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

David Zinczenko (Author), Matt Goulding (Author)

Book Description

Release 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: 6.5 x 0.6 x 6.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (392 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,219 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #78 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.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#34 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting

#72 in Kindle eBooks > Health, Fitness & Dieting

#34 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting

#72 in Kindle eBooks > Health, Fitness & Dieting

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful book for eliminating excess calories in your diet March 25, 2012

By Luca Vincenzo

Format:Kindle Edition

I recently read a study that claimed that people, on average, eat about 50% more calories than they think. This leads to regular weight gain that many people find baffling.

This book can help you save calories without feeling restricted in your diet and is a great shopping companion at the supermarket. All foods listed contain full nutritional breakdowns, which means calories, protein, carbs, and fats.

Here's a quick summary of what you'll find inside this book:

1. How supermarkets are designed to induce you to buy high-profit items, and the 20 worst packaged foods in America.

2. How to pick the freshest, best-quality produce and salad, how to store them so they stay delicious longer.

3. Which meats are the best to buy and why, such as which cuts of beef are leanest and which fish is most healthy.

4. What types of deli meats are healthiest for you and why. I liked that sodium levels were listed as regularly consuming too much sodium can cause many types of health problems, ranging from unsightly bloating to the very serious issues of high blood pressure, strokes, kidney disease, and more.

5. How to save calories on snack food like chips, dips, granola, cookies, candy, and more. This is good because snacks and sweets are a weakness for many people, and the pounds can really add up over time if they don't watch it with these types of foods.

6. Which types of beverages, including alcohol, to choose. This section includes the worst beverages that you can buy (and you might be surprised--some are very popular!) and shows you how to minimize these empty calories in your diet.

7. Finally, this book ends with a section on saving money in the supermarket, which is always welcome. There are many books that cover this in more detail, but the author does a good job choosing some tactics that everyone can immediately use to be more frugal in their shopping.

A lot of effort was put into this book and I think you'll find it very helpful.

If you're considering this book because you want to lose weight, I also recommend CARDIO SUCKS! 15 Excellent Ways to Burn Fat Fast and Get in Shape (The Lean Muscle Series). It shows you how to tailor your diet to your weight loss needs, and what types of exercise are scientifically proven to be the most effective in terms of burning fat (and they're NOT long, grueling jogs!).

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable Guide for the Health Minded Grocery Shopper August 6, 2009

By Cynthia Danute Cekauskas, LCSW

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

When I think about grocery shopping in the United States, I cannot help but recall the scene in the old movie Moscow On The Hudson when Robin Williams character is instructed to go shop for coffee in the local market. Having been used to rationing in the Soviet Union he has not been exposed to the variety of food product available to him in the United States. Overwhelmed he keeps saying "Coffee, coffee, coffee" then passes out not being able to make what appears to him a most complex decision at the time.
It is not too much unlike that grocery shopping in the United States today. You come into a supermarket bulging with products all very colorfully marketed making sometimes unfounded claims as to their health benefits. It is wise, therefore, to come armed with the knowledge that what one buys IS really healthy for them not something a marketer told them to get them to buy their goods. This IS the proverbial SUPERMARKET SURVIVAL GUIDE one should read before entering a store and keeping handy while still in the store.
The book starts with Chapter 1 "Getting to Know and Love the Supermarket." Within that chapter the author lists 11 Secrets the Food Industry Doesn't Want You to Know and the 20 Worst Packaged Foods in America. It is helpful to know, for starters, what kind of food one should consider junk before going on to food shopping for healthy products. Chapter 2 "The Produce Aisle" is simply lovely. It talks about Mastering the Produce Aisle then lists over 40 types of produce from how to pick the best (PERFECT PICK) to PEAK SEASON, how to preserve and store the produce item at home (HANDLE WITH CARE) and what is healthy about the item to begin with (THE PAYOFF). There is even a Salad Bar Survival Guide and a Your Organic Primer. Finally Chapter 3 "The Meat and Fish Counters" having to do with building a leaner body with fresh protein that really packs a punch. In this section the author includes a list of different kinds of fish, their Omega 3 count, protein grams, contaminant content and environmental friendliness. There is a similar chart entitled The Meat Matrix describing proten-to-fat ratio.
Chapter 4 "The Refrigerator" instructs on how best to use the book and then begins the EAT THIS, NOT THAT comparisons with Deli Meats. I love that these sections include photographs of food products all in full color. You are enabled to easily pick out what you want to buy this way. The author meticulously lists the calorie counts, fat grams and sodium contents of all products compared. In the Grains section he lists the grams of fiber included within the product. Chapter 5 "Pantry Staples" in the Pantry Label Decoder reminds you to read package labels.
Of course the author does not ignore the fact that many individuals have a sweet tooth and would like to indulge in products that do not leave them excessively guilt ridden. He addresses this in Chapter 6 "Snacks and Sweets" even to the point of listing what would be considered the lesser of two evils when buying Corn Chips, Potato Chips, Dips, Granola, Cookies, Snack Cakes, Candy and Chocolate.
Understanding that the modern day grocery shopper tends to indulge in frozen convenience foods the author addresses this in Chapter 7 "The Freezer Section". He advises on the healthier Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt, Frozen Pasta, Frozen Fish, Frozen Beef and Chicken Entrees and Frozen Meatless Entrees/Meat Substitutes.
Chapter 8 warns to "Think Before You Drink" listing The Worse Beverages in the Supermarket even including a section on the healthier beer to drink and mixers to use in alcoholic beverages.
The book concludes with Chapter 9 "Your Save-Money Shopping Guide". (Who hasn't heard oftentimes the dieter complaining that eating healthy is just too expensive?)
All in all this is a GREAT book I would highly recommend to help one eat healthy keeping their weight under control, their cholesterol levels healthy and blood suger within normal limits. I remember a trainer telling someone who was having trouble losing weight by exercise alone that that was was only 30 % of the solution. Nutritious eating is vital and this book can help you immensely in that regard.

353 of 415 people found the following review helpful

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

By Julie Neal TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format: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.