistance. As 
described in Chapter 2, the resulting continuous drain on the pancreas ev entually leads to pancreatic fatigue and chronically 
elevated blood-sugar levels. This predisposes us to a group of lipid (fat) meta bolic disorders, mistakenly referred to as 
“blood-sugar metabolic disorders”: hyper- and hypoglycemia, hyperin sulinism, candida infections, diabetes, and others. Cooked or raw, the excessive consumption of fat has been incontrovertibly li nked to the development of cancer, heart 
disease, and diabetes. Future research is expected to continue to support th is statement, as countless thousands of studies 
have already done, including the Framingham Heart Study and the Chin a Study, respectively the longest and the largest 
nutrition studies ever undertaken. When other lifestyle factors ar e equal, the greater the amount of fat that a population 
consumes, the higher the rates of these dreaded conditions. It has been sh own that when we consume more fat than we 
require, we almost invariably consume less carbohydrate than we requi re. Insufficient carbohydrate consumption will result in 
feelings of fatigue, loss of strength, reduced sex drive, and a general l owering of vigor and vitality. “Not Me,” Y ou Say? If you have been following a raw diet, you are probably almost certa in that it does not contain 60% or more fat. “I love my salads. I 
eat lots of greens,” you say . “I eat tons of fruit, too, compared to most people . There’s no way I eat that much fat!” Y et fat has a 
way of sneaking into the diet, whether it is cooked or raw, and you won’t notice i t unless you understand where it comes from. I analyze what people eat on an ongoing basis. While I occasionally meet s omeone who both claims to consume a low-fat diet 
and actually does so, far more frequently people are shocked at the analysis  they receive. In almost every instance, people discover 
that the raw food cuisine they consider the ultimate in health has a ctually become a very high-fat program. Low-Fat Cooked vs. High-Fat Raw 
People often ask whether it is better to eat a low-fat cooked diet or a hig h-fat raw one. Some people ask, “which is worse?” 
It is important to differentiate between eating “just to stay ra w” and eating for health. The 80/10/10rv  plan represents the ideal—the 
eating program that is optimal in every way, including your health. If  you were asked to choose between shooting yourself in the foot 
or shooting yourself in the hand, hopefully your choice would be not to shoot yours elf at all. Choosing between the lesser of two 
evils is not the point of The 80/10/10 Diet . Each situation calls for the application of intelligence. You may oft en have to make 
decisions regarding the quality of your food. Knowing the ideal will serve  you extremely well: whole, fresh, ripe, raw, organic, low- 
fat plants. That said, I must emphasize that habitually eating a high-fat raw  diet is profoundly damaging to the body, and we do ourselves 
no favors by rationalizing, “I know all this fat isn’t so great for me, but at least it keeps me raw.” If I found myself—on rare occasion 
—with only high-fat raw or low-fat cooked plant-food options, I would make one  of two choices: Either I would forgo eating 
altogether by skipping that meal, or I would indulge in the high-fat meal  and then follow it with a day or more where I eat no overt 
fat whatsoever. The occasional high-fat meal (preferably about six, a nd an absolute maximum of twelve times per year)  is certainly 
an allowable exception, as the goal is to keep the overall  diet as close to the 80/10/10  parameter as possible. I do realize, however, that for various reasons some people find themselves  ongoingly  unable to eat enough fruit to make a 
low-fat raw vegan diet feasible for them. For such people, I must admit tha t eating in the 80/10/10  proportion, regardless of the 
food choices, wins hands down over habitually partaking of the high-fat foods popu lar at raw potlucks, restaurants, festivals, 
retreats, and workshops. If high-fat raw or low-fat cooked seem your only options, choose the low-fat option, every time. If you must eat gourmet raw for a handful of “transitional” months, go ah ead … but keep your eye on the 80/10/10rv  target, if 
health is your goal. Please, keep in mind that by far the easiest transi tion to this way of eating is invariably the shortest one, as 
verified by the many who have gone before you. Why Raw Fooders Eat So Much Fat Just as in the mainstream population, many raw fooders have been taught  to fear sugar and, therefore, to fear fruit. Eating lots 
of low-calorie greens and shunning fruits forces us to consume fats f or satiation and caloric sufficiency. Whereas Americans consume between one-third and one-half of the ir calories as fat, most raw fooders consume at least 1½ 
times that amount. They eat a continuous stream of nuts, seeds, oils, cocon uts, olives, avocados, and other fatty fruits. Even when 
