Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution [Paperback]

David Zinczenko (Author), Matt Goulding (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 2008

Much like the waistlines of America, the aisles of your grocery store are straining under the weight of too much food. There are more than 40,000 products lining the shelves of your local supermarket, and with every product comes a whole new host of inflated label claims: “zero trans fat!” “Cholesterol free!” “Good source of 9 vitamins and minerals!” The problem is these claims are just as bogus as the hyped-up foods they’re trying to sell.

That’s where Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide comes in. It’s your best weapon against the food industry’s effort to obfuscate the truth about the food it’s selling. Building on the popular approach of the Eat This, Not That! book series, co-authors Dave Zinczenko and Matt Goudling have scoured the aisles of the supermarkets of America, and in so doing they’ve discovered that two seemingly similar packages can house foods with vastly different nutritional profiles. They’ve also folded in all-new material that will help you pick the most nutrient-packed produce; the leanest, tastiest cuts of meat; and the least contaminated seafood at the fish counter. In this book you’ll also find:

• 11 Secrets the Food Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know
• 20 Worst Packaged Foods in America
• Answers to The 5 Most Important Questions About Organic Food
• The Ultimate Sandwich Selector
• The Snack Matrix
• The Food Additive Glossary
• And the extended chapter, Drink This, Not That!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

With tens of thousands of products crammed into the walls of the neighborhood supermarket, trying to find a reliable snack, pantry product, or frozen dinner can be a serious challenge for the time-strained consumer. The Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide changes all of that, offering discerning shoppers everywhere a simple plan for finding the healthiest foods for them and their families. Beyond homing in on the best and worst in the world of packaged foods, the Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide scours the aisles to help you pick the most nutrient-packed produce, the leanest, tastiest cuts of meat, exotic cheeses that double as healthy snacks, and the best contaminant-free fish the ocean has to offer.

Click each image below for a larger view of selections from Eat This Not That! For Supermarkets

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Review

Readers Love ETNT:
“The book was so easy to use. And I said this is a no brainer. I have nothing to do but to go to the grocery store and look at this book. And I dropped 35 pounds within a year. My husband used to call me his ‘full sized woman.’ Of course, he doesn’t say that any more and he can’t keep his hands off me!” – Darlene, ETNT reader.

 

“This book is now a reference book I look at and have fun with, plus I think it has helped me drop a couple of pounds extra with my exercising in the last couple of weeks.”

 

“This book has saved me thousands of extra calories and I did not sacrifice one thing.”

 

“This is a great read and helps you make better choices when eating out to shopping at the grocery store. As I read I did not realize what a small change in your choice could make. I've already lost 7lbs and am very pleased.”

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books; 1 edition (December 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1605298387
• ISBN-13: 978-1605298382
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 6.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (337 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #39 in Books > Education & Reference > Consumer Guides

More About the Author

DAVID ZINCZENKO, SVP/Editor-in-Chief of Men's Health magazine and Editorial Director of Women's Health magazine, is the author of New York Times bestsellers The Abs Diet and The Abs Diet for Women. Once an overweight child, Zinczenko has become one of the nation's leading experts on health and fitness. He is a regular contributor to the Today show and has appeared on Oprah, Good Morning America, Primetime Live, 20/20, The Rachael Ray Show, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

333 of 394 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The nonfiction book of the year?, January 2, 2009

By 

Julie Neal (Sanibel Island, Fla.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution (Paperback)

I know, that sounds like a wild claim. And I'm surprised I wrote it.

I own both of the previous Eat This Not That books (Thousands of Simple Food Swaps, For Kids!), so when I noticed this one was about to come out I decided to skip it. What more could it offer than what was already in the other two?

Then, tonight, I went shopping for food with my teenage daughter at Target. We spotted this in the little book section and, at her urging, picked it up and glanced through it.

What a great book! So helpful! So useful! Yes, if it keeps my husband healthy and my daughter enthused about nutrition, it gets my vote as best nonfiction book this year. I read about every day, and no book has struck me as a Must Buy as much as this one.

