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What to Eat: The Ten Things You Really Need to Know to Eat Well and Be Healthy

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Is it any surprise to learn that American consumers are being conned by the USDA? Dr. Luise Light's book, "What to Eat; The Ten Things You Really Need to Know to Eat Well and Be Healthy", reads like a detective novel, exposing scathing secrets of corporate and government malfeasance. During her career as the nutrition director for the USDA, Light witnessed the blatantly cozy relationships that existed between the USDA and the food and agricultural lobbies and lobbyists. Not only did she witness the cover-up of an important study linking diet with major chronic diseases, she also witnessed dangerous changes that were made to the 1992 US Food Pyramid Guide to satisfy corporate interests rather than to protect the public's health. In fact, she warned the USDA that those very changes would cause an epidemic of obesity and diabetes, a warning that looks more like prophesy, today. According to Light, "One thing I learned working in the government was that there are no gratuitous acts. Actions and reactions are designed to control the agenda, limit public access to potentially dangerous (to lobbyists) information, and protect under-the-radar arrangements between commercial interests and government agents."

In her new book, Light explains the connection between nutrition and many of the life-threatening chronic diseases prevalent today. Now that she is no longer held back from exposing the truth, she describes the numerous illnesses that are connected to what she calls, "nutritional malaise," including memory loss, loss of balance, depression, sadness, anxiety, pessimism, "road rage", low energy, "mind freeze", eye strain, generalized aches and pains, migraines, abdominal discomfort, frequent colds and flu and massive weight gain. According to Light, these are all indications of "biochemical chaos" that can be corrected with good nutrition. The choice is clear -- you can start eating a balanced diet, based on real food, or you can let your symptoms progress and develop into devastating chronic conditions such as, heart disease, obesity, gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, osteoporosis, asthma, arthritis and many others.

Light has her own testimonial to share about her struggle to regain her health after collapsing with a chronic, disabling illness. Her very inspirational story helps to reinforce her message about the interconnection between nutrition and physical and mental health. Her story will resonate with many individuals struggling today with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, hypothyroidism, depression and unexplained, massive weight gain.

Even though the book tackles a very serious subject, Light manages to imbue it with humor, pointing out the irony of conventional medical approaches. "Don't worry about your diet, we have a pill for that!" Light's book offers practical advice not placebos to cut through the confusion about what's good to eat.

Light assures you that you're not alone if you're having problems understanding the convoluted messages of the government's Dietary Guidelines. She offers simple but easy to understand science-based guidelines of her own, such as these three (out of ten) lucid examples, along with the rationales behind them: Eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables; eat whole-grain pasta, rice, breads, and cereals; eat certified organic foods.

Also, she provides her own food pyramid, which is much easier to follow than the one published by the government. Her book is loaded with solutions the USDA didn't offer in their own Food Pyramid issued in 2005. You will learn how to transition to real food in her chapter, "Your Diet Makeover Tool Kit". And, if you're at a loss for how to prepare real food, she also has several, quick, idiot-proof, delicious recipes in her chapter, "What to Cook".

Although her book gives a detailed, easy to grasp account of the problems inherent in the American food system (pesticides, GMO's, acrylamide, MSG, processed foods etc...), she also manages to focus on straightforward and realistic solutions-from what to stock in your larder, to a week's worth of menus, meals and recipes, and practical tips on eating on the road and dining out. Light assures us that real food is not only more nutritious than food out of a box or bag, it tastes better and is more pleasurable and satisfying. Food is meant to be enjoyed, she reminds us.

If you're wondering how our food system deteriorated to the current level, you'll be asking the questions that Light asks and answers in her book, and then wonders, "Why isn't national nutritional improvement getting as much of our attention as a space launch or fighting terrorists?" As a nutritionist she's as upset and disappointed with the situation as you are. She points out what you can do on a personal and community level. Get involved, she says, to protect and preserve your health and your community. Many people are doing just that. Much to the dismay of highly paid lobbyists, efforts are underway to get the junk food out of schools. Some schools are even feeding children fresh, home cooked, organic foods. Imagine that! Despite the myths, children will eat and even come to prefer delicious fresh foods, and reject factory-made fast foods, given the chance, Light tells based on her experience.

For seventy years, the USDA has stood by the theme that "All food is good food". As more and more "chemicalized" foods line our supermarkets shelves, it is less and less true. Light's book is a very fresh and reasoned account of why this concept is flawed and why we need to go back to the basics, choosing whole nutritious foods instead of synthetic designer food products that are designed to sit on a shelf for seven years. Eating well is the solution to many of the health problems we face today, says Light. Buy this book and become part of the growing consumer lobby that is rising up and reclaiming what is rightfully ours - nourishing food.

This book will give you chills but also give you hope that you can eat better, feel better and finally, get straight talk about nutrition.

