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What to Eat
How we choose which foods to eat is growing more complicated by the day, and the straightforward, practical approach of What to Eat has been praised as welcome relief. As Nestle takes us through each supermarket section—produce, dairy, meat, fish—she explains the issues, cutting through foodie jargon and complicated nutrition labels, and debunking the misleading health claims made by big food companies. With Nestle as our guide, we are shown how to make wise food choices—and are inspired to eat sensibly and nutritiously.
624 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
About the author
Marion Nestle
38 books350 followersMarion Nestle, Ph.D, M.P.H., is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University. She is also a professor of Sociology at NYU and a visiting professor of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University.
Nestle received her BA from UC Berkeley, Phi Beta Kappa, after attending school there from 1954-1959. Her degrees include a Ph.D in molecular biology and an M.P.H. in public health nutrition, both from the University of California, Berkeley.
Nestle received her BA from UC Berkeley, Phi Beta Kappa, after attending school there from 1954-1959. Her degrees include a Ph.D in molecular biology and an M.P.H. in public health nutrition, both from the University of California, Berkeley.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 479 reviews
July 27, 2007
Marion Nestle is a nutritionist and professor. What to Eat is a nicely segmented book of nutrition advice. A lot of the heady political issues are ones I've read before in Fast Food Nation, The Omnivore's Dilemma and others. Nestle has simple overall advice: "eat less, move more, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, go easy on junk foods."
Some other neat bits I picked up from the book:
-avoid farm-raised fish.
-7 eggs a week is pretty much the max
-frozen vegetables are good
-homogenizing milk is a weird process
-Driscoll's pretty much owns the berry market.
-people marketed milk as a weight-loss food.
-margarine's cheap, but pretty much awful
-soy is in everything, but it's so bitter that Americans find it unpalatable. Almost most all oil made of vegetable oil is made of soy.
-organic meat is really hard to find.
-salmonella in eggs only really became an issue in 1980.
-nutrition labels don't have a daily requirement for protein (THIS MAKES NO SENSE!)
-12 ounces of juice is really all you should have in a day.
-the government considers "juice concentrate a sugar.
-I wish our food labels showed glycemic indexes.
-cold cereal is pretty worthless. I love it anyway.
-don't believe health claims and endorsements.
-olive and canola oils are probably the ones you should use.
-bottled water, especially Coke and Pepsi's brands, aren't any better.
-Sweet & Low really shouldn't be on the market.
-look for bread with the fewest number of ingredients.
-the size of your plate and closeness food is to you physically will affect how much you eat.
Some other neat bits I picked up from the book:
-avoid farm-raised fish.
-7 eggs a week is pretty much the max
-frozen vegetables are good
-homogenizing milk is a weird process
-Driscoll's pretty much owns the berry market.
-people marketed milk as a weight-loss food.
-margarine's cheap, but pretty much awful
-soy is in everything, but it's so bitter that Americans find it unpalatable. Almost most all oil made of vegetable oil is made of soy.
-organic meat is really hard to find.
-salmonella in eggs only really became an issue in 1980.
-nutrition labels don't have a daily requirement for protein (THIS MAKES NO SENSE!)
-12 ounces of juice is really all you should have in a day.
-the government considers "juice concentrate a sugar.
-I wish our food labels showed glycemic indexes.
-cold cereal is pretty worthless. I love it anyway.
-don't believe health claims and endorsements.
-olive and canola oils are probably the ones you should use.
-bottled water, especially Coke and Pepsi's brands, aren't any better.
-Sweet & Low really shouldn't be on the market.
-look for bread with the fewest number of ingredients.
-the size of your plate and closeness food is to you physically will affect how much you eat.
March 22, 2012
If a low-fat, high carb and low-calorie diet makes you feel good and helps you maintain a healthy weight and you just want to refine your regime a tiny bit, then this might be the book for you. It tells you about some of the benefits of eating organic and choosing healthier meats although it does also give terrible advice about taking vitamins and supplements.
If aiming for a low-fat, high carb and low-calorie diet makes you feel awful, hungry and ill - as it does for many of us - and has impeded your attempts to maintain a healthy weight, this book has little to offer and there are so many better books out there for you.
This book says low fat or no-fat dairy foods are the best type to get, that adequate protein can easily be gotten from beans, fluoride is safe and good for your teeth and should not be removed from drinking water, soy formulas for infants are completely safe, vegetarian diets are the healthiest, junk food is fine so long as your portions are small and not too high calorie, to lose weight you just need to eat less and move more - all of which I would strongly disagree with based on information and research in lots of far better researched books.
The section on supplements is unspeakably bad and it is very clear the author has done very little research in this area. There is a grain of truth in what she says. I would very much agree that a Centrum multivitamin (or other low quality mutivitamin) is going to do very little good to anyone, but so would every nutritional medicine expert there is! The information given here is beyond skewed and extremely selective, not to mention based on flawed studies which do not at all reflect what nutritional experts are actually recommending. It is not at all the reasonable and educated overview of this topic that it claims to be.
(For example, negative studies using the synthetic form of vitamin E in isolation are not relevant to the use of natural vitamin E in all the 8 forms and as part of a complete nutritional program. No nutrient works well in isolation or at a dose far lower than what is typically used by nutritional medicine experts. These study flaws are very well documented, even in quite old books such as 'Live Longer and Feel Better' by Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling.)
Dr Abram Hoffer explains that we need about 45 different nutrients in optimal quantities. He also explains that no nutrient works alone, and that an enzyme reaction that needs three different nutrients to take place, requires all three nutrients and so no one nutrient should be considered more important than the other.
Some nutrients can be obtained in reasonable amounts in food, while others will sometimes or always require the use of supplements to ensure optimal levels. It is not true as some claim that the optimum levels of all nutrients can be obtained through diet alone.
Supplements are necessary, for the following reasons:
* The soils used to grow our food are often very depleted.
* The levels and types of toxic pollution and toxic chemicals we are exposed to are vastly higher now than they were in the past (which requires far higher levels of nutrients than were necessary in the past, to deal with them).
* Many nutrients in food are fragile and only remain fully intact when food is picked and then eaten immediately. Storing foods for long times and heavily processing foods can dramatically lower nutrient levels in the food and may destroy some nutrients entirely; for example, oranges have been found to contain between 100 mg of vitamin C and 0 mg of vitamin C, each.
* The high levels of sugar in the diet of many people is also problematic as sugar is an anti-nutrient.
Supplements are necessary and eating well is also important. As Dr Sherry Rogers writes, 'What you eat has more power over disease than any medication your doctor can prescribe. Food is awesomely powerful.'
It is also important to be aware that the more ill you are, and the more stress your body is under the higher your nutritional needs will be. A person can need many times more vitamin C when ill than they need when they are well, and these higher doses just cannot be gotten from food.
More helpful information on intelligent supplementation is included in books such as Detoxify or Die, Orthomolecular Medicine for Everyone: Megavitamin Therapeutics for Families and Physicians, Primal Body, Primal Mind: Beyond the Paleo Diet for Total Health and a Longer Life among others.
Other bizarre claims in this book include that no doctors disagree on the role of cholesterol causing heart disease or the need to avoid saturated fats to cut down heart disease risk. This is just not true. See books such as Ignore the Awkward.: How the Cholesterol Myths Are Kept Alive and The Great Cholesterol Con: The Truth About What Really Causes Heart Disease and How to Avoid It for example. Even more bizarre it is claimed that the idea that eggs are good for you is just propaganda by the egg industry!
