Customer Reviews

The Condensed Encyclopedia of Healing Foods

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I liked the presentation of the book. It has a list of all different kinds of foods and then gives the benefits.
But, I am not giving this book 5 stars because there is some incorrect or misleading information. For example, the book says (page 8) that the per capita of eggs was 37 in 1909, but according to the Department of Agriculture the per capita was 292.8 (www.ers.usda.gov). That's a big difference!
He mentions phytic acid, but he doesn't say what foods have them or how to deactivate them. (Phytates pull calcium, zinc, and magnisium out of the body. They are found in grains and seeds, and they can be deactivated by sprouting or soaking in water with some yogurt.)
He writes that vitamin B6 helps detoxify estrogen out of the body, but he fails to say that only about 10% of vitamin B6 is absorbed from plant foods while about 100% of B6 is absorbed from animal foods (_AJCN_ 1988: 863-7). The ironic thing is that he says to avoid ALL animal foods (even organic) if one has an estrogen problem.
I'm glad he says usable vitamin B12 is only found in animal foods.
Overall, it's a good book.

Lots of pertinent information, clearly presented. The egg discrepancy may be a typo, but as a former proofreader, I'd say it's unlikely a work of this size won't have one or two...Over all, I'm impressed with the accuracy. I particularly appreciate the appendices in the back. The disease-specific prescriptions are great, too.

"Healing Foods" takes a holistic approach to health, starting with the food we put in our bodies. I found "Healing Foods" helpful in pointing out what kinds of fruit are best bought organic. Organic watermelon for instance is better than conventional watermelon due to its high absorption of pesticides etc. I wouldn't say "Healing Foods" is a bible, but it's a good reference on healthy living. Because it's a reference book and not a guide book, it requires you to have something in mind. If you have say "hazelnuts" in mind and you want to know how best to store them and what they're nutritional value is, then the book is helpful. "Healing Foods" is not, however, a substitute for proper medical attention and especially acute medical care.

I am just starting this book its a requirement for the school that I am attending. In the book he talks about Weston Price, and how cultures that consumed traditional diets containing whole, unprocessed foods had low rates of chronic disease. Then he goes on to recommend low-fat dairy which is homogenized and pasteurized. What really bothers me is that he recommends soy bacon, soy sausage, and soy hot dogs. I don't know about you but don't those sound like highly processed foods? He also recommends canola oil. This guy is a joke!

I've read many nutrition books on my quest to find a better way of eating. This book gives a history, nutritional breakdown and the benefits of each and every fruit and vegetable! Once you read about how good each of these foods are for you, there is just no doubt that you MUST incorporate them in to your diet! (My husband didn't want to eat cabbage. So, I made a cabbage salad and when he said he didn't want it, I just opened the book and read how GOOD cabbage is for you. After hearing that, he said "give me a fork!") This book doesn't give you a lot of recipes, get another book for that. But this book is a MUST if you are on the fence about what to eat for your long term health.

I find this a wonderful asset to my reference books. I see foods as medicine and this is helpful to help find answers to those questions looking to meet specific needs, along side my "RX for Nutritional Healing"Rx prescription for cooking and dietary wellness. I also appreciate the other notes added for history and such, I would encourage this for anyone's library that wants to find nutritional references (Nutritional Highlights and Health benefits sections) to meet specific needs. Also tells you how to select, store and prepare, tips for preparing and safety. A large selection of fruits and vegetables and information I have not found in other sources. Plus some herbs and spices and even meats. Some health issues are also addressed. The beginning of the book also expounds on various nutrients and specific foods known to have them, so if you see you need B-1 (Thiamine) you will find a good size list of specific foods with that particular nutrient. If I were to teach a health and nutrition class, I would recommend this book for continual references, or anyone interested in using food as their medicine. Author also has good notes on his own references, so if you want to research something further you could have a good spring board to build from.
My personal desire for this book was for the extensive information on the fruits and vegetables, that stood above other references (or complimented) I have.The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods

This is a great book to have on hand. While I was quite optimistic, I figured I'd still give it a shot. Amazingly enough, several things really do help! I certainly wouldn't buy this book expecting a cure for all ailments, however, it carries a lot of good information that can assist you for simple things (nausea for example). I use this as a booster for my medical care rather than a book to self-treat.

It's something I imagine many will enjoy, especially people who own older Old Wives Tales books or Home Remedy books. It is great for home remedies!

This is my go-to reference for everyday healthy eating and nutritional information and for ideas on how to address and treat common health ailments. I love Naturopathic Physicians and consider them more caring, trustworthy, knowledgeable, and empowering than conventional MDs. I was raised in a household with an emphasis on holistic approaches to treating sickness, eating wholesome foods, and focusing on prevention, based on traditional knowledge from a mother who disapproves of the American way of life (diet, lifestyle, etc)-- and have been all the healthier because of her introduction to naturopathy and living holistically. Thanks to the authors for this wonderful and extremely informative book.

Michael's book is an extraordinary reference for anyone wishing to know how foods affect the body, why they react the way they do, what to eat to address specific health issues, comprehensive information about fat and its importance in the diet and which foods to eat as well as what to stay clear from for optimal health. I would highly recommend it for consumers, health care practitioners, dieticians and especially doctors. The chapters are organized, well researched, documented with numerous supporting studies and the references are clearly ordered and easy to confirm.

The book is not only filled with very specific and helpful information on foods, vitamins and minerals, but the great number of tables with nutritent values, percentages, cabohydrates, vitamins, minerals and other details proved invaluable in my own research. This book is a must-have for anyone in the nutrition field and healthcare field. Physicians would benefit greatly as well, although if their clients embraced the information in this book, they'd soon be seeing far less of them.

Julie Pech
Author: The Chocolate Therapist

Wonderful to have as a resource for what we are eating on an everyday basis. Love this book! I have recommended it to many, and as a nutrition major, I have to say it is a must-buy for anyone who wants to learn more about food and wellness.