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Dark Calories: How Vegetable Oils Destroy Our Health and How We Can Get It Back
'Mind-blowing - will change the way you eat forever.' Davinia Taylor, Sunday Times number one bestselling author of It's Not a Diet and Hack Your Hormones
Did you know that eating a single large serving of french fries cooked in vegetable oil delivers the toxicity of smoking 24 cigarettes?
Somewhere between 25 and 45 percent of the calories in your diet are likely coming from a substance most people know nothing about, a seemingly innocuous oil with no colour or flavour, that is quite possibly more harmful to your health than smoking cigarettes.
Whether you shop at a health food store or a discount supermarket, the ingredient labels on most products in your kitchen right now may contain the following Vegetable Oil (contains one or more of the cottonseed, corn, canola, rapeseed, soybean, sunflower, safflower). And they're leading to uncontrollable hunger, inflammation, blood sugar swings and mental illness.
Family doctor and New York Times bestselling author Dr Catherine Shanahan walks us through the science of how vegetable oils affect the body, exposes the corruption that deceives doctors and consumers into eating them, and gives us a clear and hopeful roadmap to recovery and rejuvenation.
Dark Calories is the first book to definitively show that refined vegetable oil is the defining ingredient in both junk food and the entire modern diet and makes the case that eliminating it is the single best thing you can do for your health.
Did you know that eating a single large serving of french fries cooked in vegetable oil delivers the toxicity of smoking 24 cigarettes?
Somewhere between 25 and 45 percent of the calories in your diet are likely coming from a substance most people know nothing about, a seemingly innocuous oil with no colour or flavour, that is quite possibly more harmful to your health than smoking cigarettes.
Whether you shop at a health food store or a discount supermarket, the ingredient labels on most products in your kitchen right now may contain the following Vegetable Oil (contains one or more of the cottonseed, corn, canola, rapeseed, soybean, sunflower, safflower). And they're leading to uncontrollable hunger, inflammation, blood sugar swings and mental illness.
Family doctor and New York Times bestselling author Dr Catherine Shanahan walks us through the science of how vegetable oils affect the body, exposes the corruption that deceives doctors and consumers into eating them, and gives us a clear and hopeful roadmap to recovery and rejuvenation.
Dark Calories is the first book to definitively show that refined vegetable oil is the defining ingredient in both junk food and the entire modern diet and makes the case that eliminating it is the single best thing you can do for your health.
349 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 13, 2024
36 people are currently reading
183 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 19, 2025
This is definitely one of those reads where the logic feels sound; Shanahan does a lot of work going into how seed oils ended up in our food at all. I wish she had more of her own evidence, rather than using the refuting of studies to back up her book, but is eliminating processed food ever a bad idea?
Ultimately I'll be working on paying closer attention to the ingredient list, and replacing some things in our pantry. I don't doubt our lives will be improved by following her advice. It makes sense for the lifestyle we have and the health journey our family is on.
Ultimately I'll be working on paying closer attention to the ingredient list, and replacing some things in our pantry. I don't doubt our lives will be improved by following her advice. It makes sense for the lifestyle we have and the health journey our family is on.
August 8, 2024
PAPERBACK REVIEW!
3.5 Stars!
“Health care is now the number one-income generation industry in the United States…It impoverishes and disempowers American families, who now spend 11.6% of their income on health care.”
This is a book with a lot in it, I was often wondering who it was aimed at as it seemed to switch from the semi-profoundly scientific to the recipe list you’d get from a celebrity American chef. She discusses the Elgin Project, oxidative stress, free radicals, but she appears most concerned with the so-called “Hateful Eight” vegetable oils.
Know how there are certain books which you aren’t quite sure whether you feel a little smarter or a little dumber after reading them?...well this is one of those, without doubt there's a lot of interesting points raised in here and many serious concerns addressed, but the truth is that I simply don’t know enough on this subject to properly evaluate whether I’ve encountered pseudo-science or ground-breaking science.
This did have me cringing at clunky words like “healthfulness” and regarding a “rock star metabolism” as an aspirational quality, I’m thinking that most rock stars metabolism wouldn’t be too “healthful”?...and she described one doctor as a “rock star”?, Does this mean he mainlines coke through the night, drink drives to your house and then tries to hit on your girlfriend when you go out the room?...
Of course it’s always wise to remain deeply sceptical of any medical advice originating from the US, the sheer power and control that Big Pharma have there, ensures they still enjoy phenomenal control over what is promoted and what is hidden, the health system remains an immensely lucrative industry which profits from keeping as many people sick for as long as possible. We’ve been seeing this for generations now, whether it’s the active participation of the many medical professionals who were happy to take all sorts of “gifts” from Purdue during the current opioid epidemic, or the Ivy League college which rigged results which tricked the world into believing the fat was the demon everyone should watch out for instead of sugar etc or even doctors promoting the healthy use of tobacco. We should always remain on guard as to their deeper, long-term motivations and of course follow the money.
So this is an American author talking about largely American health problems, which can be confusing and distorting for those who don’t have to live there. Of course this reminds us that there’s still so much more that the scientific and medical world is learning about mitochondria, microbiota and which opens up so many other doors to so many other worlds, which we’re merely scratching the surface of.