This book reinforces the following myths:
1. Eating fat makes you fat
2. There is no such thing as good and bad foods
3. A calorie is a calorie and whether calories come form protein fat or carbs doesn't matter when it comes to weight loss
4. Junk food in moderation wont hurt anyone
5. The best diet for health and weight loss is a low-fat and high-carb diet
Reading this book felt a bit like reading the 'health and beauty' liftouts in the weekend papers. Each topic was dealt with so lightly. There was no real depth of discussion or research, or the necessary intelligent and impassioned challenging of the status quo that would make putting a book out worthwhile.
Far better books than this one which set out a diet that is all about health and disease prevention and treatment as well as weight management, and are far better researched and well written include: Eat Fat, Lose Fat: The Healthy Alternative to Trans Fats, Primal Body, Primal Mind: Beyond the Paleo Diet for Total Health and a Longer Life, Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food, Perfect Health Diet: Four Steps to Renewed Health, Youthful Vitality, and Long Life, The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram your genes for effortless weight loss, vibrant health, and boundless energy and others.
Many of us have got fat and ill eating exactly the way this book recommends. Low fat and low calorie diets which include some junk foods and lots of highly processed foods just don't work for so many of us. If it works for the author and some others that is great, each to their own, but for many of us this is not helpful advice and is incorrect. Luckily there are lots of really wonderful diet and nutrition books available today.
Jodi Bassett, The Hummingbirds' Foundation for M.E. (HFME)
If aiming for a low-fat, high carb and low-calorie diet makes you feel awful, hungry and ill - as it does for many of us - and has impeded your attempts to maintain a healthy weight, this book has little to offer and there are so many better books out there for you.
This book says low fat or no-fat dairy foods are the best type to get, that adequate protein can easily be gotten from beans, fluoride is safe and good for your teeth and should not be removed from drinking water, soy formulas for infants are completely safe, vegetarian diets are the healthiest, junk food is fine so long as your portions are small and not too high calorie, to lose weight you just need to eat less and move more - all of which I would strongly disagree with based on information and research in lots of far better researched books.
The section on supplements is unspeakably bad and it is very clear the author has done very little research in this area. There is a grain of truth in what she says. I would very much agree that a Centrum multivitamin (or other low quality mutivitamin) is going to do very little good to anyone, but so would every nutritional medicine expert there is! The information given here is beyond skewed and extremely selective, not to mention based on flawed studies which do not at all reflect what nutritional experts are actually recommending. It is not at all the reasonable and educated overview of this topic that it claims to be.
(For example, negative studies using the synthetic form of vitamin E in isolation are not relevant to the use of natural vitamin E in all the 8 forms and as part of a complete nutritional program. No nutrient works well in isolation or at a dose far lower than what is typically used by nutritional medicine experts. These study flaws are very well documented, even in quite old books such as 'Live Longer and Feel Better' by Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling.)
Dr Abram Hoffer explains that we need about 45 different nutrients in optimal quantities. He also explains that no nutrient works alone, and that an enzyme reaction that needs three different nutrients to take place, requires all three nutrients and so no one nutrient should be considered more important than the other.
Some nutrients can be obtained in reasonable amounts in food, while others will sometimes or always require the use of supplements to ensure optimal levels. It is not true as some claim that the optimum levels of all nutrients can be obtained through diet alone.
Supplements are necessary, for the following reasons:
* The soils used to grow our food are often very depleted.
* The levels and types of toxic pollution and toxic chemicals we are exposed to are vastly higher now than they were in the past (which requires far higher levels of nutrients than were necessary in the past, to deal with them).
* Many nutrients in food are fragile and only remain fully intact when food is picked and then eaten immediately. Storing foods for long times and heavily processing foods can dramatically lower nutrient levels in the food and may destroy some nutrients entirely; for example, oranges have been found to contain between 100 mg of vitamin C and 0 mg of vitamin C, each.
* The high levels of sugar in the diet of many people is also problematic as sugar is an anti-nutrient.
Supplements are necessary and eating well is also important. As Dr Sherry Rogers writes, 'What you eat has more power over disease than any medication your doctor can prescribe. Food is awesomely powerful.'
It is also important to be aware that the more ill you are, and the more stress your body is under the higher your nutritional needs will be. A person can need many times more vitamin C when ill than they need when they are well, and these higher doses just cannot be gotten from food.
More helpful information on intelligent supplementation is included in books such as Detoxify or Die, Orthomolecular Medicine for Everyone: Megavitamin Therapeutics for Families and Physicians, Primal Body, Primal Mind: Beyond the Paleo Diet for Total Health and a Longer Life among others.
Other bizarre claims in this book include that no doctors disagree on the role of cholesterol causing heart disease or the need to avoid saturated fats to cut down heart disease risk. This is just not true. See books such as Ignore the Awkward.: How the Cholesterol Myths Are Kept Alive and The Great Cholesterol Con: The Truth About What Really Causes Heart Disease and How to Avoid It for example. Even more bizarre it is claimed that the idea that eggs are good for you is just propaganda by the egg industry!
This book reinforces the following myths:
1. Eating fat makes you fat
2. There is no such thing as good and bad foods
3. A calorie is a calorie and whether calories come form protein fat or carbs doesn't matter when it comes to weight loss
4. Junk food in moderation wont hurt anyone
5. The best diet for health and weight loss is a low-fat and high-carb diet
Reading this book felt a bit like reading the 'health and beauty' liftouts in the weekend papers. Each topic was dealt with so lightly. There was no real depth of discussion or research, or the necessary intelligent and impassioned challenging of the status quo that would make putting a book out worthwhile.
Far better books than this one which set out a diet that is all about health and disease prevention and treatment as well as weight management, and are far better researched and well written include: Eat Fat, Lose Fat: The Healthy Alternative to Trans Fats, Primal Body, Primal Mind: Beyond the Paleo Diet for Total Health and a Longer Life, Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food, Perfect Health Diet: Four Steps to Renewed Health, Youthful Vitality, and Long Life, The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram your genes for effortless weight loss, vibrant health, and boundless energy and others.
Many of us have got fat and ill eating exactly the way this book recommends. Low fat and low calorie diets which include some junk foods and lots of highly processed foods just don't work for so many of us. If it works for the author and some others that is great, each to their own, but for many of us this is not helpful advice and is incorrect. Luckily there are lots of really wonderful diet and nutrition books available today.
Jodi Bassett, The Hummingbirds' Foundation for M.E. (HFME)
July 28, 2007
I must admit I didn't read all of this book. I tried to read all of it, but I gave up.
This book would be good for people who are starting their journey into healthy eating. Nestle basically walks readers through the supermarket aisle-by-aisle detailing her research on what the average consumer can expect to find.
I did learn some ancillary facts about food topics, but I already have read so much about good eating that there wasn't a lot new to me in this book. Plus, I patronize an alternative supermarket (Berkeley Bowl), my local farmers' markets, and a butcher. I am not dependent on chain supermarkets to obtain my food.
I was disappointed by Nestle's wishy-washy stance on food. She is not a food activist. She is a food educator. She mostly offers enough facts to let people make up their own minds about food issues. Her book really isn't a guide on what to eat despite its title.
In a few instances where she actually offered opinions I disagreed. I am a raw, organic milk drinker, and I found her chapter on milk weak. She wrote off raw milk because she never drank any because she couldn't visit any raw milk farms to inspect them personally. Instead she sides with industrial-organic milk.
If you are a foodie and you want to read this book, I would recommend borrowing it from the library like I did.
This book would be good for people who are starting their journey into healthy eating. Nestle basically walks readers through the supermarket aisle-by-aisle detailing her research on what the average consumer can expect to find.
