This fact-filled volume has foods listed in alphabetical order, interspersed with health conditions that can be remedied. Some of the latter are intuitively expected in a book like this (e. g., heartburn, high blood pressure), while others are not (e. g., lupus, aging, motion sickness).This work consists of 140 short chapters, each on a separate topic. This makes it easy to zero-in on a particular issue of interest or concern without getting bogged down in details and tangents. Furthermore, there is also a handy, profuse index for cross-reference of foods and health conditions.
The information presented is extensive. While some of it can pass for "conventional wisdom", other information cannot--at least not easily. Did you know, for example, that beans can stabilize blood sugar and lower cholesterol levels? Or that the quercetin found in the skins of apples can guard against heart attacks? Or that honey has both antibacterial and antibiotic properties? Or that the oleic acid found in avocados can help lower cholesterol levels? Or that the lowly, smelly onion is full of compounds that can help prevent the development of cancer and coronary heart disease?
Over-all I like the book and would recommend it for just about everyone. Each easy to read chapter focuses on one specific food with a recipe at the end of each chapter. I haven't tried the recipes yet, but they look pretty good. There are a lot of health books available offering nutritional information that usually focus on supplements. And while I am a proponent of supplements, this book focuses on the specifics of food sources which should be our primary source of sound nutrition. Man will never be able to extract or create anything as perfectly as nature.
That said, I could not give it five stars because it comes from a highly commercialized viewpoint, very typical of Prevention Magazine (the editors of this book). IE: some of the otherwise great-looking recipes promote the use of microwaving a very poor way to cook foods and one that should be avoided. It lists ingredients such as wheat germ an old-school 'health food' known to go rancid so quickly that it may cause more problems than it's worth. But this is easy to ignore. The chapter on milk is lacking in any substantive recent research and, while not as old-school as 'milk is the devil' is still quite behind the latest info. (Please see my 2nd post under the comments of M. Gouin's review for details.)
Finally, the binding of the book I received was pretty cheap. The covers are thin and curl back away from the pages after only a short time of use. The inside is printed on cheap newsprint with uneven ink distribution (going from normal to very light, page-to-page). Although the ISBN's are identical, apparently I purchased a "discounted" copy (@ $8.99) so maybe the higher-priced version will be a better quality, and for that reason the number of stars I gave it did not reflect this. Also worth noting is the description says it was updated in 2008, but the copyright inside the book shows 2007 (and is also reflected on the copyright page of the "look inside" view on the Amazon website).
Other than this, I still recommend it because it contains a lot of useful information. Another book, perhaps a bit better and with a similar food-focus, is 'Secrets of Longevity: Hundreds of Ways to Live to Be 100' by Dr. Maoshing Ni.
Jan, 2011 Update: I returned the softcover edition I mentioned above and replaced it with the hardcover book. The hardcover is pretty good for the $15 price (Especially when you consider the size of the book!)This is one of tbe best books I have ever purchased! My mother suffered a stroke 2 years ago, and has headaches frequently. The only relief she had was liquid Tylenol which eased the pain. Since reading this book, I discovered that ginger root relives her pain as well and quicker than Tylenol, or similar pain medication. I am so pleased with the natural remedies that this book provides, that now I am finding remedies for cholestrol problems that my aunt is encountering. This book is such a treasure and I appreciate the fact that natural remedies are available, rather than having to use pharmaceuticals, that are potentially harmful. I read this book often, as I am continually finding natural remedies that are so helpful.
Thank you,
Liz LiskuI had high hopes for this book considering the wonderful title but soon found it is run of the mill conventional. As soon as I hit the "Dairy is good for you" chapter, I knew the authors were not fully informed as dairy is of concern and may CAUSE much osteoporosis not cure it.
This book is good for the person who is just beginning to think of food as medicine but leaves out many of the important new facts regarding possible negative food issues.I would recommend this book for anyone who diets and/or takes multiple vitamins and herbal supplements. It a great resource in helping you understand the effects of the foods and supplemlents we take for granted. It also has great advice on what foods can help certain medical conditions.
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