the quantities eaten look small, the calories in these foods add up quickly. A s a result, many raw fooders attempt to live on a diet 
where fat accounts for 50, 60, and even 70-plus percent of the mix. Here are some of  the reasons why: 
 
Nuts and Seeds in Place of Meat and Dairy 
Raw nut and seed loaves, pâtés, and cheeses are staples in every raw  gourmet kitchen and sure-fire favorites at raw food 
restaurants. But nuts and seeds pack a caloric wallop that even the fat tiest meats cannot touch. Seeds Instead of Grain 
Flax seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, and several other s have become popular as the “meal” of dehydrated 
crackers. Some are more gelatinous than others, but seeds typically  are “sticky” enough to hold together when dehydrated, creating 
a reasonable facsimile of a cracker. These dehydrates look, feel, and taste pretty much like crackers. They hold di ps as well as any cracker. Of course, in contrast 
to crackers made of grains that offer only a small percentage of their c alories from fat, the majority of calories in these crackers 
(even when “cut” with a huge proportion of vegetables) come from f at, ranging from about 50 to 70%. But they remind us so much 
of “real” crackers when we eat them that it is difficult to remembe r they are more than half fat. And what do we eat them with? Why, a nice fatty nut and veggie spread, a seed cheese, or guacamole, of cour se. Fat in Raw vs. Traditional Crackers 
(percentage of calories) 
 
66%: Sunflower flax crackers: (half sunflower seeds, half flaxseeds ) 
58%: Flax crackers (all flaxseeds) 
49%: Veggie flax crackers (10 C. vegetables, 2 C. flaxseeds) †
47% Ritz  (9 Ritz = 140 calories) 
38%: Nabisco Wheat Thins (15 Wheat Thins = 140 calories) 
34% Triscuit (7 Triscuits = 140 calories) 
22%: Nabisco Snackwell’s Wheat (10 Snackwells = 140 calories) 
0%: Rice cakes (4 cakes = 140 calories) 
 
†The “V eggie Flax” cracker listed above is an actual recipe from a r ecently published book by a popular raw food chef. In all 
likelihood, at 49% fat, it is among the lowest-fat nut/seed-based cracker bei ng consumed in the raw food world today, as flaxseeds 
contain the least fat (58%) among the nuts and seeds, and the recipe is loa ded with vegetables. The regular flax crackers shared at 
potlucks and sold at festivals are virtually always significantly  higher in fat. This “low-fat” cracker recipe yields approximately a hundred 3   3-inch crackers and contains a total of 1,840 calories, or 
18.4 calories per cracker. Thus, about 8 of these raw crackers provide the caloric  equivalent of 9 Ritz, 15 Wheat Thins, 7 Triscuits, 
10 Snackwells, or 4 rice cakes. Nuts As Pastry Substitutes 
Raw food chefs steer clear of bread, because it is a cooked food. But they still li ke to make pastries, pies, cookies, and other dishes that traditionally call for dough. Hence, they have learned to make pas try dough out of crushed nuts and even fluffy “bread flour” out 
of leftover nut-milk pulp—both of which work exceptionally well, if your  goal is delicious food without regard for health. Tastewise, raw pastries are definitely a hit. But the caloronutrie nt ratio is all wrong. As the following table shows, the fat in a 
raw pie crust makes the Pillsbury Doughboy look lean. True, raw pie crusts usually contain sweet fruits such as dates or r aisins, and many fillings also contain fresh fruit. These fruits 
decrease the overall fat percentage of the recipe, but in even the best  case, not likely lower than 40% of total calories. But do not let 
the percentages fool you. A raw fruit pie with a nut-based crust has a t remendous quantity  of fat, even before the filling and topping 
are added. It is important to understand both calories and caloronutrient rat io in order to fully grasp the caloronutrient picture. Coconuts for All Occasions 
Creative raw food chefs have devised a wide range of culinary applicati ons for coconut meat and dried shredded coconut. Coconut 
meat shows up in raw items such as icings, sauces, soups, smoothies, chee ses, and creams, whereas the shredded variety adorns 
granolas, cakes, candies, cookies, pie crusts, tortes, and more. Many raw fooders plow through a case of young coconuts weekly; some even dail y. In addition to the high fat inherent in such 
a diet, imported coconuts are dipped in fungicide, thus contaminating both the  meat and the liquid. Packaged or bulk shredded coconut, like all other products dehydrated to a crisp, is not  really a food in any sense of the 
word. It is a party item at best. If you include dried coconut at all among  your list of acceptable “foods,” I urge you to use it 
sparingly (maybe once or twice per year for very special occasions), and t o purchase only the unsweetened, organically grown 
product. Otherwise, even the shredded coconut found in health-food stores usu ally contains sulfites to prevent browning, and often 
other chemical preservatives and additives. Most commercial air-dri ed coconut is dehydrated at temperatures between 170 and 180 
degrees F. 