I did learn some ancillary facts about food topics, but I already have read so much about good eating that there wasn't a lot new to me in this book. Plus, I patronize an alternative supermarket (Berkeley Bowl), my local farmers' markets, and a butcher. I am not dependent on chain supermarkets to obtain my food.
I was disappointed by Nestle's wishy-washy stance on food. She is not a food activist. She is a food educator. She mostly offers enough facts to let people make up their own minds about food issues. Her book really isn't a guide on what to eat despite its title.
In a few instances where she actually offered opinions I disagreed. I am a raw, organic milk drinker, and I found her chapter on milk weak. She wrote off raw milk because she never drank any because she couldn't visit any raw milk farms to inspect them personally. Instead she sides with industrial-organic milk.
If you are a foodie and you want to read this book, I would recommend borrowing it from the library like I did.
December 6, 2020
I tried.
Read
December 27, 2022Eating healthy is pretty much a no-brainer, right? Well, it's nice to know that even a nutrition professor like Marion Nestle finds it difficult to determine the best food choices for a healthy lifestyle.
An essential reference book for those who want to ensure that they are spending their time and money at the grocery store wisely. - Paula C.
An essential reference book for those who want to ensure that they are spending their time and money at the grocery store wisely. - Paula C.
July 10, 2011
What to Eat is the antidote to Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Where AVM screeched and keened about how eating certain foods makes us horrible people, What to Eat is an unemotional guide to making informed food choices. I would call this a crash course in nutrition, but 'crash' is not the best word to use. It is a robust, honest-to-goodness course in all things food, with its narrative structured according to the shelves and sections you'd find in a supermarket. When I picked up this book, I was at first dismayed by its size and thought that maybe I'd end up flipping through it and reading brief selections, but no: I read the whole thing straight through. It was that interesting (and informative).
Marion Nestle (that's the author's name, and she has no relation to the food company) believes that you shouldn't tell people what to eat and expect them to do it blindly; she is a fan of the informed choice, and that makes all the difference. If you are informed about the ingredients and manufacturing process that goes into an Oreo, and you still want to eat it, that's ok. (She even admits that she personally prefers the Oreo recipe from before they eliminated the trans fats.) But armed with the facts, you can make a better decision about how many Oreos you should eat, and how often you should eat them. That is my kind of nutritionist!
There is also plenty of insight into food issues such as why it was ok for you to eat raw cookie dough when you were a kid - but why you shouldn't let your own children do that today.
I was also impressed to notice that many of the issues Nestle raises in this book, which was published in 2006 - trans fats, organics, country of origin labeling, HFCS, etc. - have really hit the spotlight in recent years. What to Eat is almost prescient in that respect.
I am so glad I read this book, and one change I'm planning on making in my family's food consumption habit is to look more closely at the labels of boxed cereals. I didn't realize how many cereals that I considered NON-"sugar" cereals (like Rice Krispies), actually have sugar as one of their main ingredients.
Marion Nestle (that's the author's name, and she has no relation to the food company) believes that you shouldn't tell people what to eat and expect them to do it blindly; she is a fan of the informed choice, and that makes all the difference. If you are informed about the ingredients and manufacturing process that goes into an Oreo, and you still want to eat it, that's ok. (She even admits that she personally prefers the Oreo recipe from before they eliminated the trans fats.) But armed with the facts, you can make a better decision about how many Oreos you should eat, and how often you should eat them. That is my kind of nutritionist!
There is also plenty of insight into food issues such as why it was ok for you to eat raw cookie dough when you were a kid - but why you shouldn't let your own children do that today.
I was also impressed to notice that many of the issues Nestle raises in this book, which was published in 2006 - trans fats, organics, country of origin labeling, HFCS, etc. - have really hit the spotlight in recent years. What to Eat is almost prescient in that respect.
I am so glad I read this book, and one change I'm planning on making in my family's food consumption habit is to look more closely at the labels of boxed cereals. I didn't realize how many cereals that I considered NON-"sugar" cereals (like Rice Krispies), actually have sugar as one of their main ingredients.
March 9, 2011
Loved this book. It's essentially a reference guide to shopping and eating that's been broken down by food category, so when I got it in the mail and saw how HUGE it is (600+ pages) I thought I'd just end up reading the chapters on food topics that interest me. I ended up reading the entire thing - even the sections on foods that I don't eat or care about (two chapters just about margarine?!?). Nestle is an academic and a nutritionist, but also (thankfully) a great writer. She writes intelligently but accessibly about a wide range of topics, starting with the nutritional components/value of each food but also covering relevant issues surrounding its industry's history, regulation by the USDA or FDA, marketing strategies, etc. I learned so much about what is in our food supply and WHY, in addition to getting plenty of common sense advice about which products to buy and eat and which to avoid. Nestle is very sensible - she isn't into food fads, diets, or miracle foods, but does voice her opinions freely and shares her own buying/eating practices concerning each food she writes about.
In short, I think I found WHAT TO EAT so valuable because it is so difficult nowadays to find honest, informed information about food - we are bombarded with health claims ("Green tea prevents cancer!") and warnings ("Aspartame will kill you!"), but this overload of information is usually manipulative spin generated by someone wanting to make a buck off of us. I found myself trusting Nestle and wanting to hear what she had to say about salmon farming, yogurt, children's cereals, fair trade coffee, organic chicken, vitamin water, infant formula, and dozens of other topics. In the end though, her advice is simple: inform yourself about the food that's available to you and make sensible choices. Eat what you like, but not too much (and if you like fake foods or junk foods, eat them sparingly).
Highly recommended reading!
In short, I think I found WHAT TO EAT so valuable because it is so difficult nowadays to find honest, informed information about food - we are bombarded with health claims ("Green tea prevents cancer!") and warnings ("Aspartame will kill you!"), but this overload of information is usually manipulative spin generated by someone wanting to make a buck off of us. I found myself trusting Nestle and wanting to hear what she had to say about salmon farming, yogurt, children's cereals, fair trade coffee, organic chicken, vitamin water, infant formula, and dozens of other topics. In the end though, her advice is simple: inform yourself about the food that's available to you and make sensible choices. Eat what you like, but not too much (and if you like fake foods or junk foods, eat them sparingly).
Highly recommended reading!
April 12, 2008
The mixture of common sense, logic, nutritional science, and hard data make WHAT TO EAT an eye-opening one time read as well as a handy reference volume. Even the introduction (an easily digestible 15 pages) serves as a wake-up call about the state of food choices in America and should be required reading for every consumer before taking another trip to the supermarket. I had quite a bit of fun with this book and found it to be more whimsical and interactive than I had expected. A number of paragraphs had me running to check food labels on items in my pantry and find out what I was really eating.
The book is divided by food type into a number of different sections. The sections flow well from topic to topic and are generally self-contained, making it easy for the reader to skip around and focus on topics of particular interest. The title WHAT TO EAT is somewhat of a misnomer, and the author admits to this early in the book. Rather than authoritatively commanding "Eat A, B, and C, but never eat X, Y, and Z", this book provides the reader with detailed information about possible food options, thus enabling the reader to make their own choices about what they eat. When laying out the array of choices, Nestle includes both quantitative tables of data and qualitative personal considerations to aid the reader in rumination. Those who read this book hoping to uncover the Holy Grail of diets may find the title misleading; personally I found the approach to be informative, engaging, and empowering. Nestle's writing is never demanding or heavy-handed, instead letting food choices speak for themselves. For example, if your 2 options are "organic milk produced in your own state" versus "hormone- and antibiotic-laced milk from cows halfway across the country", it becomes difficult to imagine what informed consumer would choose the latter.
