Book Review: Eat the Yolks by Liz Wolfe

This review was written by my assistant Christina.

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“Fat makes you fat!” “Cholesterol will give you heart disease!” “Whole grains are heart-healthy!” “Eat fewer calories to lose weight!” “You need dairy for strong bones!”

We’ve all heard that before. You probably heard it as recently as last time you turned on the TV or went to the grocery store. Low-fat and heart-healthy labels scream at us from nearly every product, from margarine to cereals to egg substitutes. If you’ve been eating Paleo for a while, you probably roll your eyes at these claims. You already know you’ve been lied to, or at least that the supposed benefits of grains or dairy don’t outweigh the risks you’ve experienced first-hand. You’ve probably also had to explain your dietary choices to friends and family who are concerned that you’re putting yourself at risk of heart disease, cancer, or osteoporosis by “eating too much meat” or “not eating grains or dairy”. If you’ve ever wondered how to answer those concerns, whether you’re a Paleo veteran or just starting out on your real food journey, Liz Wolfe has the book for you.

Liz is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner passionate about busting the myths behind conventional dietary wisdom to reunite people with real food and better health. In Eat The Yolks, you’ll learn that fat, cholesterol, and calories aren’t bad words (and that they’re actually essential to your health). You’ll learn that a high-protein diet doesn’t cause liver or kidney disease (and that animal products may actually be necessary for kidney function). You’ll learn that dietary cholesterol does not cause high cholesterol in your blood (but that an absence of dietary cholesterol might). And there’s plenty more where that came from as Liz vigorously destroys myth after myth about fat, protein, carbs, and nutrients. She digs into the origins of these claims to find that most of them are based on bad science, commercial interests, or both. She explains how studies are done and how to read the results critically, not only busting the myths for us but empowering us with the knowledge that we can successfully navigate this minefield of bad science and shady marketing with our own critical thinking and common sense. And it doesn’t hurt that she is smart, funny, approachable, and downright cute.

If you’ve been struggling to explain the benefits of Paleo in approachable, scientific terms, if you’re concerned about some of Paleo’s basic tenants (like eating egg yolks), or if you simply want to sort nutritional fact from food-industry fiction, Eat The Yolks is the book for you. Liz sums up so beautifully where, how, and why our food and healthcare industries went wrong and how we in the Paleo community are making strides toward a better relationship with our food and better long-term health. She’s so eloquent and inspirational that I am going to close this review with some Liz-wisdom (Lizdom?) and let the book speak for itself:

“In the course of a century, we’ve tossed away real, nourishing foods, often in favor of factory-made industrial products that somehow claim to be better than the real thing. And we’re suffering for it. We’re living the lies. The problem is not that we’re really bad at taking good advice. It’s that we’ve been really good at taking horrible advice. The Paleo community [is] bringing the way we eat back into harmony with how our bodies work. We’re flipping conventional wisdom the bird. And man, does it feel good.”