 
 Coconut Facts 
Coconut is a versatile food with a delicious, unique taste. The fruit of th e coconut consists of a green or yellow-brown fibrous 
husk inside which the coconut itself is found. The nut itself has a har d outer shell with a kernel inside. In the young “green” coconuts, the kernel is soft and jelly-like, and th e central cavity is filled with coconut water. As the 
coconut matures, the kernel becomes harder and the amount of water decrea ses. The edible parts are the water and meat or jelly. Below are some of the many ways coconuts are used as food, as well as data on fa t content (from the USDA nutrient 
database). Coconut meat: The solid white flesh inside the mature coconut. Coconut jelly: Young coconut meat still in a semiliquid state. Coconut water: The translucent liquid inside a coconut. Coconut milk:  Liquid expressed from grated coconut meat and water. Coconut cream: Liquid expressed from grated coconut meat. Coconut oil:  A soft solid at room temperature. Warms easily to liquid. Dried coconut: Air-dried flaked or shredded mature coconut meat. All manner of amazing health “benefits” are attributed to the coc onut, but I do not recommend using food as therapy for any 
purpose. Coconut meat is nearly all fat, the vast majority of which (80%) i s saturated. If you eat a healthful low-fat raw vegan diet 
and live healthfully , you will not need the “benefits” of coconut or any  other food. I suggest eating and drinking fresh coconuts when you visit the tropic s, but otherwise reserving them only for an occasional 
indulgence. Aside from fresh, organic young coconut “jelly” or coconut w ater, this luscious treat is, unfortunately , not the best choice 
for your health—or your waistline. Oils Supplant Foods 
Many raw fooders believe that when they eat a large salad, they are con suming a low-fat meal. However, this is true only when the 
salad includes no oil-based dressing or other high-fat ingredients. Jus t one liquid ounce (2 tablespoons) of any  salad oil transforms 
an innocent, seemingly healthy salad into a high-fat fiasco. It is n o longer diet food, and it is no longer health food. The simple salad example presented below includes 150 calories from vegeta bles and vegetable fruits, accompanied by a 
dressing containing 2 tablespoons of oil. Note that even this small quanti ty of oil increases the calorie count to nearly 400, and the 
calories from fat to 64%. In contrast, the same salad with no dressing, or perh aps with a blended fruit dressing, contains just under 
10% of calories from fat, which is right on target. Many raw fooders consume more vegetables and more oil in their “typical” salads. In addition, they add nuts, seeds, 
avocado, olives, and other fatty accompaniments. In this case, both the total  calories and the percentage of calories from fat always 
increase. Fortunately, there is an easy alternative. We can double the size of ou r salad and replace the fat with a fruit-based dressing, 
such as raspberries blended with celery. A fruit-based dressing adds en ough calories to the salad to make it a substantial meal, while 
keeping the total calories from fat right where we want them. This si mple dressing adds beautiful color to the salad, and most folks 
tell me they love it. Fatty Fruits—and Lots of Them 
Most fruits have very little fat, usually less than ten percen t of total calories. A few “fatty fruits,” notably the avocado and the oli ve, 
derive about three-quarters of their calories from fat. Proponents of low-carbohydrate diets and many raw food programs suggest that  we eat these high-fat foods in unlimited 
quantities because they are so low in carbohydrates. We are told that the  fats in these fruits have the right S/P ratio and should be 
considered “good” for us. However, when we eat a large quantity of fatty fruits, we cannot possibl y consume enough carbohydrates. If you like being 
lulled into lethargy both physically and mentally by your food, then eat fa tty fruits in unlimited quantity. If you prefer feeling energized
and sharp minded, go for the sweet fruits instead. On days that you choose fat ty fruits, be sure that they represent your total fat 
consumption for the day. Worthy of special mention because of its increasing popularity in raw f ood circles is the moderately fatty durian. Running 20 to 
30% fat, depending on whose numbers you use, the durian can be a wonderful addition  to the 80/10/10  diet on occasion, making a 
delicious and satisfying meal, all by itself. This large, spiky, exotic pod, w hose rich, aromatic fruit is reminiscent of sweet custard, is 