All that being said, the gist of WHAT TO EAT can really be boiled down into two words: "information" & "choice". Unfortunately, as Nestle astutely explains, there are a number of interested parties who strive to disseminate dubious information and exert undue influence over the choices we make. I don't get the impression that Nestle set out to write a political book, but in her endeavor to delve into food culture she is forced to confront a simple fact: that much of what we eat is influenced heavily by the American political system. The governmental bodies--namely the FDA, the USDA, and the US Congress--that oversee what we eat owe their livelihood [via political contributions] to lobbying firms which represent food, pesticide, and drug producers. With lobbyists in control of our decision making bodies, the government provides corporations with subsidies, tax breaks, free advertising, and favorable research findings. In the end, these corrupts bargains leave consumers stranded in a market where they can buy a jumbo-sized bag of chemically-processed "Cheeze Doodles" for 99 cents, but a red pepper costs 4 dollars. WHAT TO EAT is never bitter or preachy about this situation, but quietly alerts its readers that a change of national food priorities is desperately needed.
The book is divided by food type into a number of different sections. The sections flow well from topic to topic and are generally self-contained, making it easy for the reader to skip around and focus on topics of particular interest. The title WHAT TO EAT is somewhat of a misnomer, and the author admits to this early in the book. Rather than authoritatively commanding "Eat A, B, and C, but never eat X, Y, and Z", this book provides the reader with detailed information about possible food options, thus enabling the reader to make their own choices about what they eat. When laying out the array of choices, Nestle includes both quantitative tables of data and qualitative personal considerations to aid the reader in rumination. Those who read this book hoping to uncover the Holy Grail of diets may find the title misleading; personally I found the approach to be informative, engaging, and empowering. Nestle's writing is never demanding or heavy-handed, instead letting food choices speak for themselves. For example, if your 2 options are "organic milk produced in your own state" versus "hormone- and antibiotic-laced milk from cows halfway across the country", it becomes difficult to imagine what informed consumer would choose the latter.
All that being said, the gist of WHAT TO EAT can really be boiled down into two words: "information" & "choice". Unfortunately, as Nestle astutely explains, there are a number of interested parties who strive to disseminate dubious information and exert undue influence over the choices we make. I don't get the impression that Nestle set out to write a political book, but in her endeavor to delve into food culture she is forced to confront a simple fact: that much of what we eat is influenced heavily by the American political system. The governmental bodies--namely the FDA, the USDA, and the US Congress--that oversee what we eat owe their livelihood [via political contributions] to lobbying firms which represent food, pesticide, and drug producers. With lobbyists in control of our decision making bodies, the government provides corporations with subsidies, tax breaks, free advertising, and favorable research findings. In the end, these corrupts bargains leave consumers stranded in a market where they can buy a jumbo-sized bag of chemically-processed "Cheeze Doodles" for 99 cents, but a red pepper costs 4 dollars. WHAT TO EAT is never bitter or preachy about this situation, but quietly alerts its readers that a change of national food priorities is desperately needed.
February 12, 2008
A down-to-earth, excellently researched look at your local supermarket, aisle by aisle, without any of the preaching you've come to expect from nutritionists. Sure, Nestle's got opinions, but they're the opinions of your grandmother who lives in New York and who wants you to eat, to enjoy what's on your plate to to give everything a taste before you turn up your nose.
And like your sensible grandmother, Nestle's concludes that real, minimally processed foods are better for you than most of what's out there. She disdains marketing tricks and corporate bullying of the USDA; she doesn't care for anything that pretends to be healthy when it's really just a dessert in disguise (see her take on the super-sweet yogurts heavily marketed towards dieters and children). Nestle would much rather see you put a dollop of butter on your food than hem and haw on which faker-than-fake low-no-less-than-before option awaits you in the dairy isle this week.
Though a nutritionist by training Nestle has the soul of an investigative journalist, using her scientific background to read through the conflicting (and often corporately-funded) research that's out there. When she comes to the conclusion that the organic vegetables in the freezer section are better tasting (and better for you) than the so-called "fresh" conventional veggies in the produce section, it's only after she's taken you through her analysis of the literature. Nor is she shy about busting the prolific and questionable health claims on food packaging: there is, for example, no reason to claim your vegetable oil is cholesterol free (of course it is: all vegetable products are cholesterol free) or the chickens who laid your eggs weren't treated with hormones (no chickens are treated with hormones -- cattle may be, but not chickens).
Though a good deal of this information may not be new to a reader who's attentive to food and nutrition, this is still an excellent resource for deciphering the gray areas and learning more about the USDA and FDA's role (or lack thereof) in determining what makes it to the supermarket shelves and what claims can be emblazoned across the packaging.
And like your sensible grandmother, Nestle's concludes that real, minimally processed foods are better for you than most of what's out there. She disdains marketing tricks and corporate bullying of the USDA; she doesn't care for anything that pretends to be healthy when it's really just a dessert in disguise (see her take on the super-sweet yogurts heavily marketed towards dieters and children). Nestle would much rather see you put a dollop of butter on your food than hem and haw on which faker-than-fake low-no-less-than-before option awaits you in the dairy isle this week.
Though a nutritionist by training Nestle has the soul of an investigative journalist, using her scientific background to read through the conflicting (and often corporately-funded) research that's out there. When she comes to the conclusion that the organic vegetables in the freezer section are better tasting (and better for you) than the so-called "fresh" conventional veggies in the produce section, it's only after she's taken you through her analysis of the literature. Nor is she shy about busting the prolific and questionable health claims on food packaging: there is, for example, no reason to claim your vegetable oil is cholesterol free (of course it is: all vegetable products are cholesterol free) or the chickens who laid your eggs weren't treated with hormones (no chickens are treated with hormones -- cattle may be, but not chickens).
Though a good deal of this information may not be new to a reader who's attentive to food and nutrition, this is still an excellent resource for deciphering the gray areas and learning more about the USDA and FDA's role (or lack thereof) in determining what makes it to the supermarket shelves and what claims can be emblazoned across the packaging.
March 21, 2008
I think that this was just the wrong kind of food book for me to read. I am more of a "live to eat" type person and this is definitely a "eat to live" kind of book. Each chapter in this book covers a different food: bottled water, seafood, baby food, etc and the author talks about the environmental and health benefits/drawbacks. I found the coverage spotty and the organization confusing - some information is repeated over and over while some stuff is never mentioned. For example - the chapter on bottled water doesn't mention the environmental impact of all those plastic bottles. Also, I found some of the author's editorializing obnoxious. Clearly a rich person living in Manhattan who assumes all of her readers are in the same boat. Some of her suggestions just aren't realistic - only buy bread baked by hand in artisan bakeries. Really? There was some useful information though - especially about things like which seafood is safe to eat. I read this book because I kind of felt like I should. I think next I'll need some MFK Fisher to detox - now THAT's my kind of food writing. :)
November 14, 2023
Nestle explains not only the nutritional science behind making healthy food choices, but also explores the political, economic, and environmental considerations. I was looking for nutritional advice, so I skimmed many pages that dealt with the other issues. However, I did find the information on food marketing interesting. Nestle summarizes the scientific research, presents several options, then makes recommendations. There are a few special topics at the end, including baby food, which I haven’t seen in the other nutrition books I’ve read.
Nestle’s nutritional guidelines are simple: select unprocessed or minimally processed foods; eat vegetables and fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains. Meat isn’t necessary, but you can eat lean meats, poultry, fish, and eggs in moderation. Dairy isn’t necessary, but low-fat dairy can fit into a healthy diet.
I had heard this book referenced in several other nutrition books and articles, and it was recommended by Michael Pollan.
Notes
Produce
Scientists can't quantify the degree of harm caused by ingested pesticides, but organic produce will reduce the amount of pesticides you consume.