I have to say that some of the chapters on cholesterol were nothing short of brilliant, I’ve heard of good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol, but never dietary v blood cholesterol, which apparently even confuses the health profession. She tells us that cholesterol enables cell division, cell transport and communication, cells need cholesterol to create lipid rafts, it also helps our brain conduct electricity and provides waterproofing for our skin.
During the 1960s and 70s there was a study called the Minnesota Coronary Experiment, funded by the American Heart Association (AHA), enrolling nearly 15’000 people, to this day it remains one of the most rigorous diet trials ever conducted. When the results began coming in, it showed that not only did lowering cholesterol levels with vegetable oils not have the expected benefits but “preliminary analysis provided reason to believe it had some serious harms, including raising cancer risk”. The research team responded by gathering up the data and kept in boxes in the basement. It was discovered decades later and in short “people whose cholesterol dropped the most had the worst possible health outcome-death.” The findings were published in the BMJ back in 2016, but to little fanfare.
We learn about Ancel Keys and his close relationship with the AHA, they began heavily promoting vegetable oil after receiving money from the vegetable oil industry (Procter & Gamble) in 1948, who had hired the notorious Edward Bernays who suggested they fund the AHA. Prior to this they didn’t believe saturated fats caused heart disease, but this changed after the P&G deal, with much of that being used to support Key’s attempts to link heart attacks with high cholesterol. To make his theory look better he suppressed repeated data showing that smoking caused heart attacks. The AHA continues to receive money from industries selling the oil and their guidelines continue to support the industry and they now publish 14 medical journals that continue to mis-educate doctors about the causes of heart disease.
Where this did really fall down was on the diet front, her advice on what to eat and how much to eat was both worrying and disappointing, she basically advises us to eat as much dairy, red meat crustaceans and fish as we wish. Now considering this is an American author aimed primarily at an American market we have to examine the reality – telling Americans or indeed anyone to eat as much of all these things is as short-sighted and reckless as telling them to go out and buy as many cars as they want (though this seems to be a competitive hobby in NZ).
The vast majority of red meat available to the vast majority of Americans is heavily processed, as well as having a devastating effect on the planet, we have to look at the over prescription of antibiotics (something not mentioned once) on animals, which has led to tainting meat and water supplies as well as helping to create antibiotic resistant strains that now impact globally on humans. And then crustaceans, has she ever stopped to think why lobster is nicknamed “the garbage man of the sea”?
As for dairy, if she bothered to look at many of the peer reviewed studies on excessive dairy consumption, she would find people, in particularly women, who consume a lot are actually more prone to bone breakages and other health issues. There's a good reason why most of the world is lactose intolerant. And as for fish, no mention of the many fish we should avoid like tuna for health and environmental reasons or the rampant over-fishing, or all the chemicals and poisons impacted upon fish farms which then leech into open waters the world over.
This is only scratching the surface, but my point is for a so called health-professional writing a book which is supposed to be about health and dietary awareness, she appears to have skimmed over an incredible amount of hugely important issues regarding what to eat and how much of it we should be eating.
This clearly has some valuable and notable insights and perspectives on the recent developments within metabolic psychiatry. There are times when this does skate dangerously close to snake oil and quackery and I could see that if you followed this too religiously it could reduce you to some trembling, neurotic, paranoid wreck who jumps at the mere mention of “vegetable oil” or “protein powder”. Without doubt there’s a lot of useful and practical information in here, but maybe the key for most, is to meet the author half-way and reduce the toxic, processed food, though to be fair unless you live on a farm or are incredibly wealthy and mindful, or just don’t eat much, then that could prove to be incredibly difficult thing to do for the overwhelming majority of Americans.
3.5 Stars!
“Health care is now the number one-income generation industry in the United States…It impoverishes and disempowers American families, who now spend 11.6% of their income on health care.”
This is a book with a lot in it, I was often wondering who it was aimed at as it seemed to switch from the semi-profoundly scientific to the recipe list you’d get from a celebrity American chef. She discusses the Elgin Project, oxidative stress, free radicals, but she appears most concerned with the so-called “Hateful Eight” vegetable oils.
Know how there are certain books which you aren’t quite sure whether you feel a little smarter or a little dumber after reading them?...well this is one of those, without doubt there's a lot of interesting points raised in here and many serious concerns addressed, but the truth is that I simply don’t know enough on this subject to properly evaluate whether I’ve encountered pseudo-science or ground-breaking science.
This did have me cringing at clunky words like “healthfulness” and regarding a “rock star metabolism” as an aspirational quality, I’m thinking that most rock stars metabolism wouldn’t be too “healthful”?...and she described one doctor as a “rock star”?, Does this mean he mainlines coke through the night, drink drives to your house and then tries to hit on your girlfriend when you go out the room?...