considered a prime delicacy in Southeast Asia. Eaten infrequently , durian will create a slight blip on your fat r adar screen for a day or two … nothing to be concerned about. As an occasional indulgence, you could do a lot worse. In higher volume, I would be more concerned with lack of freshness and chem ical contamination than I would be with the fat 
content of this sweet treat. Most durian available in the West is impor ted frozen from Thailand and therefore cannot be considered 
fresh food. And sadly, the durian supply is notorious for its heavy treatmen t with unnecessary agrochemicals. If you want truly fresh, safe durian, travel to Southern California, F lorida, or a tropical location and find a farmer who is willing 
to share his or her cultivation practices in detail. What Raw Fooders Are Actually Eating 
At the 2004 International Festival of Raw and Living Foods in Portland, Oreg on, we analyzed a typical day’s food intake for 
a curious young lady from Hawaii who attended one of my lectures. She observ ed that, living in the tropics, she seemed to eat more 
fruit (and thus less fat) than other raw fooders she knew. Still, she su spected that she was eating more fat than she realized. Sure enough, when we ran the numbers, we found that on her average day, sh e consumed a total of 2,400 calories, 45% from 
fat. In her “typical” day , she described eating 2 oranges, 6 bananas, 1 p apaya, and two salads. The oil, nuts, seeds, and avocado 
interspersed within these meals caused her fat to total more than fou r times the maximum 10% target. Here is the breakdown: 
 
 
  
A 75% Fat Salad Is Not Unusual! Most folks tell me that they eat at least one “healthy” salad every da y . They eagerly want to believe that they are really not 
eating that much fat. A “large” green salad, including a 12-oz. medium -sized head of romaine lettuce, 3 medium tomatoes, and 1 
cucumber would contain 169 calories, 17 of which would come from fat (our calcula tions say that vegetables average about 10% of 
calories from fat, and this example verifies the assertion). A dressing that blends three tablespoons of oil (360 calories), ¼ cup of pi ne nuts (229 calories), and some cilantro, salt, and 
lemon juice would supply 590 calories—555 of them from fat. Dice in a 6-oz. avocado ( 284 calories), and the resulting 1,042- 
calorie meal would provide 194 calories from carbohydrates, 61 from protein, a nd 791—more than 75%—of its calories from fat! The caloronutrient ratio would be roughly 18/6/76, the exact opposite of what we a re looking for. This much fat cannot ever make 
for a balanced or nutritious meal. Let’s suppose that this 75%-fat salad provided half of your daily calorie s, the other half coming from two smaller meals plus 
several snacks. By day’s end, even if all your other meals contained zer o fat (a theoretical impossibility), you would end up with 
38% fat overall. More likely, however, if you are on a raw diet, you will eat a ha ndful of nuts now and then, add a bit of oil to a 
smoothie or avocado to a raw soup, have a few olives or some durian, or perhaps break open  a coconut. All of these foods add 
substantial fat to your day , and there you have it—60% or even (much) more  of your calories coming from fat … every day . Even if you eat eight or ten pieces of fruit per day with such a salad, on a 2,000 c alorie diet, such a program would probably 
send your caloronutrient ratio for the day into the range of 50% + calories from fat. Chapter 9. Stabilizing Body Weight 
 
We have been able to determine our percentage of body fat fairly accurate ly since that fateful day over 2,000 years ago when 
Archimedes ran naked through the streets of his hometown yelling “Eu reka!” having discovered while bathing a valid method of 
pyknometry—the science of measuring and comparing the densities or  specific gravities of liquids or solids. However, it wasn’t until 
the last few decades that this issue became important to anyone but worl d-class athletes. Today, as monitoring our weight has become a national pastime, more and more pe ople are becoming aware of the 
relationship between body fat and total body weight. Still, the misconception s and misunderstandings about body composition are 
widespread. What People Don’t Know About Body Composition 
Undoubtedly, weight control and its implications are issues of huge import ance. The side effects of obesity are innumerable, 
and they spill over into every realm of our private and social lives. As ou r weight progresses beyond healthy, normal levels, we 
compromise our mental health, self-image, fitness, personal hygiene , job performance, relationships, and many other things. But what 
constitutes our body mass, and how does understanding this aid us in achievi ng our weight goals? Three elements comprise our total weight: water, lean tissue, and fa t. Water makes up as much as 70% of our total mass. 66 