Wax on produce isn't harmful.
People who eat 5+ servings/day of fruits and veggies have half cancer risk of those who eat 2.
Dairy
Countries with low dairy intake and less than half calcium intake recommended in US have less osteoporosis and fewer fractures than US.
Those who eat more plants may need less calcium than those who consume more protein and sodium.
Saturated fat raises risk of heart disease, and 60%+ of fat in milk is saturated.
"If you drink milk at all, the lower its fat content, the better … Nonfat milk retains most of the nutrients of whole milk."
It's inconclusive whether dairy causes heart disease and cancer.
Hormones in milk are in amounts so small they don't seem to affect people.
If milk increases health risks, they're small risks.
Limit cheese, since it’s high in saturated fat.
Frozen yogurt doesn't have many live bacteria.
There's minimal evidence for the benefits of probiotic bacteria in yogurt.
Dairy Substitutes
Avoid margarine because it contains trans fat and artificial additives. Instead, use butter, sparingly.
Palm fruit oil is 50% saturated; palm kernel oil is 80%+.
Meat
Meat isn’t necessary; you can get enough protein from dairy, fish, eggs, even grains and beans.
Meat may increase risk of heart disease and cancer.
Reduce cancer risk of red meat by choosing leaner cuts, eating smaller portions, or choosing chicken, fish, beans.
Fish
Fish aren't essential. you can get omega-3s from chicken, eggs, plant foods (especially cooking oil from seeds, like flax and canola), or fish oil supplements.
"Methylmercury does not seem harmful for adults at current levels of intake, but it is demonstrably bad for early fetal development."
Canned chunk or light tuna (not albacore or white) is the tuna lowest in mercury.
To avoid or reduce PCBs, remove fish skin and avoid farmed salmon.
Choose wild, not farmed salmon. Farmed contains PCBs, PBDEs, dioxins, and is carcinogenic. Exception: salmon from Chile, Washington State.
Cool and Frozen
The American Heart Association says to eat at most 1 egg/day, and on days you do, avoid other sources of cholesterol.
Diets (including low-carb diets) only work by helping you reduce calorie intake.
Almost all Americans get more than enough protein, even vegetarians.
Processed
Sugar(s) are indicated by ingredients ending with "syrup" or "-ose." Honey and fruit concentrates are also sugars.
Potatoes and rice have high glycemic index but low glycemic load (unless you eat large quantities), because they have relatively low starch and sugars.
Potatoes with skins are nutritious. Fibrous skin keeps starch from being quickly converted to glucose.
Fats, best to worst: monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated, trans.
Fats that are solid at room temperature have more saturated fat than those that are liquid.
Oil labeled as "vegetable oil" is from soybeans.
Olive and canola oils have the most monounsaturated fat (good). Other fine oils: peanut, sesame, corn, soy (vegetable), safflower.
Beverages
There hasn't been enough testing to prove artificial sweeteners are safe, but they may be, because of their small amounts. Natural sugar(s) may be better because they're metabolized by body.
Supplements
Clinical trials rarely show much benefit from supplements.
Few Americans have nutrient deficiencies, except for some iron deficiency in young children and women of child-bearing age.
"It is hard to argue against" multivitamins; "they might do some good."
Supplements other than vitamins and minerals are probably not beneficial.
Nestle (author) takes no supplements other than an occasional multivitamin if she has a string of unhealthy meals.
ConsumerLab and Consumer Reports test supplements.
Nestle’s nutritional guidelines are simple: select unprocessed or minimally processed foods; eat vegetables and fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains. Meat isn’t necessary, but you can eat lean meats, poultry, fish, and eggs in moderation. Dairy isn’t necessary, but low-fat dairy can fit into a healthy diet.
I had heard this book referenced in several other nutrition books and articles, and it was recommended by Michael Pollan.
Notes
Produce
Scientists can't quantify the degree of harm caused by ingested pesticides, but organic produce will reduce the amount of pesticides you consume.
Wax on produce isn't harmful.
People who eat 5+ servings/day of fruits and veggies have half cancer risk of those who eat 2.
Dairy
Countries with low dairy intake and less than half calcium intake recommended in US have less osteoporosis and fewer fractures than US.
Those who eat more plants may need less calcium than those who consume more protein and sodium.
Saturated fat raises risk of heart disease, and 60%+ of fat in milk is saturated.
"If you drink milk at all, the lower its fat content, the better … Nonfat milk retains most of the nutrients of whole milk."
It's inconclusive whether dairy causes heart disease and cancer.
Hormones in milk are in amounts so small they don't seem to affect people.
If milk increases health risks, they're small risks.
Limit cheese, since it’s high in saturated fat.
Frozen yogurt doesn't have many live bacteria.
There's minimal evidence for the benefits of probiotic bacteria in yogurt.
Dairy Substitutes
Avoid margarine because it contains trans fat and artificial additives. Instead, use butter, sparingly.
Palm fruit oil is 50% saturated; palm kernel oil is 80%+.
Meat
Meat isn’t necessary; you can get enough protein from dairy, fish, eggs, even grains and beans.
Meat may increase risk of heart disease and cancer.
Reduce cancer risk of red meat by choosing leaner cuts, eating smaller portions, or choosing chicken, fish, beans.
Fish
Fish aren't essential. you can get omega-3s from chicken, eggs, plant foods (especially cooking oil from seeds, like flax and canola), or fish oil supplements.
"Methylmercury does not seem harmful for adults at current levels of intake, but it is demonstrably bad for early fetal development."
Canned chunk or light tuna (not albacore or white) is the tuna lowest in mercury.
To avoid or reduce PCBs, remove fish skin and avoid farmed salmon.
Choose wild, not farmed salmon. Farmed contains PCBs, PBDEs, dioxins, and is carcinogenic. Exception: salmon from Chile, Washington State.
Cool and Frozen
The American Heart Association says to eat at most 1 egg/day, and on days you do, avoid other sources of cholesterol.
Diets (including low-carb diets) only work by helping you reduce calorie intake.
Almost all Americans get more than enough protein, even vegetarians.
Processed
Sugar(s) are indicated by ingredients ending with "syrup" or "-ose." Honey and fruit concentrates are also sugars.
Potatoes and rice have high glycemic index but low glycemic load (unless you eat large quantities), because they have relatively low starch and sugars.
Potatoes with skins are nutritious. Fibrous skin keeps starch from being quickly converted to glucose.
Fats, best to worst: monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated, trans.
Fats that are solid at room temperature have more saturated fat than those that are liquid.
Oil labeled as "vegetable oil" is from soybeans.
Olive and canola oils have the most monounsaturated fat (good). Other fine oils: peanut, sesame, corn, soy (vegetable), safflower.
Beverages
There hasn't been enough testing to prove artificial sweeteners are safe, but they may be, because of their small amounts. Natural sugar(s) may be better because they're metabolized by body.
Supplements
Clinical trials rarely show much benefit from supplements.
Few Americans have nutrient deficiencies, except for some iron deficiency in young children and women of child-bearing age.
"It is hard to argue against" multivitamins; "they might do some good."
Supplements other than vitamins and minerals are probably not beneficial.
Nestle (author) takes no supplements other than an occasional multivitamin if she has a string of unhealthy meals.
ConsumerLab and Consumer Reports test supplements.
July 2, 2014
I read selected chapters of this book. There is quite a bit of good information in here. This is not a "food fad" book. Marion Nestle seems to be fairy traditional about what is good for you and what is bad for you (in other words, stay on a low fat diet, but I know there's been recent research on that topic that states otherwise). There is so much conflicting information about food out there in books and on the web. I've been trying to navigate my way around all of this information so I can make reasonable choices as to what I eat.
