59 of 62 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Overview of the Benefits of Good Nutrition and Water, July 27, 2001
Dr. Nelson notes that the Journal of the American Medical Association has reported that 300,000 premature deaths occur each year due to poor nutrition and physical inactivity. The book's key message is to eat mostly "real, whole foods" rather than processed ones, drink enough water, and get out and walk!
Many books on nutrition skip any discussion of water. I was pleased to see that this book did a nice job of explaining why water is so important.
Each section hit on an important point that you need to know. Whole grains solve the glycemic loading problem that causes you to stress your blood sugar levels and can lead to weight gain. You should eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Avoid salt and sugar. You can get too much calcium. Soy is a valuable source of protein. Some fats help you, and some are killers.
The book also has a fine section on how to read food labels, another on eating out, and some tasty-sounding healthy recipes. My favorite section was on what to keep in the house.
The book's simple focus on eating the right foods, avoiding the wrong foods, drinking enough water, and walking does have a downside. Each section seemed to miss at least one other point that you need to know.
Here are a few examples. With water, if you weigh more, you need more water. This book is one size fits all. Also, if you drink caffeinated beverages and alcohol, you will lose more water due to the diuretic effects of these drinks, and need to consume more water than is suggested here.
With calcium levels, research has shown that getting enough calcium doesn't seem to eliminate bone breakage. In fact, studies have shown that women in countries where they get less calcium have fewer bone breaks. It isn't clear why that's the case, so don't cut your calcium intake yet.
The book also recommends the USDA Food Pyramid and the fifth set of guidelines that came out in 2000, which doesn't reflect the latest research from all the long-term studies of how nutrition affects health as I have read about that food pyramid in other recent books on the subject.
Like most such books, there is little customization for age, sex, and blood type.
If you are looking for a book on this subject, you should also consider Healthy Women, Healthy Lives and Eat, Drink and Be Healthy which will give you more detail on these points, more information about what foods to favor and disfavor, and how each food is related to various diseases. You might also enjoy Your Body's Many Cries for Water. ...
After you have worked on a healther physical lifestyle, how can you improve your emotional lifestyle? In Love and Survival, Dr. Dean Ornish points out that having loving relationships helps health more than anything else. Be sure to read Relationship Rescue if you would like to work on your relationships.
Live well in all dimensions of your life!
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44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Nutrition Advice, Tiresome "Perfect" Family, August 27, 2002
I have loved Miriam Nelson's other books, and eagerly anticipated this one that would focus only on nutrition, especially for women. The good news is that she does not disappoint in this area: solid, sensible information, with eating plans that are like those in her other books. LOTS of data, based on research, and split up into great chapters, like "water" and "calcium."
If only she hadn't felt the need to incorporate her and her family into each section. I really got tired of reading about their perfect eating plans and perfect life with a community dairy, nearby farmer's market---and apparently no restriction on spending or time to buy and prepare food! While it's nice to practice what you preach, it is tiresome to readers who have to hear about the perfect eating habits of a family who dotes on tofu and fresh-ground corn for breakfast pancakes several times a week. And don't forget the sunflower seeds in your Sunday morning whole wheat waffles. On and on she drones, at least that is how it seemed to me. I was very disappointed and wondered how her editors let this happen.
I will keep the book for its sound information, but after reading it, I won't be buying more to give as a gift to others, which I did many times with her "Strong Women Stay Slim" book.
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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
3 Cheer for Real Foods!!, August 13, 2001
Chock-full of useful information I've been curious about for years! "Experts" are always recommending "whole" grains and getting "enough" of this or that, but Dr. Nelson finally tells us what those words really mean - and how to enjoy eating foods that are both healthy and delicious.
The clarification about how to read the ingredients list to find out if the bread is truly "whole" grain and how to interpret a food label is so appreciated. I am delighted to see how many more options there are for whole grains that I can serve with dinner, and I'm anxious to try the recipes! With a crazy Monday through Friday week, I'll sample the recipes on the weekends and follow the tips for planning ahead for the coming week.
The sample menus provide an easy, practical framework for slowly adopting a more wholesome diet. I am also grateful for the honest opinion about supplements -- the ones I well might need (like vitamin D) as well as the ones I probably don't or that
have yet to be shown safe and effective (isoflavone supplements). Rather than having supplements pushed upon me, this book provides an honest, fair assessment of what my body needs and how to get that from whole foods whenever possible.
From ideal cholesterol and triglyceride levels to good versus bad fat to an appendix second-to-none, I feel empowered to make changes in my diet and enjoy the wholesome, delicious foods I now have "permission" to eat! A million thanks!
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