Lean tissue includes our bones, muscle, and other nonfatty mass. Fat cons titutes the rest of our weight. Lean tissue holds more water 
and is denser than fat. The high water content of lean tissue easily  transmits electrical signals, a fact underlying the most common 
method of measuring body-fat percentage, the bioimpedance monitor. 67 
In the not-so-distant past, when virtually everyone carried a relat ively low body-fat percentage and harbored little excess 
water weight, weight alone served as a fairly accurate predictor  of a person’s shape. Today , as obesity consumes more than half of 
the population, weight alone is no longer an adequate indicator of what we mi ght look like. In order to better understand the nuances of body composition and the relations hips among water, lean tissue, and fat, we 
must look deeper into the science of weight loss and weight gain. Consider t he following: 
 
We Can Gain Water Weight While Losing Fat 
Loss of fat is typically accompanied by a loss of weight, but not always. It is  possible to gain muscle and/or water weight while 
losing fat. We can very easily gain more in water weight than we los e in fat, yielding a net gain in weight. This is true because water 
weighs much more than fat, volume for volume, so that a little gain in w ater weight can equal or exceed the amount lost in 
conjunction with a considerable amount of body fat. Even if you are steadily losing fat, the simple addition of a little extr a salt in the diet can negate any potential weight loss. The 
great volume of water that the body must take on to dilute the toxins in s alt, in any form, results in a net weight gain. (See “Is eating 
sea salt all right?”) 
 
We Can Also Gain Muscle Weight While Losing Fat 
It is possible, but not as common—since muscle growth tends to be fa irly slow—to exercise enough so that you gain more weight in 
muscle than you lose in fat, resulting in an overall weight gain. Wh en all other factors remain equal, however, fat loss does result in 
weight loss. W e Can Be “T oo Skinny” and Overfat at the Same Time 
When thin people have a desire to gain weight, they usually fail to rec ognize that they need to gain muscle , not fat. Almost every 
client who has ever come to me wanting to curtail their weight loss because they thought that they were getting “too skinny” actuall y 
still needed to lose some fat. In more than twenty years of advising people on  matters of health, nutrition, and athletic performance, I 
have known only two individuals who actually wanted and  needed to gain fat. What really happens when people begin eating healthfully is that th e fat starts falling off and they think they are losing muscle, 
because they never realized how little muscle they actually car ry. People in this situation need to gain muscle while continuing to los e 
fat. This requires exercise. One client, a high-end fashion model, came to me saying she would do whatev er I suggested in order to extend her youthful 
beauty, but she could not afford to lose any more weight. She was long and lanky a nd looked skinny to be sure, but she was 
undermuscled. When we measured her body fat, she was shocked to discover th at it was almost 29%—at least 10% above what I 
would consider healthy. She did not need to lose weight; she needed to lose fat w hile gaining muscle. She did just that, and she 
continued her modeling career for many more years. Gorging on Fat Is Not a Strategy for Weight Gain 
Many people who eat a lot of fat lose a great deal of weight. How can this be? Con suming a diet that is low in carbohydrates and 
rich in fat can leave people with a depressed appetite, which leads them t o eat fewer calories. 68  Also, although some people can 
handle dietary fat fairly efficiently (and still consume many ca lories), most of us do not digest or assimilate it very well. This means 
that even when we consume the same number of calories in high-fat f ood as we would on a lower-fat diet, we can experience an 
effective net reduction in caloric intake. Of course, the heavy fat i nterferes with nutrient absorption, as well. This is a compound 
problem, because a high-fat diet is already nutrient poor. Overfat People Are Malnourished 
We cannot be healthy when we are overfat, since our health cannot be bet ter than its weakest link. To the degree that we are 
overfat, we are also typically malnourished: the more fat, the more mal nourished. The obese person who eats only fruits and 
vegetables is virtually unheard of; we get fat when we eat foods tha t are less than optimally nutritious—foods that are nutritionall y 
poor and impair our assimilation of nutrients. Hence, fatness and malnut rition are inseparably linked. Overfat People Cannot Be “Perfectly Healthy” 
W e like to think of ourselves as perfectly healthy , even when we know t hat we are not. W e say things like, “Except for my diabetes, 
I am perfectly healthy ,” or “Other than his darned asthma and needi ng to lose 80 pounds, he is perfectly healthy .” W e are shocked 
when someone we deemed perfectly healthy dies suddenly from a heart att ack or stroke. But take note: people in perfect health 
simply do not drop dead. While perfect health is our natural state, it occurs only when we ta ke perfect care of ourselves. How Much Body Fat Is Healthy? In order to live healthfully throughout a lifetime, we must learn to m aintain both our weight and our body-fat percentage. For 
men, a healthy body-fat percentage runs in the single digits. For women , the ideal range is about ten points higher. (It is certainly 
possible for women to drop too low in body fat, despite what the glamour magazines wou ld have us believe. Women can develop 
infertility, osteoporosis, eating disorders, hormonal imbalances, and other  serious conditions when their body fat drops into the single 
digits.) Most mainstream guidelines from medical or fitness professionals ru n significantly higher than my recommendations, as the 
following table illustrates.
80_10_10_Diet_-_Douglas_Graham.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        I would steer clear of any health “professional” or  diet plan that claims that consuming 20% or more of our 
calories from fat is healthful (or even acceptable). Several years ago, I read an interview in an airline magazine wit h the then-current director of nutrition for the U. S. Olympic 
Team. In it, she stated that the relative percentages of fat, prot ein, and carbohydrates in an athlete’s diet should not vary, regardlessof whether the athlete runs the mile or the marathon, lifts weight s or plays table tennis, shoots skeet or puts the shot. She stated that 
without a doubt, the only nutritional change she would recommend from athl ete to athlete would be the number of calories 
consumed, not the choice of food or caloronutrient ratio. She went on to assert t hat fruit is like magic food for athletes. The 
International Olympic Committee, in its book Food, Nutrition and Sports Performance,  concluded that a diet based on fruits and 
vegetables was the healthiest for athletes and would result in the  best possible performance. 57 
 
The Role of Fats 
Fats serve a wide variety of functions in our diet and in the human body. It  is wrong to think of fats as being all bad. Fats are a 
concentrated source of fuel, providing more than double the calories per gra m of either carbohydrates or proteins. They play an as- 
yet not totally understood role in satiation, possibly because they are so dif ficult to digest. The fat in foods serves as the sole 
carrier/source of our fat-soluble vitamins. Dietary fat is also the  source of the widely misunderstood nutrients known as essential fatty
acids. Fat plays many important roles in regulation of various bodily functions. It is essential to our production of hormones, although 
too much fat will exert an adverse influence on our hormones. It also hel ps to regulate the uptake of nutrients and excretion of waste 
products by every cell. Fat is the primary insulator within the body. It prot ects us against cold and heat, keeps the electricity that 
flows through our nerves on course, and protects our vital organs from jarr ing and other types of physical shock. Types of Fat 
Fat is fat, or so a great many people think. Actually, there are many type s of fat. Some are considered good; others are 
considered bad, and still others are a mixed bag. Some fats are solid at room tempe rature; others are liquid. Many fats are 
indigestible and unusable by the body, while some are indispensable. There a re overt fats and covert fats, short-, medium-, and 
long-chain fats, saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fa ts. There are cooked fats and raw fats—and yes, there is a 
difference. There is also a big difference between animal-derived fa ts and plant-based fats, at least where our health is concerned. Yet with all the dietary fats available on the planet, a man walking i n the jungle with nothing more than his bare hands would 
have a very difficult time putting his lips to any but a minimal amoun t of fat, and then only if he hit the season exactly right. Animals 
that are built similarly to man eat a diet that is very low in fat. T hey rely upon fruits and vegetables for their calories, not fats. Let ’s 
look at fat in a little more detail. Fatty acids comprise the basic structural unit of all “lipids” ( a term comprising oily, water-insoluble substances that include  fats, 
oils, waxes, sterols, and triglycerides). You can think of fatty acids as  the building blocks of fat. They are found, on their own, in all 
whole foods. When fatty acids are joined to the other more complex lipid struct ures, the fatty acids are responsible for the 
properties demonstrated by that lipid. Overt and Covert Fats 
Overt fats are the fats that you can see, or at least tell, are in our f oods. Since our taste buds cannot distinguish fat, we only detect it 
by the greasy feeling on our hands or lips. To us, fat is tasteless. If a food is  fatty, oftentimes people have to be told. Many people 
are surprised to find out the actual fat content of the foods they eat. Typical Fat Content of Selected Foods 
(percentage of calories) 
 
 
Nuts and seeds: 60 to 90% fat 
Wieners and sausages: 70 to 85% fat 
Beef ribs: 65 to 80% fat 
Hamburger patty: 55 to 65% fat 
Chicken with skin, roasted: 36 to 63% fat 
French fries: 45% fat 
Chocolate chip cookies: 45% fat 
Apple pie: 40% fat 
Swordfish, grilled: 30% fat 
Baked potato with ¼ cup of reduced-fat sour cream: 20% fat  
Chicken breast, broiled skinless: 20% fat 
 
Flesh, including fish, fowl, and game, as well as eggs and dairy, nuts and s eeds, olives, avocados, and all oils make up the bulk of the overtly fatty foods. Deep-fried foods of all kinds are extremely fatty  and also count as overt fats. Many desserts are also 
overtly fatty, such as cheesecake, ice cream, pastries, and nutty can dies. Yet all of these foods account for less than half of the fat 
consumed in the typical American diet. The remainder is often referred to as “invisible” fat. W e will call  it “covert. ” Covert fats are more hidden. V egetables, sweet 
fruits, and nonsweet fruits like tomatoes and cucumbers contain enough  fat that should you eat them exclusively (in quantities 
sufficient to meet your caloric needs) and consume no overt fats whats oever, you will average between 3 and 5% of your total 
calories from fat. Eating primarily low-fat fruits and vegetables—accompanied by a very small amount of nuts, seeds, and fatty fruits such that 
total fat does not exceed 10% of calories—provides sufficient fat to cover al l of our nutritional needs. Solid and Liquid Fats 
We readily identify fat when we see it congealed on the top of soup that has  cooled. We have no problem recognizing a stick of 
butter, or that white stuff around the edges of our steak, as fat. But many pe ople find it difficult to conceive of liquids as fat. All oils are fats, but all fats are not oils. What is the difference. Oi ls are fats that tend to be liquid at room temperature. Both 
solid and liquid fats function nutritionally as fat. Both oils and fats ex ist within walnuts and avocados. Whereas you can feel the liquid 
oil in a pine nut, you cannot separate the oil from the lettuce; they are  one. The 80/10/10  diet does not recommend the consumption 
of refined oils, those separated (extracted) from foods; rather, we recomme nd eating foods with oils in them, especially over foods 
with solid fats in them. How Can 2% Milk Be 35% Fat. Y ou may have heard someone say that “2% milk” is anything but low fat. M ost of us who have not taken the time to learn the 
nuances of interpreting food labels find this quite paradoxical. How can it  be. The answer lies in the distinction between percentage by weight ve rsus percentage by calories. The following macronutrient 
calculation example demonstrates this distinction and shows just how  misleading food marketing can be. 100 grams of whole milk contain 60 calories. Its weight (100 grams) is distributed as follows: 
88. 3 grams of water 
0. 7 grams of ash (solid residue) 
4. 5 grams of carbohydrates ( 4 calories per gram = 18 carb calories) 
3. 2 grams of protein ( 4 calories per gram = 13 protein calories) 
3. 3 grams of fat ( 9 calories per gram = 30 fat calories) 
100       grams total 
 
As you can see, 88% of the milk’s weight (the water) provides no calories. Among the remainder, 3. 3 grams out of the 100 
grams are fat, which is why the milk label shows “3. 25% milk fat. ”  
However, protein, fat, and carbohydrates do not all contain similar energy v alue; fat packs more than twice the calories of an 
equivalent amount of carbohydrates or protein. In rough numbers, each of the  3. 3 grams of fat contain approximately 9 calories, 
while the 3. 2 grams of protein and 4. 5 grams of carbohydrates contain about 4 calori es each. Thus, in terms of calories, 30 of the 60 calories in whole milk come from fat, a fa ct the dairy industry is very happy to obscure. The table below summarizes the fat content of the common fluid milk product s: 
  