Personally, I think eggs are good for you and eat a lot more of them than she recommends. But I did like the chapter on eggs.
********
Looking at some of the other reviews, I realize that since I only read chapters on the topics that interested me (eggs, oils, etc.) I totally missed the political aspect of her book. So I can't comment on that, but now I'm thinking I should go skim this book again and see what got some people riled up.
Personally, I think eggs are good for you and eat a lot more of them than she recommends. But I did like the chapter on eggs.
********
Looking at some of the other reviews, I realize that since I only read chapters on the topics that interested me (eggs, oils, etc.) I totally missed the political aspect of her book. So I can't comment on that, but now I'm thinking I should go skim this book again and see what got some people riled up.
October 25, 2008
This book is awesome. What an excellent resource. Marion Nestle, a nutritionist, walks you through a supermarket, aisle by aisle. She talks about organics vs. nonorganics, farmed vs. wild seafood, hormones and antibiotics in meat, high fructose corn syrup, processed foods, etc. You name it- she covers it. Lots of really interesting info and I found it absolutely fascinating. Would love to read her older book "Food Politics" as well. It's long- over 500 pages- but a great reference guide.
March 4, 2021
If you’re contemplating reading this book, I’d say skip it and find one more recent with up-to-date information and research. At the time of publication this may have been revolutionary, but now it seems outdated and filled with common knowledge.
Misleading health claims are abundant down every food aisle, and I appreciate Marion Nestle’s focus on this topic. Statements that some cereals “promote heart health” and sugary yogurts “promote bowel health” mean much less when you know the research was sponsored by the brand itself. The wealth these companies have accumulated allows them to bend the rules and regulations for their benefit.
One recurrent problem I had was with her stance on organics. She speaks a lot about the deceitful marketing and lack of proper regulations on non-organic foods, but there is increasing evidence that organic foods share the exact same problems. She states that if you don’t want large levels of pesticides in your diet, organics are the way to go. Except now there is research stating organically grown foods often contain higher levels of pesticides, due to organic pesticides being less efficient. Perhaps this was not known at the time of this guide, but it's still ineffective to repeatedly claim organics as the solution to health concerns.
This book mainly increased my pessimism as I am still left with uncertainty about daily food decisions. Her advice is the typical “eat unprocessed & organic foods, lots of fruit and vegetables, junk food in moderation” which you could learn through a quick google search. It sounds like the only solution to false advertising and the disregard for public health is to be aware of it. I wanted answers, or at least alternatives that the everyday lower-income individual could achieve. If you aren’t wealthy, the suggested alternatives and ideas seem out of reach. Fresh artisan bread and organic meats are not an option for everyone. And that’s without even mentioning food deserts and the unequal access to nutritional affordable options. I think this book overlooks many variables, and mainly applies to the more advantaged individuals. If that were the target audience, it would be effective, however I was under the assumption it was aimed to be a comprehensive guidebook for the everyday consumer.
Some of the less familiar topics were interesting, such as advertisement aimed at children, but this book works only as a brief introduction. If this guide provided me with anything, it was a few random food facts and a desire to learn more.
Misleading health claims are abundant down every food aisle, and I appreciate Marion Nestle’s focus on this topic. Statements that some cereals “promote heart health” and sugary yogurts “promote bowel health” mean much less when you know the research was sponsored by the brand itself. The wealth these companies have accumulated allows them to bend the rules and regulations for their benefit.
One recurrent problem I had was with her stance on organics. She speaks a lot about the deceitful marketing and lack of proper regulations on non-organic foods, but there is increasing evidence that organic foods share the exact same problems. She states that if you don’t want large levels of pesticides in your diet, organics are the way to go. Except now there is research stating organically grown foods often contain higher levels of pesticides, due to organic pesticides being less efficient. Perhaps this was not known at the time of this guide, but it's still ineffective to repeatedly claim organics as the solution to health concerns.
This book mainly increased my pessimism as I am still left with uncertainty about daily food decisions. Her advice is the typical “eat unprocessed & organic foods, lots of fruit and vegetables, junk food in moderation” which you could learn through a quick google search. It sounds like the only solution to false advertising and the disregard for public health is to be aware of it. I wanted answers, or at least alternatives that the everyday lower-income individual could achieve. If you aren’t wealthy, the suggested alternatives and ideas seem out of reach. Fresh artisan bread and organic meats are not an option for everyone. And that’s without even mentioning food deserts and the unequal access to nutritional affordable options. I think this book overlooks many variables, and mainly applies to the more advantaged individuals. If that were the target audience, it would be effective, however I was under the assumption it was aimed to be a comprehensive guidebook for the everyday consumer.
Some of the less familiar topics were interesting, such as advertisement aimed at children, but this book works only as a brief introduction. If this guide provided me with anything, it was a few random food facts and a desire to learn more.
August 11, 2017
While I've read many many books on nutrition over the years, none gave a comprehensive look at every food type (meats, dairy, prepared foods, fish, wheat, water, produce, eggs etc...) as this book. Focusing on each section of a grocery store, Marion Nestle, a nutritionist and writer, discusses issues concerning marketing, politics, our health and environment. I especially liked her opinions on the difference between farmed fish and wild fish, which I had not previous read in any book before, as well as her analysis of the effects of genetically modified organism and organic foods on the foods nutrition content. While this book discusses food and politics in the United States in the years 2004-2005, a lot of these concerns are still relevant today. I was surprised to read her recommendations in the conclusion of the book in which she recommends fast-food companies put calories on their menu boards. I guess we are seeing progress, though it is changing ever so slowly!
March 5, 2019
Ever the bemused skeptic, Marion Nestle has a mission, her own style, and a wry sense of humor.
Perhaps only the most food obsessed will truly appreciate this tome of everything nutrition, but it is well worth wading into, because readers will be amazed at what they learn about the system, culture, and business of food in our country. An enormous undertaking- taking on the entire American supermarket row by row and breaking down every conceivable food option and what she recommends and why- Nestle is a powerhouse of food information.
Perhaps only the most food obsessed will truly appreciate this tome of everything nutrition, but it is well worth wading into, because readers will be amazed at what they learn about the system, culture, and business of food in our country. An enormous undertaking- taking on the entire American supermarket row by row and breaking down every conceivable food option and what she recommends and why- Nestle is a powerhouse of food information.
October 4, 2018
Informative, powerful, makes you rethink your everyday choices.
December 22, 2018
Hard to believe that such a comprehensive review of the nutritional value of modern food choices could be such a fun and interesting read!
January 9, 2018
Definitely not an easy read (it's more of a textbook than anything else), this was nevertheless both an interesting and disturbing book. Nestle (no relation to the Swiss company and her name is actually pronounced "nes-sel") is a nutritionist and author who pulls no punches and thoroughly researched every aspect of the food industry. The subtitle of the book, "An Aisle-by-Aisle Guide to Savvy Food Choices and Good Eating," adequately explains what the book is all about. The disturbing part however is -- of course -- what she reveals about the food industry and how much we are harmed by their greed and lack of concern for our health, all the while spewing marketing slogans that would have us think otherwise. One of the things I sort of knew but hadn't been willing to face in my own life, is the amount of added sugar in nearly everything, and how when we as a nation began eating more and more processed (read: lots of added sugar) food, our obesity epidemic began. I used to buy cereal I thought was healthy, until Nestle pointed out how few dry cereals do not contain massive amounts of sugar. Boy, does that fact reduce the number of cereal choices from which I now select!