The reason? Since the book is entirely about food at supermarkets, every item on every page is something readily accessible to you. And since every item is captioned with its relevant nutritional information, it's like having the "Nutrition Facts" panel of every major item at your grocery store right there in your purse, in a little book that is so well designed and organized it is remarkably easy to use.

By comparison, the earlier titles had less detailed grocery sections, as well as lots of stuff about fast food chains and table-service franchise restaurants, material that is useful only if you frequent those particular places.

In this book, every page has valuable content for anyone who shops at a supermarket -- so much, in fact, it's tough to determine just what to highlight in this review. Every time I flip through the book I come across useful, surprising information. For example, right now I'll randomly open it a few times and learn why....

1) Fruit Loops are better for you than Apple Cinnamon Cheerios...

2) Regular Cheerios is a better choice than Smart Start...

3) Regular Quick 1 minute Quaker Oats is healthier than Quaker's Simple Harvest Multigrain hot cereal...

4) Dole pineapple cups are more nutritious than Dole mixed fruit cups...

5) Del Monte pear halves beat Del Monte sliced pears...

I could go on forever.

By the way, not all the pages are side-by-side product comparisons. One spread, titled "The Meat Matrix," compares the nutritional value of a variety of meats, everything from pork to ostrich. Another, "The Perfect Refrigerator," displays a perfectly stocked healthy fridge. My daughter was especially interested in a spread titled "The Snack Matrix," which shows which combination of snack items (fruit, peanut butter, cottage cheese) mix well together for both nutrition and taste. Another section discusses how to store fresh fruit and produce and explains why fresh food is better for you.

Until now, I have never used the phrase "book of the year" in any of my Amazon reviews. But this one, at least for nonfiction, just might live up to that claim.

35 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Is this about product marketing or nutrition??, September 2, 2009

By 

Alan B. Richards (Denton, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution (Paperback)

I have now read this entire series and while there is a great deal of interesting & valuable information, there is also a lot of conflicting information. Nowhere is their specific methodology for determining "Good" from "Bad" shown. And it's very strange to see 2 products with nutrition numbers very similar, one in the "EAT THIS" group with the other in the "Don't Eat That" group. And there comparisons about entire types of food that should be avoided completely if weight loss & nutrition are the concerns. Example: Frozen Pizza. There's no such thing as healthy frozen pizza.

Why can't they compare like to like. They don't compare the various types of Raisin Bran. They compare one brand of Raisin Bran to Cheerios. And cheese. They recommend Velveeta but call a brand of Provolone bad. As a rule, white cheeses (Swiss, Mozzarella, provolone, etc.)are almost always better choices than any yellow cheese (cheddar, American).

One has to wonder if this series of books is more about the marketing of processed food (which should be avoided entirely if at all possible) than about good nutritional advice. If weight loss & nutrition are concerns, you're better off just reading the labels and using fresh or homemade products whenever possible.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of good tips, May 25, 2009

By 

A. Collins (CT) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution (Paperback)

I bought this book after I had gone through the first "Eat This Not That" book. Unlike its predecessor, Mr. Zinczenko goes much more in depth into all different kinds of food, rather than just focusing on what you should eat at different fast food restaurants. It was especially helpful in distinguishing what food labels really mean (whole grain vs. multi-grain, cage-free vs. free range, just for starters.) As well as clever comparisons, such as the nutritional value of different cuts of meat and which fruits and vegetables carry the most pesticides.

Unfortunately, the amount of information is also its downside. Unlike the first book, where there were short lists that are easy to remember (the foods you should eat every day, what to eat when you feel sick/tired/etc.) Mr. Zinczenko creates many different different categories, some of which may not be necessary (sweetened vs. unsweetend cereals, for example). This muddies the message with too much complexity and I often end up ignoring the finer points when actually doing my grocery shopping.

A very interesting, easy to read book. But plan on devoting some time to digest the wealth of information here.