Barry Sears’ Book: Toxic Fat – Review

Barry Sears Toxic Fat Book ReviewI have just finished the latest book in Barry Sears’ Zone Diet series: Toxic Fat. I’ve read most of Dr Sears’ many books that he’s written over the last 15 years of his research and whilst all containing good advice, some have not been great.

His first book Enter the Zone was a cracking book in terms of content, but was a terrible read for the layman. To be fair, I think he targeted the book at the medical profession as it contained a lot of in depth medical detail, but it was a tough read for someone without any such training.

What I’ve found most interesting in reading his books is how he’s adapted his approach over the years, not only based on his progressing research, but also in an attempt to make his material more accessible. Certainly Toxic Fat is the best example to date of this. In fact I think already it’s my favourite book by Dr Sears, as it brings together all the elements of his research and presents them in a succinct way that easily read and understood.

The initial chapters of the book deal each with a separate topic and Barry talks about fat deposits in the body as stores for Arachadonic Acid, which he is now casting in the same light as a cancer, as it exhibits many of the characteristics of cancers. He deals neatly with diet and supplements (mostly fish oil) in a way that’s easily understood and not overloading. What I particularly like are the examples given, with actual amounts and the dosages of fish oil are explained. How much fish oil to take is a very common question which Toxic Fat answers well. Though if you really want the low down on fish oil, I’d recommend Barry Sears’ Omega Rx Zone: The Miracle of the New High-Dose Fish Oil as a revolutionary book on the subject of fish oil.

If more detail is your thing, then there’s plenty to be had in the Appendices with in depth breakdowns of the physiology involved with everything that Barry Sears teaches. Of interest to many will be the sample menu plans for eating in the Zone Diet, which are accessible and easy to follow.

Altogether Toxic Fat is Barry’s best book in my opinion, and if you were only to get one Zone Diet book, this is the one I would recommend.

{ 2 comments… add one }
  • Cally 19 June 2013, 5:13 pm

    Just checked out a book by Dr Sears………no mention of quinoa. ? Anyway……excellent food source he missed…..hard to believe……any thoughts. Thanks

  • Mark 15 November 2015, 2:13 am

    I liked the book very much, but I think there are a few glaring questions that arise and which are not answered in the book. First, the author says that Asian populations have the best AA/EPA ratios, suggesting they are very healthy relative to inflammation. Yet, they eat a lot of white rice, which the author recommends to avoid, without explanation. Also, the author recommends avoidance of egg yolks, for reasons unstated – perhaps due to high AA content or high saturated fat content – but controlled studies have demonstrated that whole eggs are excellent in reducing inflammation markers among people on low carb diets. Same thing with nuts – walnuts and almonds have demonstrated anti-inflammatory and heart-protective benefits in studies, yet nuts as a group are not recommended by the author. So I am left with the feeling that the author has a piece of the puzzle, is aware he doesn’t have all the pieces, and just avoids those parts that don’t fit the paradigm.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.