Interestingly, the “nonfat” milk contains the 2% fat that the dairy  industry would like you to think is in its “2%” product. The idea that all fats derived from animals are solid while all those f ound in plants are liquid is inaccurate, although this is true in 
the majority of cases. The primary exceptions are liquid fish oils in th e animal kingdom and solid coconut oil in the plant world. Essential and Nonessential Fats 
Essential fatty acids 58  (also referred to as EFAs) are so named because they cannot be synthesi zed; we must consume them in our 
foods. They play an integral role in the health of our skin, in growth and deve lopment, the stability of our heartbeat, and the clotting 
and flowing of our blood. Too much, too little, or the wrong ratio of these vital nutr ients can wreak havoc on our health. Currently, two fatty acids are thought to be essential: alpha-linole nic acid (ALA), and linoleic acid (LA), omega-3 and omega- 
6, respectively. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are commonly understood as  synonyms of the term “EFA,” but twelve different 
fatty acids are actually made from ALA and LA. And all of the fatty ac ids that stem from these are classified as omega-3 and 
omega-6. Thus, by definition, not all omega-3 and 6 family fatty acids are ess ential. Only the polyunsaturated fats ALA and LA must 
be attained from external sources. The omega-3 fatty acids made from AL A include some notable members such as EPA 
(eiocosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). In the omega-6 fa mily, the most notable members are arachidonic acid 
(AA) and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). Interestingly, current research in nutritional science is que stioning whether ALA is actually essential, since evidence ex ists that 
the body may be able to synthesize it, as well. Thankfully, we needn’ t worry about this, since both linoleic and alpha-linolenic fatty 
acids are both common in the makeup of plant lipids. There is no established minimum recommendation for EFAs, but we do know that their ratio to one another is as im portant, if 
not more important, than the quantity we consume. Scientists general ly accept that early man consumed omega-6 and omega-3 fatty 
acids in roughly a 1:1 ratio. This happens to be the same ratio of essential f atty acids found in the human brain. 59 
Historically, as grain consumption escalated and the use of oils heavi ly laden with omega-6 became commonplace in our diets, 
this ratio began to shift. Current recommendations suggest that the  ideal ratio is between 1:1 and 4:1 (omega-6 to omega-3). In spite 
of this “ideal’ range, the average American diet shows a ratio rang ing from 10 to 30:1, a dietary choice that contributes significantly 
to the prevalence of inflammatory diseases and other very serious hea lth issues in our nation. This seriously skewed ratio 
compromises the  body’s ability to convert ALA into longer-chain fatty acids, such a s EP A and DHA. Lacking an agreed-upon minimum EFA requirement, we do have some data to gu ide us. In November of 2008, the Food and 
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health  Organization convened a meeting of experts to review the 
major developments in the field of fatty acids in human nutrition. Its f inal report is yet to be published, but a preliminary summary 
concludes, “the available evidence indicates that 0. 5 to 0. 6%E [percenta ge of energy, or calories] alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) per 
day corresponds to the prevention of deficiency symptoms. ” 60  Previously in 2002, the Food and Nutrition Board of the U.
The text does not mention a specific percentage of calories from fat as being considered healthful. However, it does emphasize that consuming 20% or more of our calories from fat is not healthful.
What percentage of calories from fat is considered healthful?
The text does not provide a specific recommendation for the ratio of essential fatty acids. However, it does mention that the ideal ratio is between 1:1 and 4:1 (omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids).
What is the recommended ratio of essential fatty acids?
The text states that animals that are similar to humans do not consume a diet that is high in fat, and instead rely on fruits and vegetables for their calories. It also highlights that plant-based fats are generally considered healthier than animal-derived fats.
What is the main difference between animal-derived fats and plant-based fats?
The text explains that overt fats are those that can be seen or detected by the greasy feeling on the hands or lips, whereas covert fats are those that are not easily detectable.
What is the main difference between "overt" and "covert" fats?