How to Eat

January 15, 2020
Anything you want to know about what, when, and how to eat. Food gurus Bittman (How To Cook Everything: Completely Revised 20th Anniversary Edition, 2019, etc.), special adviser on Food Policy at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health, and Katz (The Truth About Food: Why Pandas Eat Bamboo and People Get Bamboozled, 2018, etc.), founding director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, bring their expertise and common sense to answering myriad questions about diet and nutrition. "The artful (or at least competent!) blend of science and sense is what we believe to be our signature contribution," write the authors, as they impart their views on various diets, whether it's advisable to always eat breakfast ("there is nothing holy about breakfast," they assert), what makes a good snack (apples, walnuts, bananas, carrots, hummus, bean dip, salad are fine), whether dairy is good or bad (it depends on what you're eating and what dairy replaces), and whether there are any true superfoods (the idea of a superfood "is a marketing ploy"). They ring in on how much protein an average person needs, the difference between complete and incomplete proteins, the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats and between fructose (the natural sugar found in plants) and high-fructose corn syrup, which is processed in factories and contains about 45% glucose. Overall, the authors advocate eating unprocessed foods from local sources, which leads to "reducing carbon footprint, supporting local economies, eating seasonally (and fresh), knowing where your food comes from and how it was raised...all these are inarguably positive attributes." They deal with debates over questions such as eating eggs, avoiding foods that cause inflammation, adding probiotics to one's diet, using artificial sweeteners, getting enough antioxidants, and whether to take vitamin and mineral supplements, which "should be supplements to a good diet, not substitutes for one." The authors are straightforward when they can't resolve a controversy (such as the health benefits of taking a multivitamin mineral mix) and cite scientific studies. A sensible guide to health from two genial experts.

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 15, 2020
Along with doctor and nutritional expert Katz, How to Cook Everything series author Bittman has some advice for how to eat (not quite) everything. Formatted as a conversational Q&A with readers, the book shares the authors' responses in one collective voice: an approach that works well for both browsing and reading straight through, and delivers decidedly un-gimmicky advice. Acknowledging the near impossibility of highly controlled nutritional experiments on populations over generations, the authors assert that there's still a lot we do know thanks to both scientific study and good sense. "Vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and whole grains" becomes a sort of refrain here, with notes on proceeding with some caution regarding just about everything else. One particularly helpful reminder is that we can consider everything we eat as a replacement for something else, and answer our own questions this way. The authors debunk myths and address diet trends (paleo, keto, fasting) and topics like consuming dairy, prioritizing organic foods, and drinking alcohol. Expect well-deserved demand for this very readable, reasonable food for thought.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

March 1, 2020

Bittman ("How To Cook Everything" series) and Katz (founder, Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Ctr.) present a versatile, approachable guide in a Q-and-A format to common food and nutrition issues. They hope their "blend of science and sense" will make this resource stand out among the crowded field of nutrition books, presenting both aspects in a clear, conversational tone. All major areas of nutrition science are addressed, from the evolution of human food consumption to understanding current studies. It will be no surprise to Bittman's fans that the authors support whole-food, plant-predominant eating habits, owing to their positive health and environmental effects. Debunking nearly all current diet trends, including keto and paleo diets, the authors also discredit the superfood phenomenon. While no recipes or meal plans are included, readers can use the information provided to make better food choices on their own. VERDICT Based on a timely Grub Street article by the authors that went viral, the demand for this straightforward resource about the current state of nutrition should be high.--Anitra Gates, Erie Cty. P.L., PA

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.