This is a paid review for BlogHerBook Club but the opinions expressed are my own.
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
(Excerpt from "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou)
Why Women Need Fat authors William D. Lassek, M.D., and Steven J.C. Gaulin, Ph.D., would agree with Maya that a woman's hips are part of what makes her phenomenal. Their work explores how the low-fat trend in recent decades has not been in the best interest of our health. Comparing how Americans eat vs. how other countries do, and how we eat versus how we ate 50-60 years ago, reducing the fat in our diets has harmed us much more than helped us.
So why do women need fat? In their research, Lassek and Gaulin looked at why men are attracted to certain physical characteristics in a woman (legs, thighs, bottom). These are areas where women store more fat, specifically omega-3 DHA, a good fat that benefits our brains. When and if women have children, this DHA helps their babies develop healthily. A low waist:hip ratio is also viewed very favorably.(Apparently, this child-birthing ability makes us hot).
The solution, then, is not dieting. It's reducing our intake of bad fats (such as omega-6 found in soybean oil, corn oil, many processed foods) and increasing our intake of good fats (omega-3). To help your body find its natural weight (its set point), cut down on commercially fried foods (tortilla chips, French fries) and processed foods and increase omega-3 rich foods, such as meat from grass-fed and free-range animals, fish, and seafood, along with supplements like fish oil.
The book concludes with helpful tools in calculating your natural weight and BMI, as well as tips on what foods you should be eating. It's hard not to appreciate a book that concludes with the chapter "It's Not Your Fault If You're Heavy, But You Don't Have to Be This Heavy." :) Basically, you may not ever be an ultra-thin model-type by following their guidelines, but you will be healhtier and, more than likely, thinner. What's not to love about that?
For more on Why Women Need Fat, visit: http://www.blogher.com/bookclub/now-reading-why-women-need-fat and join the discussion!