Another fact that truly hurt: what I learned about freshly caught fish. When I was a kid, my mom and dad and I took only one kind of vacation: we went fishing. Most often in northern Wisconsin, but occasionally in Minnesota and for one utterly glorious week, to an island in Ontario, Canada. On the U.S. fishing trips, my dad would often get up before dawn and quietly head out to fish before my mom and I got up. We'd awaken to the smell of fresh fish cooking on the stove, which we'd eat for breakfast along with the fresh hash brown potatoes my dad also made. My favorite fish then -- and now -- was walleye and on those vacations, I couldn't get enough of it. After breakfast, my dad would take a nap, then we'd eat lunch, and after lunch he and I would head out in the boat to fish. He and I spent many happy hours, sitting together silently with our lines in the water, just the sound of the water gently lapping against the metal boat and the soft breeze singing in the trees at the shoreline. So it was with great sadness that I read the following in Nestle's book: "As for recreational fishing, the EPA announced in August of 2004 that virtually all sports fish are so contaminated with methylmercury that forty-eight states (exceptions: Wyoming and Alaska) have issued advisory warnings to residents not to eat fish from certain waters." Then-EPA administrator Michael Leavitt, told the New York Times, "Mercury is everywhere." Nestle flatly states, "...you should not let your kids each much sports fish, if any." So those fondly remembered fishing trips with my parents are more than gone; they are now impossible. We ate fish pretty much every single day on those trips. Good thing it was before our government ceased to prevent companies from polluting our waterways. I mean, really, it's a bit hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that ALL of the continental U.S. waterways are polluted, to one extent or another.
If you're interested in becoming a more savvy grocery store customer and are willing to face some extremely difficult truths, I would highly recommend this book -- it truly is one of the best of its kind.
Another fact that truly hurt: what I learned about freshly caught fish. When I was a kid, my mom and dad and I took only one kind of vacation: we went fishing. Most often in northern Wisconsin, but occasionally in Minnesota and for one utterly glorious week, to an island in Ontario, Canada. On the U.S. fishing trips, my dad would often get up before dawn and quietly head out to fish before my mom and I got up. We'd awaken to the smell of fresh fish cooking on the stove, which we'd eat for breakfast along with the fresh hash brown potatoes my dad also made. My favorite fish then -- and now -- was walleye and on those vacations, I couldn't get enough of it. After breakfast, my dad would take a nap, then we'd eat lunch, and after lunch he and I would head out in the boat to fish. He and I spent many happy hours, sitting together silently with our lines in the water, just the sound of the water gently lapping against the metal boat and the soft breeze singing in the trees at the shoreline. So it was with great sadness that I read the following in Nestle's book: "As for recreational fishing, the EPA announced in August of 2004 that virtually all sports fish are so contaminated with methylmercury that forty-eight states (exceptions: Wyoming and Alaska) have issued advisory warnings to residents not to eat fish from certain waters." Then-EPA administrator Michael Leavitt, told the New York Times, "Mercury is everywhere." Nestle flatly states, "...you should not let your kids each much sports fish, if any." So those fondly remembered fishing trips with my parents are more than gone; they are now impossible. We ate fish pretty much every single day on those trips. Good thing it was before our government ceased to prevent companies from polluting our waterways. I mean, really, it's a bit hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that ALL of the continental U.S. waterways are polluted, to one extent or another.
If you're interested in becoming a more savvy grocery store customer and are willing to face some extremely difficult truths, I would highly recommend this book -- it truly is one of the best of its kind.
December 2, 2015
The author takes you on a tour of your local supermarket as she discusses many issues pertinent to the health and safety of food. This is not junk science, but rather a well-researched (50+ pages of footnotes) examination of a multitude of political, environmental, and health issues surrounding food. Prepare to be at the least surprised (and frankly I was astounded) at some of the information. For instance, one-third (!) of all vegetables eaten in the US are in 3 forms - french fries, potato chips, and iceberg lettuce. What!! Two forms of potato and the wimpiest of all lettuce (at least in terms of nutrition) - yikes! Where are broccoli and carrots and apples?
The political machinations behind food are also eye-opening. The author attempts to explain such diverse items as the food pyramid, subsidies, and lunch programs - and Hint: they're mostly about the industry and less about the science and what is best for Americans. She looks at supplements - and as a pharmacist, I know that what she's presenting here is pretty accurate. Supplements are a crap shoot - she notes that no agency can assure you that the supplements you buy are as advertised. And the FDA is hard put to get many of these off the market. Her view is that a multivitamin is mostly harmless but that many of the other supplements are only effective at reducing your wallet. Her view is "Real foods are health foods and do not need to be made functional to be good for you. They are functional just the way they are."
While this is mostly about supermarkets and other purveyors of foods (bakers, butchers, etc), she speaks a little about restaurants. Since many people eat out on a more or less routine basis, it is germane to the discussion. I totally agree with her view that it's time for restaurants to offer better choices - light entrees, reasonable sizes. It would be nice to at least offer half portions of some of the ginormous entrees and sandwiches. I ordered a chicken wrap recently at a restaurant while traveling and it would have taken 2 people to eat them (there were 4 half wraps on the plate - basically 2 huge wraps cut in half), even without the fries on the side.
Basically, the author's view is that there are 4 concepts for good nutrition - eat less, move more, eats lots of fruits and vegetables, and go easy on the junk food. But Big Food corporations (not to mention federal agencies, lobbyists, and a host of other players) are heavily invested in the average person doing the opposite. They use aggressive marketing and subtle messages to convince the average consumer that it's okay to eat ---- (you fill in the blank)----, whether or not it's backed up by anything actually resembling scientific research. There are plenty of issues and she calls for action - and in the final analysis, you can influence Big Food by voting with your fork.
The political machinations behind food are also eye-opening. The author attempts to explain such diverse items as the food pyramid, subsidies, and lunch programs - and Hint: they're mostly about the industry and less about the science and what is best for Americans. She looks at supplements - and as a pharmacist, I know that what she's presenting here is pretty accurate. Supplements are a crap shoot - she notes that no agency can assure you that the supplements you buy are as advertised. And the FDA is hard put to get many of these off the market. Her view is that a multivitamin is mostly harmless but that many of the other supplements are only effective at reducing your wallet. Her view is "Real foods are health foods and do not need to be made functional to be good for you. They are functional just the way they are."
While this is mostly about supermarkets and other purveyors of foods (bakers, butchers, etc), she speaks a little about restaurants. Since many people eat out on a more or less routine basis, it is germane to the discussion. I totally agree with her view that it's time for restaurants to offer better choices - light entrees, reasonable sizes. It would be nice to at least offer half portions of some of the ginormous entrees and sandwiches. I ordered a chicken wrap recently at a restaurant while traveling and it would have taken 2 people to eat them (there were 4 half wraps on the plate - basically 2 huge wraps cut in half), even without the fries on the side.
Basically, the author's view is that there are 4 concepts for good nutrition - eat less, move more, eats lots of fruits and vegetables, and go easy on the junk food. But Big Food corporations (not to mention federal agencies, lobbyists, and a host of other players) are heavily invested in the average person doing the opposite. They use aggressive marketing and subtle messages to convince the average consumer that it's okay to eat ---- (you fill in the blank)----, whether or not it's backed up by anything actually resembling scientific research. There are plenty of issues and she calls for action - and in the final analysis, you can influence Big Food by voting with your fork.