I first met Luise Light several years ago after I wrote a paper criticizing the USDA's Food Pyramid. Perhaps it was to be expected that the "Department of Agriculture" would come up with a diet guideline based on a foundation of "6 to 11 servings" of starchy grain products a day. This "advice," I wrote, seemed to be both ridiculous and dangerous to one's health. Luise saw my article and dropped me a note introducing herself as the nutrition expert hired by the USDA to create the Food Pyramid. I was momentarily taken aback, but Dr. Light quickly reassured me that she agreed with what I had written. She explained that the Food Pyramid given to the unsuspecting public bore little resemblance to the real Pyramid she and her team of experts had created.

The real Pyramid called for a diet based on fresh vegetables and fruits. Instead, this Pyramid was altered prior to being published. The altered Pyramid suggested a cheap, starch-filled diet, but the resulting protests from Luise and her team fell on deaf ears. While the starch-based diet would create healthy profits for the grain and cereal industry, the Americans following such diet guidelines would pay for it with something more than mere dollars. They would pay for it with their health.

Luise's information was stunning and it served as somber affirmation of a long-denied suspicion: that "official government approval" was indeed being swayed by corporate interests. Here was evidence that, in its official capacity, the government had participated in one of the most monumental and far-reaching lies in US history - a lie that predictably resulted in the current epidemic of obesity and ill-health in America.

Luise Light's timely book, "What to Eat," not only bravely exposes the corruption she witnessed, but it does so in a constructive and informative manner. Her book contains the simple ingredients necessary for a healthy diet to truly live by, and shining through this book are the kindness and integrity of a woman who has devoted her life to teaching others the simple rules of proper nutrition so that they might enjoy the good health that is their birthright.

It seems that the old saying is true: we are what we eat. At this time, approximately two-thirds of American adults have eaten their way into a state of ill health or obesity, through no particular fault of their own. "What to Eat" should be in every household in America, it should be used as a teaching tool in all schools, used as a planning guide in all cafeterias and lunch rooms, and it should be required reading for all healthcare professionals.

This book is a welcome change of pace from the common diet mentality. Dr. Light exposes the hidden fact that our processed food has little nutritive value. She explains why, as a nation, we literally can't get enough of this high priced low value commodity. Unlike other exposés, she doesn't just leave us hanging seeking answers. The book contains hands on advise on how to cleanup our act as well as clean out out cupboards of this insidious junk food. Next we discover the joys of `real' food and there is a wonderful array of recipes thrown in to sweeten the pot. This book is an honest, refreshing and much needed look at why we eat what we eat. After reading it, you will be eager to make the life changes Dr. Light outlines.

Dr. Luise Light offers a fascinating under-the-covers look at what happens when government agencies climb in bed with big business. Did you ever wonder how our U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1980 came up with a food pyramid that encouraged people to pig out on 6-11 servings of bread, pasta, bagels, cereal, crackers and other cheap, starchy carbs every day? Did you know that this recommendation differs little from the USDA's advice to farmers on how to fatten pigs? No wonder the U.S. is in the midst of an obesity epidemic!

Dr Light once worked for the USDA. She and other experts had proposed a far healthier, science-based food pyramid that would have encouraged real, whole foods only to see it deconstructed by higher-ups kowtowing to the greedy grain cartel and processed food industry. The FDA,too,has forgotten its mission as America's "foremost consumer agency" as shown by its approval of lethal drugs like Vioxx, neuro-toxic ingredients like aspartame and a spurious health claim for soy protein. Unhappily, she has plenty more evidence of government corruption and industry arm twisting.

What to do? Dr. Light recommends grass-roots, local and personal solutions. We the people must not only speak out and join up but vote with our dollars in favor of real, live, whole, organic and slow foods. If her ten commandments for healthy eating seem obvious, the bottom line is that common sense is uncommon. How else can we explain the fact that 250 million Americans are sick, tired and malnourished yet continue to gorge daily on packaged, processed, damaged, dead and fast foods? Clearly, a whole lot of people need Dr. Light to hold their hands as they learn the ABCs of real food and take those difficult first ten steps. For those able and willing to go the distance, Dr. Light wisely and generously refers readers to the Weston A. Price Foundation and other independent, courageous and forward-thinking nutritional and environmental organizations.

I don't read diet books, being that overweight is not my problem. Shopping and cooking for my family while working, that is my problem. Dr. Light's book, "What to Eat," is the first thing I've seen which really explains how all those processed foods that look so fast and tempting in the supermarket are short-changing us nutritionally. It's kind of scary, actually, especially since the author exposes the way the government (she worked for the U.S. Dept of Agriculture so saw it first-hand) is hand-in-glove with the big food companies to deliberately make us eat wrong, resulting in diabetes, fat kids, slowed mental activities, and a lot of other bad health problems. What makes this book exciting, though, is how easy she makes it to get yourself and your family on fresher, healthier foods. And you don't have to be a vegetarian, which I'm not, to do it. She even suggests some recipes. We loved her Turkey Tacos, and my teenagers, surprise! like her Swiss Chard with the nuts and raisins in it. I'll still shop at the supermarket but not for the processed things with ingredients you can't pronounce. And I hope to join a farmers cooperative, where you can get fresh foods, some organic. I think all parents and school cafeteria people should read Dr. Light's book, which is actually a good read, straightforward, smart and inspiring.

Oh my God, finally a book about the facts, just the facts regarding health and diet! What refreshing concepts; why we're fat, how we we're duped from the beginning by the government and big business bullies, and where the real solution lies. For thousands of us suffering from ill thoughts of "loser" or just plain running around confused and ignorant this is a giant breakthrough. This book tells the whole story about nutrition, medical mayhem, and where poor health really comes from. Thank god some one finally had the courage to say it, speak my language, and tell the truth in a very simple way with out boring me to tears. I got it! And not only have you taken the "loser" out of my personal picture toward myself but you have awakened a new self that is no longer a victim. Now fully aware and alive with the facts you provided I finally have a clear picture of my good health. I am free to make the next move with confidence and ease. Thank you for clearing up so many unanswered questions and getting us through the maze of the long standing misery. I'm not lost anymore.


Sandra Leigh

I just finished reading this book and was amazed at the incredible amount of information contained between its covers. Not only does Dr. Light discuss "what to eat" as the book's title tells us, it also engages us with eminently readable accounts of the influences of government and the food industry on what ultimately gets presented to the American public in the form of things like the food pyramid and other nutrition related reports. Add a mind boggling chapter on nutrition related illness, as well as another on obesity and diet and you have all the basics you really need to know in one book. It may well be that the recipe for hummus included in the short, sample menu section is alone worth the price of the book...yum!

I was amazed to find this book. How important to finally hear that the food supply itself is the cause of some of my overweight problems. I can't wait to start using some of Dr. Light's dietary suggestions. They seem really "right" to me. They're so sensible, not another crazy diet "fad." From what Dr. Light says, so many American's health problems can be traced back directly to our badly managed food supply. How shocking! It's astounding to think that so many of us have been manipulated into obesity, fibromyalgia, or ADD. I think everyone should read this book!

Since I have switched to eating more natural, organic foods, I have been finding some great books on the subject. Luise Light has 10 rules for healthy eating, and they have nothing to do with "dieting."
She says that you should:
1) Eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.
2) Eat whole grain-pasta, rice, breads, and cereals.
3) Eat certified organic foods.
4) Eat natural fats/avoid synthetic fats.
5) Avoid refined starch and sugar.
6) Eat wild fish and meat and eggs from range-fed, antibiotic- and hormone free animals.
7) Eat several good sources of calcium.
8) Avoid too much salt and salty foods.
9) Avoid processed and additive-rich foods.
10)Drink plenty of clean, filtered water.

Sounds obvious, right? Then why do we keep eating in a way that makes us gain so much weight? The author tackles the issues that talk about more than just "eat healthy and exercise." She talks about what's wrong with our food. "In the past fifty years, food has been transformed into packaged products designed by industrial engineers for long shelf life, profitability, and repeat purchases. We're relying on brand names, labels, and marketing slogan instead of tried-and-true human experience. Today, and across the globe in our own backyard, more people are fat, sick, depressed, and fatigued than at any other time in recorded history."

Does this scare you? It should. She recommends what many other dieticians recommend. Going back to basics. Don't rely on low-fat nightmares to make you healthy. If you are eating "low-fat," something else gets in there to take it's place. Eat naturally, eat organic, eat to heal yourself. She talks about the kids of foods we should avoid, fake ingredients like: Artificial food colors (which is linked to things like asthma and hyperactivity) sulfites, (linked to cancer) MSG, (used in a lot of food from places like Burger King, McDonalds, etc) Food preservatives, (linked to allergy and sensitivity reactions) etc.

This is information that I have found in books time and time again. I know that there is truth in it not only because I constantly read about it, but when I have followed this advice, I have lost weight slowly, had less headaches, and feel more awake and alive than I ever have. She isn't peddling some diet hoax, she is showing us a new, healthier way of life.

Highly recommended.

Ever since the food pyramid came out, my mother and I have had many discussions about the bafflingly high serving sizes of breads and carbohydrates, as well as the other recommendations. Once I saw what the food pyramid was supposed to look like I felt betrayed by the USDA. They put special interests ahead of our health. I suppose this really shouldn't surprise me.

Luise Light provides a solid foundation and includes a diet makeover, meal suggestions, and recipes. She provides the tools for you to create a healthier more satisfying diet. I found this book indirectly when I read Mark Bittman's Food Matters. I am greatful for his reference to Luise Light because it made me what to learn more. Can't wait to share all of this with Mom. I am glad that for the most part I've never been big into packaged foods, but now I have 10 dietary rules I can live with.