Customer Reviews

The Complete Food Counter (Better Health for 2003)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Natow's and Heslin's book, like most of its kind provides the user with a lot of information. Also like most "counter" books, it suffers from an ineffective use of indention and font styles (bolding, underline, type face size, etc.) Unlike its competitors, it almost completely ignores some very common items. Fresh tomatoes are grievously under represented. Just the green ones are listed. Yeah, so what that the red ripe ones have almost the same nutritional values. Some folks may not know that. And, I want to know the numbers for a single representative plum, grape and cherry tomato. This book says it's "The Most Complete" and it isn't, not in a useful way.Then there is the watermelon. The seeds are listed, but not the flesh! Oh, and watermelon juice is also there(?) You can find generic values for "melon", but I didn't pay for averages across a food type. This book is no worse than its rivals, but it isn't much better either. If you can have only one counter, Corinne Netzer's "The Complete Book of Food Counts" is cheaper, more compact and most importantly, more complete in its inclusion of the items you will be looking for. I give that one an extra star for that combination of benefits. BTW, ...

This is definitely a reference guide, not a pocket size book and the price is incredible. I have always had a book like this in my kitchen since I started making baby food for my daughter many years ago. Mine is tattered and well worn but this book has taken its place.

Not only does it cover everything in your kitchen by name brand, as well as generic words like brown rice without the name brand, it has the foods and nutritional value of popular restaurants. There is also a chapter at the end titled "Food facts from A to Z", that is more than helpful with explaining some common terms that are often misunderstood.

The authors have also compiled a book titled NO NONSENSE NUTRITION FOR YOUR BABIES FIRST YEAR that might be helpful to moms. Kelsana 12/10/01

I found this book full of great information. It lives up to its name as the "Most Complete Food Counter." The wide range of foods contained within is quite useful, escpecially the list of fast foods and ready made meals. My one critique is that it could have tab headings on the pages to help you locate items more easily.

This is the perfect book for dieters and athletes looking to
cut calories from processed foods to all-natural fruits and
vegetables. A beauty of the work is that it covers the specific
food, exact portions and calories associated with each portion.
The author even provides a food diary to assist in planning
meals, as well as snacks. This presentation is easy to read
and understand. This work will make you conscious of the exact
calories consumed daily. With the information, you can plan an exercise program aimed at burning excess calories and
maximizing the body metabolism. The purchase is a good value
for every personal health library.

If you do not have infinite patience DO NOT buy this book. While it contains over 800 pages of nutritional information and is very comprehensive it has NO organization to it. There is a very brief table of contents and no index at all. The contents are arranged alphebetically but there is no color coding or shading on the edges of the pages to indicate where A stops and B begins and so on. I HATED using it and only did so for about a week. Then I went out and bought a new calorie counting book which also included fat and carb information, which is all I need and wanted. My replacement book contains a Table of Contents, an index and is color coded and cost about 1/2 the price of this one.

Very good counter, but needs to be updated with newer brands.

This book was easy to use and had calorie information on nearly everything I eat. You can find brand name food, fast food and regular food made from scratch.

This is primarily a reflection of our society as about 80% of it is the calories and other info on prepackaged foods that are already labeled.
The organizantion is just alphabetical so it's difficult to find for example, 1/2 chicken breast, or cup of spaghetti.

The book is full of valuable information. All items are alphabetically arranged, which is good. My only criticism is that it would help to have index tabs down the side of the book, opposite the spine. It's difficult to see where you are in the alphabet when you are browsing for a food type or brand label.

The Most Complete Food Counter is an excellent resource. Since I mostly cook from scratch, which is healthier, I cannot simply "look at labels" to find the nutritional information I need. Recently starting a low-carb diet, I find this book extremely helpful in weighing (no pun intended) my options before I shop, before I cook. This book gives me the knowledge I need to make informed, healthful decisions.

While I rarely eat at fast food and chain restaurants, the section in the back of the book will be a great resource for determining, prior to going out, what food options meet my specific dietary needs and how that meal will fit into my overall food planning that day.

I highly recommend this publication!