May 3, 2012
This book sets out with a lot of ground to cover. Marion Nestle, an accomplished professor of nutrition, takes the reader on an aisle by aisle trip through the grocery store. She touches on every major food group and attempts to answer the question: Why is it so confusing and overwhelming to go grocery shopping? She breaks the book down in sections according to food topic, such as bread, milk, seafood, coffee, etc. There are a lot of details squeezed into each section, but for topics of less interest to you, it is very easy to skim sections. I found myself skimming a few sections I wasn't as interested in and was still able to follow the narrative. It helps that prominent facts are in bold and highlighted at a rate of about one fact every three pages. This layout also makes the book handy as a reference tool. Although there is a lot of information crammed into each section, it is impossible to cover every topic she attempts to in depth. As a result, Ms. Nestle tends to focus on a few specific focal points she finds specific to each food group. Sometimes it may be politics or animal welfare, but for the most part the meat is in the nutrient contents of the food and how agribusiness and food companies try to market to the consumer. If you feel overwhelmed in the grocery store by all your options and the claims on products- light, non-fat, whole grain, high in protein, etc. - then this book is a good place to go to figure out what's behind some of these health claims. I feel like a have a little more understanding and therefor control of my grocery shopping after reading this book. So if I could get that out of it I'm sure other readers would benefit as well.
March 11, 2020
This examination of food labels, research and nutrition feels like a magnum opus of modern grocery shopping. 600 pages feels appropriate given the breadth of food options and topics. I am glad I bought the softcover book because it is a handy reference for activism and health and I plan to keep it.
If you want someone to create a list of brands and food to eat, this is not your book. If you want to know more about how to read labels and what to use as decision criteria when shopping, then this is your book. Marion Nestle investigated multiple grocery stores, reading labels, questioning proprietors, questioning producers and reviewing scientific studies. She explains when and where common claims are bogus or have merit. She consistently states to whom one should write letters or talk to to improve different issues in food safety and availability. My takeaways were the major food safety concerns, Americans eat way too much protein and end up at higher risk for heart disease. Glycemic index varies with food combination, but glycemic load is important. Highly processed food, such as refined grains, should be minimal. Vegetables are great and organic is a bonus. Organic meat is best, and pay attention to specific claims on natural.
If you want someone to create a list of brands and food to eat, this is not your book. If you want to know more about how to read labels and what to use as decision criteria when shopping, then this is your book. Marion Nestle investigated multiple grocery stores, reading labels, questioning proprietors, questioning producers and reviewing scientific studies. She explains when and where common claims are bogus or have merit. She consistently states to whom one should write letters or talk to to improve different issues in food safety and availability. My takeaways were the major food safety concerns, Americans eat way too much protein and end up at higher risk for heart disease. Glycemic index varies with food combination, but glycemic load is important. Highly processed food, such as refined grains, should be minimal. Vegetables are great and organic is a bonus. Organic meat is best, and pay attention to specific claims on natural.
August 1, 2021
A very informative book especially if you have little background and are confused by the apparently contradictory nutrition advice you read in popular media.
If you live in the USA, this can be a helpful book with practical guidelines to keep in mind when grocery shopping. That is, however, assuming that you can shell out the extra bucks and have access to such stores.
One gripe I have with the book is the elitist tone that it occasionally gives off. For example, the author discusses how cheaper options are unhealthy and the only solution proposed is to buy the most expensive organic variant. Well, maybe that indeed is the only solution but it would be better if there were even a sincere attempt at a more serious engagement with the problem of eating healthy under budget constraints. Similarly, there isn't a discussion on how certain communities are more vulnerable to certain deficiencies and what they could do. The author briefly addresses it and then brushes it off as most concerns disappear for the 'average American'.
If you live in the USA, this can be a helpful book with practical guidelines to keep in mind when grocery shopping. That is, however, assuming that you can shell out the extra bucks and have access to such stores.
One gripe I have with the book is the elitist tone that it occasionally gives off. For example, the author discusses how cheaper options are unhealthy and the only solution proposed is to buy the most expensive organic variant. Well, maybe that indeed is the only solution but it would be better if there were even a sincere attempt at a more serious engagement with the problem of eating healthy under budget constraints. Similarly, there isn't a discussion on how certain communities are more vulnerable to certain deficiencies and what they could do. The author briefly addresses it and then brushes it off as most concerns disappear for the 'average American'.
July 1, 2011
It took me a while to get through this-- 524 pages of debate and studies on food, marketing, government, and supermarket tactics-- but it was SO fascinating. She tackles foods one by one, progressing in the order one encounters in a regular supermarket. She talks about the studies and debates about the food (example: eggs. healthy or not? is cage free important? what should laying hens eat? is is important to get eggs from flaxseed fed hens for the higher Omega-3 content? and so forth.) A lot of the information about how grocery stores and food companies operate is kind of appalling, but if you stop to think about it (or in this case, read about it) it all makes sense in a sort of evil way.
She's so sensible and straight forward (she says that everyone has been saying that you should eat fruits and vegetables, and cut back on junk food for years but that this obvious answer gets lost in the chaos of dietary advice) that she makes regular diet books seem kind of stupid.
She's so sensible and straight forward (she says that everyone has been saying that you should eat fruits and vegetables, and cut back on junk food for years but that this obvious answer gets lost in the chaos of dietary advice) that she makes regular diet books seem kind of stupid.
February 16, 2008
After reading this book, I had the pleasure of meeting Marion Nestle. The company I was working for at the time filmed her in a segment where she walked us through a NY grocery store and helped us figure out "What to Eat". I was disappointed at the selections she made - she was far too forgiving and didn't seem to adhere at all to the principles she outlined in her book. She had an opportunity to make an example out of this grocery store, but instead kept saying "they're doing the best they can." I don't want to give too much detail because I can't disclose the company this was for or the actual segment. So...I guess my criticism is less with the book and more with Marion Nestle not putting her own words into practice. As for the book, I struggled to get through it and found it very dry but nonetheless informative.
April 14, 2017
I wanted to like this book, as I do respect Marion Nestle's place in the modern food movement pushing back against some of the marketing and corporate interests -- but I couldn't. I felt that she was trying to be fair and thorough, but when faced with difficult or conflicting information, she did what most of us do -- fall back on pat answers and unconscious biases. For example, in her product comparisons, she never questions the 'saturated fat is evil' premise, and often uses it as a final deciding factor. Her overall advice is sensible -- don't get pushed around by reductionism and worry about any individual food too much -- but I wasn't thrilled with the overall quality vs. quantity of her writing.
January 31, 2021
A governmental bureaucrat who exhibits his government licenses to support dubious data. A precise case of appeal to authority. And the result is just small cosmetic changes to the orthodoxy promoted by the same governments: anything is good if it helps the lobbies. Hence the need for corn in every meal. To make things worse, Nestle, by holding all those positions can't make a step outside the orthodoxy and he will do anything to support the status quo and his appointments.
October 24, 2008
I have a tremendous amount of respect for Marion Nestle, and I think I'd like to own this book primarily because while it's jam-packed full of interesting, useful information, it's not the most engaging read. I think I'd like having this on the coffee table for casual perusing - rather than as a library book, where I was under time pressure to finish.
May 16, 2012
I think that her heart is in the right place, and I agree with her political stance. However, I don't understand why Nestle continues to insist that a calorie is just a calorie when it pretty much flies in the face of modern science. I recommend why we get fat over this book. Marion needs to get with it and acknowledge the hormone factor in obesity
December 25, 2017
Still not sure
After reading this doorstop of a book I’m still not sure “What To Eat”. The book is structured as a trip through the grocery store. Each lengthy essay details the trouble with every single thing we eat. But there’s no resolution. No guidance on how to fix our broken system.
After reading this doorstop of a book I’m still not sure “What To Eat”. The book is structured as a trip through the grocery store. Each lengthy essay details the trouble with every single thing we eat. But there’s no resolution. No guidance on how to fix our broken system.
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