"The ideal human diet looks like this: Consume plant-based foods in forms as close to their natural state as possible ("whole foods") Eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, raw nuts and seeds, beans and legumes, and whole grains. Avoid heavily processed foods and animal products. Stay away from added salt, oil, and sugar. Aim to get 80 percent of your calories from carbohydrates, 10 percent from fat, and 10 percent from protein."

I don’t argue for a 10% fat diet as the main starting point. Rather, I begin with the view that a plant-based diet is optimal and it just so happens that this diet, when done right (good quality WHOLE vegetables, legumes, fruits and cereals), is low in fat as well as in protein. It is a diet that, for most people, is 10-15% fat, and 8-12% protein. For those who demonstrate vulnerability to health disorders, the fat intake should favor the lower side. Dr. Esselstyn (in his heart disease reversal study) and Dr. John McDougall (thousands of patients) have demonstrated this very clearly. The difficulty that we, as individuals, all face is really how vulnerable are we.

In reality, what we do recommend for improved diabetes health, for improved insulin action, for improved glucose tolerance is to reduce your fat intake to between about approximately 10% and 15% of your total calories.

The most important things to understand when it comes to dietary fat are:

1. The most effective way to increase your insulin sensitivity through diet is to reduce your total fat intake to a maximum of 15 percent of total calories.
2. The second most effective way to increase your insulin sensitivity is to replace foods that are rich in saturated fat and trans fat (including meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, oils, and processed foods) with carbohydrate-rich whole foods that are low in saturated fat and trans fat.
3. High-fat plants like nuts, seeds, avocados, coconut, and olives are nutrient-dense foods rich in PUFAs, but will contribute to increasing insulin resistance if your total fat intake exceeds approximately 15 percent. Feel free to eat these foods, but be aware that a little bit goes a long way.
4. All whole foods contain fat, even if they have a sweet flavor. To calculate your total fat consumption from whole foods, add up the total fat from each food you've eaten throughout the day using diet-logging software that we describe in Chapter 8.

The ideal starch-based diet is:

  5 to 10% fat
  8 to 15% protein
  75 to 87% carbohydrate

[Patients received] dietary counseling and were fed a low-fat (≤ 10% of calories) diet based on minimally refined plant foods ad libitum to satiety.

The macronutrient profile was roughly 7% fat, 12% protein, and 81% carbohydrate by calorie. Meals were served buffet-style, and participants were encouraged to eat to the full satisfaction of their appetite.

The high fat American diet is responsible for an epidemic of coronary artery disease. A plant-based diet with less than 10% fat will prevent coronary disease from developing, halt the progress of existing disease, and even reverse the disease in many patients. Given proper support and education, motivated patients with a history of coronary disease can follow this diet and prevent future cardiac events.

"No more than 10% of calories are from fat. This is achieved by not adding any fats, oils, avocados, coconut and olives to a mostly plant-based diet. The 10% of calories from fat comes from fat that occurs naturally in grains, vegetables, fruit, beans, legumes, soy foods — and small amounts of nuts & seeds."

"Three or less servings from low-fat foods or nuts can be included per day."

1 low-fat food serving (≤ 3 gm fat) equals:
  5 almonds
  9 pistachios
  1 whole walnut
  3 pecan halves
  2 cashews
  6 peanuts (no shell)
  2.5 tsp flax seeds, ground
  2 tsp chia seeds or sunflower seeds, shelled
  1.5 tsp pumpkin seeds

"The human body needs about 5% of calories from fat to obtain the essential fats for good health. Plus, there are no research studies that have evaluated or supported a fat intake below 10% fat."

"The vegan diet (∼10% of energy from fat, 15% protein, and 75% carbohydrate) consisted of vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes. Participants were asked to avoid animal products and added fats and to favor low-glycemic index foods, such as beans and green vegetables. Portion sizes, energy intake, and carbohydrate intake were unrestricted."

"The daily allowance for fat intake was set between 20 and 30 g. This level of intake ensured that participants were able to consume adequate amounts of the essential fatty acids."

"They were also asked to avoid added oils."