Dr. Earl Mindell's Unsafe at Any Meal: How to Avoid Hidden Toxins in Your Food [Paperback]

Earl Mindell (Author), Hester Mundis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 24, 2002

The ultimate health-defense guide for eating wisely and safely

Food manufacturers rely increasingly on the use of chemicals to produce larger crops and livestock and to extend the shelf lives of products. Foods once considered safe are being tagged as potential health hazards on a regular basis. Contaminated beef, orange juice carrying salmonella--the list continues to grow. The nearly 3,000 additives being concealed in food products can cause everything from asthma and headaches to heart problems, miscarriages, cancer, and more. Dr. Earl Mindell's Unsafe at Any Meal, a bestseller in its previous edition, is the consumer's best weapon against the hidden hazards in food, drink, herbs, and medicines.

Dr. Earl Mindell, one of America's leading nutrition experts, exposes the food industry's chemical cover-ups and provides crucial information on what to look out for when shopping, cooking, and taking medications. This thoroughly revised, updated edition includes coverage of genetically modified foods as well as foods designed to provide specific health benefits.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The ultimate health-defense guide for eating wisely and safely

Contaminated beef, orange juice carrying salmonella, genetically engineered food, unidentified product additives--do you really know what's in the food you eat? Millions of Americans today are totally unaware of how many of the foods they rely on cannot be trusted--and that they may be unwittingly undermining their health at every meal.

Dr. Earl Mindell's Unsafe at Any Meal, a bestseller in its previous edition, is the ultimate self-defense guide for navigating the minefield of hidden hazards in the foods we eat, the meals we serve, the water we drink, and the medicines we take. One of America's leading nutrition experts, Dr. Earl Mindell exposes the food industry's chemical cover-ups and provides crucial information on what to look out for when shopping, cooking, and taking medications.

This essential guide gives you the lowdown on:

• The truth about "labelese," the deceptive but legal liberties manufacturers take when listing ingredients
• Pros and cons of new products such as cholesterol-lowering margarine and natural food fortified with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants
• Genetically modified foods and definitions of biotech terms
• Functional foods that provide health benefits above and beyond their nutritional value and much more

Equipped with Dr. Earl Mindell's Unsafe at Any Meal, you'll learn how to make the right food choices to help you and your family lead longer, healthier, and happier lives.

About the Author

Earl L. Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D., has written extensively on health. A popular lecturer, he is an authority on nutrients, supplements, and natural health.

Hester Mundis is the author or coauthor of 26 books. She is a four-time Emmy nominee for outstanding achievement in writing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (May 24, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 065802115X
• ISBN-13: 978-0658021152
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,019,137 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Missed the Boat, June 17, 2004

By 

D. Dearden "bailey0370" (PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dr. Earl Mindell's Unsafe at Any Meal: How to Avoid Hidden Toxins in Your Food (Paperback)

I was very disappointed in the topics covered in this book, particularly the fact that Mr. Mindell actually PROMOTES the use of vegetable oils without mentioning their dangers, rather than recommending the healthy fats of olive oil, coconut oil and even butter. He makes virtually no mention of the dangers of trans fatty acids/partially hydrogenated oils. That alone was reason enough for me to close the book and go back to better sources of information. If interested, please check out "The Good Fat Cookbook" by Fran McCullough, "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon or the website www.westonaprice.org for extremely interesting and enlightening information.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent information, but..., September 23, 2005

By 

J. Carroll (Cleveland, OH, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dr. Earl Mindell's Unsafe at Any Meal: How to Avoid Hidden Toxins in Your Food (Paperback)

This book gave some real and excellent information about the literal abundance of crap that is manufactured into our food. Unfortunately, after reading it, you are left wondering: What is left to eat if I avoid all of the foods that he talks about?

Unlike the first reviewer, I was actually pleased that he didn't talk about trans fats, as that is a very obvious and well publicized ingredient in most foods. I wanted to know what was in my food that no one would talk about, and Allen Smith goes into great detail about ALL of these other things, including artificial colors, flavors, MSG, genetically modified foods, fortified foods and more. You'll be amazed at the number of chemicals that are routinely put into many foods, but you'll also be overwhelmed at the thought of elimininating so many of the foods that you currently eat. It just isn't possible. Good for information, but unrealistic for real life (except for those who need this info for health problems).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Map of a minefield - your grocery store., November 30, 2007

By 

Christo "Chris" (Montana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dr. Earl Mindell's Unsafe at Any Meal: How to Avoid Hidden Toxins in Your Food (Paperback)

I have only read the 1986 edition, but the focus of the book is not to tell you exactly what to eat or what not to eat, it's primarily to inform you of a basic underlying problem in the U.S. food industry. Mindell puts the responsibility on the reader to change how they shop and eat, because the government isn't putting that responsibility on companies.

The way the government does and does not regulate our food production and labels leaves huge holes for companies to slip dangerous, unnatural, unregulated, untested, and unhealthy substances onto store shelves and into our bodies. If you are predisposed to this premise, you will find the book very informative and a useful guide and tool when you go grocery shopping. Mindell doesn't expect people to stop eating processed food or fast food immediately after reading the book, but if you will start reading the ingredients list on foods you buy, this book will really help you decode what you are consuming.

For those looking for a healthy living and cooking guide, subscribe to Cooking Light or any of a number of health magazines or get some cook books. Mindell does give a pretty comprehensive list of foods you should eat and additives and foods to avoid if at all possible. He does not weigh in heavily on issues like organic, fair trade, buy local, or slow food, even exercise. The book simply aims to arm the reader with information about hidden dangers in food processing and labels that would otherwise take years to learn by doing your own research.