The Complete & Up-To-Date Fat Book - Softcover

The title of this book does not lie: it tells you the fat content of every food imaginable, from raw alligator (14 percent of its calories are derived from fat) to zucchini (9 percent, unless you're talking about Ore-Ida breaded zucchini, which has eight grams of fat per serving). The back of the book contains a useful guide to the fat in fast-food and chain-restaurant fare (Denny's Moons Over My Hammy has 66 grams of fat, which is a full day's worth for many people). The front of the book contains an interesting and accessible introduction to fat: what it is, what it does, how much of it you need (and you do need some), how to cut it out of your diet a little at a time. The only drawback to this book is that it doesn't tell you anything about food other than fat and calorie counts. If you're concerned about the total nutritional profile of foods--protein, fiber, sugar--you have to look elsewhere.

Karen Bellerson has been working in the field of nutrition for the past fifteen years and is the author of The Shoppers Guide to Fat in Your Food, Low-Fat, No-Fat Cookbook and The Complete & Up-to-date Carb Book. She lives in Chandler, Arizona.