Of course it’s always wise to remain deeply sceptical of any medical advice originating from the US, the sheer power and control that Big Pharma have there, ensures they still enjoy phenomenal control over what is promoted and what is hidden, the health system remains an immensely lucrative industry which profits from keeping as many people sick for as long as possible. We’ve been seeing this for generations now, whether it’s the active participation of the many medical professionals who were happy to take all sorts of “gifts” from Purdue during the current opioid epidemic, or the Ivy League college which rigged results which tricked the world into believing the fat was the demon everyone should watch out for instead of sugar etc or even doctors promoting the healthy use of tobacco. We should always remain on guard as to their deeper, long-term motivations and of course follow the money.
So this is an American author talking about largely American health problems, which can be confusing and distorting for those who don’t have to live there. Of course this reminds us that there’s still so much more that the scientific and medical world is learning about mitochondria, microbiota and which opens up so many other doors to so many other worlds, which we’re merely scratching the surface of.
I have to say that some of the chapters on cholesterol were nothing short of brilliant, I’ve heard of good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol, but never dietary v blood cholesterol, which apparently even confuses the health profession. She tells us that cholesterol enables cell division, cell transport and communication, cells need cholesterol to create lipid rafts, it also helps our brain conduct electricity and provides waterproofing for our skin.
During the 1960s and 70s there was a study called the Minnesota Coronary Experiment, funded by the American Heart Association (AHA), enrolling nearly 15’000 people, to this day it remains one of the most rigorous diet trials ever conducted. When the results began coming in, it showed that not only did lowering cholesterol levels with vegetable oils not have the expected benefits but “preliminary analysis provided reason to believe it had some serious harms, including raising cancer risk”. The research team responded by gathering up the data and kept in boxes in the basement. It was discovered decades later and in short “people whose cholesterol dropped the most had the worst possible health outcome-death.” The findings were published in the BMJ back in 2016, but to little fanfare.
We learn about Ancel Keys and his close relationship with the AHA, they began heavily promoting vegetable oil after receiving money from the vegetable oil industry (Procter & Gamble) in 1948, who had hired the notorious Edward Bernays who suggested they fund the AHA. Prior to this they didn’t believe saturated fats caused heart disease, but this changed after the P&G deal, with much of that being used to support Key’s attempts to link heart attacks with high cholesterol. To make his theory look better he suppressed repeated data showing that smoking caused heart attacks. The AHA continues to receive money from industries selling the oil and their guidelines continue to support the industry and they now publish 14 medical journals that continue to mis-educate doctors about the causes of heart disease.
Where this did really fall down was on the diet front, her advice on what to eat and how much to eat was both worrying and disappointing, she basically advises us to eat as much dairy, red meat crustaceans and fish as we wish. Now considering this is an American author aimed primarily at an American market we have to examine the reality – telling Americans or indeed anyone to eat as much of all these things is as short-sighted and reckless as telling them to go out and buy as many cars as they want (though this seems to be a competitive hobby in NZ).
The vast majority of red meat available to the vast majority of Americans is heavily processed, as well as having a devastating effect on the planet, we have to look at the over prescription of antibiotics (something not mentioned once) on animals, which has led to tainting meat and water supplies as well as helping to create antibiotic resistant strains that now impact globally on humans. And then crustaceans, has she ever stopped to think why lobster is nicknamed “the garbage man of the sea”?
As for dairy, if she bothered to look at many of the peer reviewed studies on excessive dairy consumption, she would find people, in particularly women, who consume a lot are actually more prone to bone breakages and other health issues. There's a good reason why most of the world is lactose intolerant. And as for fish, no mention of the many fish we should avoid like tuna for health and environmental reasons or the rampant over-fishing, or all the chemicals and poisons impacted upon fish farms which then leech into open waters the world over.
This is only scratching the surface, but my point is for a so called health-professional writing a book which is supposed to be about health and dietary awareness, she appears to have skimmed over an incredible amount of hugely important issues regarding what to eat and how much of it we should be eating.
This clearly has some valuable and notable insights and perspectives on the recent developments within metabolic psychiatry. There are times when this does skate dangerously close to snake oil and quackery and I could see that if you followed this too religiously it could reduce you to some trembling, neurotic, paranoid wreck who jumps at the mere mention of “vegetable oil” or “protein powder”. Without doubt there’s a lot of useful and practical information in here, but maybe the key for most, is to meet the author half-way and reduce the toxic, processed food, though to be fair unless you live on a farm or are incredibly wealthy and mindful, or just don’t eat much, then that could prove to be incredibly difficult thing to do for the overwhelming majority of Americans.
April 21, 2025
I didn't look into the research the author cited, so I can't attest to the factuality, however, she makes a lot of sense. We learn more and more about the detrimental affects of processed and manufactured foods on our bodies. None of it seems far out or fringe to me and I can easily adopt recommendations into what I'm already doing.
May 12, 2025
I knew l always loved butter for a reason.
June 9, 2025
wow. eye opening. I am even more angry with the medical (big pharm) industry. such a layered lie from all involved. between this book and RFKJ I am relearning how to eat to live for sure.
March 18, 2025
Pseudo-science without real scientific evidence
December 18, 2025
so much good stuff about the bad stuff... Great diagrams to explain so I can attempt to understand chemistry .
December 24, 2025
Minus points for saying keto diets cure cancer whilst
discouraging chemo/radio
discouraging chemo/radio
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews