Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating
by P. J. Skerrett, Walter C. Willett
|
List Price: Our Price: $3.51 You Save: $14.44 (80%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating
Book Review: Superb book!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you want straight-forward advice based on scientific evidence -- not hype -- I recommend this book.Book Review: Sometimes the obvious needs to be pointed out
Summary: 5 Stars
I hear everywhere how I should eat less junk food, more veggies, cut back on carbs and red meat, etc., etc., etc. but somehow it still never dawned on me; just in one ear and out the other as I continued with my unhealthy eating habits. This book was eye-opening for me not just by clearly and concisely pointing out what types of foods I should eat, but also by explaining the "food politics" surrounding the USDA food pyramid. Knowing now how the Beef industry and the Dairy Council have lobbied long and hard for their not-so-healthy products gives me a new perspective when looking at my meal choices. This book also shed a lot of light on the low-fat food industry, while also pointing out that not all fat is bad...some of it is in fact very good for you.
This book clearly explains how the body works and uses food so their revised food pyramid makes sense to you, and isn't just another health story to ignore. I gained a better understanding of food portions, and am now better able to read the labels on packaged foods. I now look at food industry marketing and the seemingly endless stream of health reports with a bit more skepicism and armed with a lot more knowledge. This is a terrific book with good, solid advice on the best ways to eat healthy for the rest of your life without feeling deprived. I've successfully used Dr. Willett's advice, and have loaned this book out to many people, most of whom return it only to tell me they went out and bought their own copy! A a former unhealthy eater, I have to say this book changed the way I look at food, nutrition and health forever!
Book Review: A solid guide to nutrition
Summary: 4 Stars
The claims in this book are all backed by solid evidence from years of research - the author frequently cites studies from Harvard and elsewhere. The advice in this book is broken down in a way that makes it easy to follow, and the book is full of practical tips on how to put the recommendations into practice. The only drawback is that it is not the most exciting read, but if you are looking for some solid nutritional advice, then I would strongly recommend this book.Book Review: Stock Advice But Nothing New
Summary: 2 Stars
There's nothing really wrong with this book. But it seems very middle of the road and determined not to offend. The basic message is to eat more whole grains, fruit and veggies and less red meat and dairy products. This same message can be found in dozens of other books and there's really nothing new to be found here.
The problem is that the author claims his advice is based on scientific evidence but I don't really believe he is willing to advocate any major changes. For example if red meat is unheathy why isn't he telling us to eat NO red meat? If simple dairy products like milk and butter are unhealty why isn't he telling us to eat NO dairy products or to eat on'y cultured dairy products? Harvard is a really big institution and gets funding from other big institutions. It simply feels like the author is too much a part of the establishment and is not willing to recommend anything radical even if the evidence points to it.
The author's essential wishy-washy nature is most clearly seen when he gives advice on a diet for overweight people to follow. He advises that we roll our diet plan, maybe borrowing a few ideas from Dr. Phil, a few from the Zone, a few from the low glycemic camp and so forth. This is laughable. The reader wants to be presented with a sensible plan not told to mash together elements from a bunch of other plans.
Finally it annoyed me that half the book consists of recipes. Most of us who buy a book like this have tons of cookbooks. I bought this book hoping for an up to date summation of health research. Instead I got an uninspired cookbook combined with stock advice. And, yes, it's great that the author helped create a more sensible food pyramid than the government. But I really got tired of the endless references to it.
Bottom line: surprisingly little substance and nothing new to be found in this book.
Book Review: Turns the food pyramid upside down
Summary: 5 Stars
If you want to know what science says, this is the authoritative book. His most startling point: Rapid increases in blood sugar caused by eating refined carbohydrates and potatoes cause heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
In general, he recommends eating a lot of vegetables, beans, and fruit, plus some good fats and lean protein. Dairy products should be limited to one to two servings per day. Refined carbs and potatoes should be avoided. Exercise is important.
The prescriptions are the same as the South Beach Diet, but he stops short of saying high blood sugar and the resulting high production of insulin definitely cause weight gain -- he says they may.
If you are looking for a health book to give to a relative or friend, this is ideal. It's clearly written, easy to understand, and the recommendations are safe and easy to follow.
P.S. Perhaps in a future book or study, Willett could explore the relationship between insulin and weight further. Maybe blood sugar levels, not calories, determine weight gain or loss. This would explain why the Chinese supposedly eat more calories than we do, yet weigh less (China Study). It would also explain why it's possible to eat a low-fat, low-calorie diet high in refined carbs and be obese, while another person could be slim while eating more calories but fewer refined carbs. (This is not to say you could overeat and remain slim, since overeating anything, including low-carb foods, also causes blood sugar levels to rise.)