The Truth About Food: What You Eat Can Change Your Life [Hardcover]

Jill Fullerton-Smith (Author), Mehmet C. Oz M.D. (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 4, 2007

A groundbreaking book that separates fact from fiction in the ever-changing world of food and health, with a foreword by Dr. Mehmet Oz.
 
Not a week passes without one food-related issue or another making the headlines. We worry about additives, preservatives, eating disorders, hygiene, heart disease, cancer, and calories (just to name a few), so it's little wonder that we are utterly confused!  In an attempt to make sense of the bewildering and often contradictory information on what to eat and why, the Discovery Health Channel® will debut The Truth About Food in September 2007. This major five-part series is hosted by Dr. Mehmet Oz, the bestselling author of YOU: The Owner's Manual. This companion book to the series synthesizes years of research and groundbreaking experiments by leading research centers, hospitals, and doctors, carried out especially for the series. This is the first book to finally assemble some of the most important findings and then put them through rigorous testing.
 
FIND OUT IF:
Can calcium help you absorb fewer calories? Are there foods that increase male fertility?Are tomatoes are nature's sunscreen?  
The Truth About Food is arranged into six main sections:
1) How to Stay Young and Beautiful
2) How to Be Sexy and Fertile
3) How to Look Good and Stay Slim
4) How to Perform at Your Peak
5) How to Stay Healthy
6) How to Raise Healthy Kids
 
User-friendly and engaging, The Truth About Food features over 60 illustrations, clear explanations of scientific terms, helpful tips, chapter summaries, and much more. This is the one food book you won't want to be without!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jill Fullerton-Smith is an award-winning filmmaker and producer of BBC science programming, including the series The Truth About Food, on which this book is based. After ten years with the BBC in London, she now runs their specialist factual programming department in Scotland.
 
Mehmet C. Oz, M.D., is vice chairman of surgery and director of the Cardiovascular Institute and Integrated Medical Center at Columbia University Medical Center and professor of surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA; 1st edition (September 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596912677
• ISBN-13: 978-1596912670
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,234 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Info, September 25, 2007

By 

BlackDragon (Buffalo, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Truth About Food: What You Eat Can Change Your Life (Hardcover)

I originally saw the t.v. show by the same name while flicking thru the channels, I stopped & watched the whole program, it was awesome. So I went to the DiscoveryHealth website & found out that there was a book too. Naturally, I decided to order the book. I just got the book & I'm very impressed. It is well written, easy to understand & very informative. We've always been told that FOODS can affect our body & health, but we've never had the scientific proof given to us. This book shows the facts & separates the fiction. I think the book is awesome.

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A useful resource attractively published, November 24, 2007

By 

Steven A. Peterson (Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL)) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Truth About Food: What You Eat Can Change Your Life (Hardcover)

This book is the reader's version of a 6-part TV special on, I believe, the Discovery Channel, each part of the volume reflecting the content of one of those 6 shows. In Jill Fullerton-Smith's words, the book (page 8) "reveals the real science of food using the latest research from leaders in the field of nutrition, alongside original and sometimes groundbreaking experiments that we carried out especially for the series."

The content of the book begins, appropriately enough, with a quick tour of the digestive system. Part I is termed "How to be healthy." Among other topics, it briefly notes the so-called "Evo" or "cave man diet." One nice feature of this book is the boxed material that pithily sums up major points. Page 26 points out the value of a "rainbow diet" (using fruits and vegetables of different colors, as laid out in a table), reducing saturated fat intake, choosing oils rich in monounsaturated fats, selecting unrefined grains, and watching salt intake. Commonly understood, of course, but still useful advice. Key food for the "evo diet": nuts, fruits and vegetables (as per the table just mentioned), and fish. Also important in diet is fiber. Page 39 summarizes top tips. Another representation from Part I is "detox" regimes, foods that help remove toxins from one's system (e.g., stay away from salt, sugar, red meat, soft drinks, etc. and make sure to eat nuts, fruits, and vegetables). Finally, broccoli as a wonder food.

Other parts to the book focus on "How to be slim," "How to feed the kids," "How to be sexy," "How to be the best," and "How to stay young and beautiful." Just a quick example of suggestions from other chapters. How to stay young and beautiful? Eat lots of fruits, berries, and vegetables to keep your brain young; moderate intake of red wine reduces the odds of heart disease; eating tomatoes (and their kin) can help keep skin "younger"; spinach actually appears to help eyesight.

The book concludes with a useful glossary of terms. The book is well written and provides lots of sensible advice. A lot of the suggestions are widely known already (e.g., the value of broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables), but the book packages such knowledge nicely and reports results of interesting mini-experiments that illustrate the points being made. Worthwhile for those interested in enhancing the quality of their diet.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very clear presentation of material, November 12, 2007

By 

Julio Punch "Julio Punch" (The Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Truth About Food: What You Eat Can Change Your Life (Hardcover)

The book "The Truth about Food" is the book presenting the material that could be seen on the TV-series of the same name that was run by the BBC. While the series was mildly funny and informative to some degree, it was "reality TV" with hidden camera's monitoring children's and adults' eating patterns. OK, I don't like reality TV and will now review the book.

Many of us have found ourselves in this situation. You want to live longer, improve your fitness level, improve in your particular sport or want more energy. Changing your diet is often the first step. But where to begin? The girl in the Vitamin Store tells you one thing. The guy in the Reform Food Shop tells you something else. And then there's the instructor in the gym with another opinion. It is a confusing situation and probably always will be, given the fact that new discoveries about food are made every month.

"The Truth About Food" is the ideal start for anyone that would like to change his/her life for the better by adjusting the way he/she eats. The presentation of material is extremely clear. Moreover, they put everything they claim to the (scientific) test. The layout of the books is excellent with important fact in boxes and nice illustrations throughout. Many myths about food fell apart before my eyes while reading the book. The book contains information that can enhance your love life, your sports life, your appearance and the health of your children. No problem if you've missed out on the series, all the information is contained in the book.

Some issues were left out that I would like to have seen addressed: What's the deal with Green Tea? Is milk good or bad for you? What about food supplements? But all in all this is without a doubt one of the best books about food out there. Buy it, read it, use it, and it will change your life.