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WelcomeWhat do brains and hummingbird flight muscles have in common?
They' re both loaded with DHA, the longest and most desaturated omega-3 fatty acid that accumulates in animal tissues. The Queen of Fats, my newest book, tells the history of these fatty acids (and how they came to be all but eliminated in Western diets). It's been called the "silent spring" of nutrition books and was published by the University of California Press in September of 2006. (Photo of ruby-throated hummingbird by Russell C. Hansen) In the past ten years or so, I've been combining my interests in science and cooking to write about food and how food shapes both behavior and health. "You are what you eat," everyone has heard, but few people realize just how far this simple phrase extends. I became captivated by the omega-3 story after learning that the same family of fats is required for both photosynthesis and thinking (the speediest activities in plants and animals, respectively) and wrote The Queen of Fats to bridge the vast gulf between what scientists know about these fast-acting fats and what the general public knows. I have a compelling slide presentation of The Queen of Fats that I first gave at the American Museum of Natural History and that is appropriate for groups of physicians, nutritionists, students, and parents. I am also available as a consultant to individual families, schools, and hospitals looking for the most effective ways to achieve a healthy balance between the two families of essential fats. As always, I'm available to give my other slide presentations: "Dining Out With Animals"; "The Human Omnivore"; "Parenting in the Age of Dolly"; and "Sermons in Stone." |
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