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Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating (Audio CD)
by M.D., Walter Willett, P.J. Skerrett
| Category:
Health & fitness, Nutrition |
| Market price: ¥ 258.00
MSL price:
¥ 238.00
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
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MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
From a top expert in the field, this nutrition classic is based on many years' research. The only complaint may be it is too short. |
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 10 items |
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Susan Love (M.D. author of Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book & Dr. Susan Love's Hormone Book) (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-19 00:00>
Timothy Johnson, M.D., M.P.H. medical editor, ABC News Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy is the best book on nutrition for the general public I have read to date. Dr. Willett is not afraid...to criticize some sacred cows - including the USDA's food pyramid. I urge you to buy this book and read it all for yourself; it will be well worth your time. |
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Paul (MSL quote), Canada
<2007-01-19 00:00>
If you're looking for a book that provides practical and scientifically sound advice on diet for the average person, of any age or gender, look no further.
Firstly, the author's credentials and research are first rate. Willett is the chairman of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health and he draws his conclusions from well known studies supported by both the Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School. Further, the nutritional advice in this book is simply an elaboration upon the guidelines in the Healthy Eating Pyramid which is developed and supported by the School of Public Health. In short, this book is written by a highly visible and respected scientist and is supported by solid medical studies. With all this in mind, I, as a scientific layman, feel that Walter Willet's nutritional and medical advice can be trusted.
The main points of the author are as follows:
1. Exercise and maintain a stable, healthy weight.
2. Eat healthy fats.
3. Eat whole grains.
4. Choose healthy sources of protein.
5. Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits
6. If you drink, drink in moderation.
7. Take a multivitamin.
These points are elaborated on over 12 chapters, each of which can be read individually, as needed, or in order. The writing is dry, clear, and concise. Many of the chapters take a "theory and practice" approach to the topic being discussed. For example, the chapter on carbohydrates focuses on describing their different types and respective nutritional benefits and shortcomings, and concludes with how to put the information into practical use. Throughout the book there are informative "side bars" that discuss, for example, fad diets, nuts, diabetes, and the safety of fish. Similarly, there are numerous charts displaying information on the topic at hand, whether it be the percentage of specific fats or the glycemic index in various foods.
At the end of the book is a useful chapter on putting all of the presented information into practice. This chapter includes a week of meal plans, followed by an extensive list of healthy recipes sectioned off into: appetizers and beverages; breads and grains; entrees; vegetarian entrees; soups and stews; salads and side dishes; and desserts.
If I had one suggestion, it would be that there be more coverage of integrating nutrition and exercise. I come from a distance running background and would have like for more guidance on tuning a diet to aid in athletic performance. I imagine a body builder or weight lifter would have similar complaints. However, in fairness, the book is aimed at the general public and does give guidance on proper exercise for the average person.
After reading the book, I was surprised at the nutritional value of some foods and diets that I had thought were "safe" and "unsafe".(The USDA's MyPyramid, and it's famous predecessor the Food Pyramid, are both heavily criticized.) I'm now far better informed about how to live a healthy life and have a healthy diet. Willet has put together a very thorough and complete guideline on how to eat and live in a healthy manner.
If you can only buy one book on nutrition make it this one |
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An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-19 00:00>
I learned an enormous amount I did not know about eating a healthy diet. From the causes of bad cholesterol to a well laid out hierarchy of what parts of my health to focus on most, this book has drastically improved my eating habits. I was very impressed by the detail in which the author explains the scientific evidence for his recommendations. I felt that I was being given advice from cold, hard facts rather than untested theories. I have ordered this book for my family members as I believe it has the potential to improve their diets and their long-term health. |
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An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-19 00:00>
I bought this book with only a scattered and shallow knowledge of proper nutrition. Now, having read it, I feel as if I know most of what I need to eat healthily for the rest of my life. Willett strikes a good balance between generalities (e.g., limit your saturated fat, but be sure to get lots of good unsaturated fats) and specifics (e.g., avoid hamburgers and beefsteak, but use olive oil and eat fish and nuts instead). In other words, I now understand the basic rules of healthy eating, and on top of that I have the author's given me a great start in playing by those rules through his food suggestions. Willett even includes 68 pages of healthy recipes in the back.
Willett writes with a clear passion for healthy living and proper nutrition, and all of his recommendations are backed up (he maintains) by solid science. My only criticism is that often entire sentences or even paragraphs containing key points are repeated chapter after chapter. It's as if Willett expected readers to skip around and not read the book cover-to-cover. Sure, the information he reiterates is important, and he wouldn't want someone poking around in his book to miss it, but for someone with a decent memory like myself who was reading the entire book, it soon became annoying.
I recommend this to anyone who is already eating healthy but wants a decent understanding of the science behind a good diet. Should also be good for anyone who's not eating healthy but wants to start (and why shouldn't you?).
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An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-19 00:00>
I am not really the type of person who writes on-line reviews of books, but I have to tell you all that I feel SO good after following the eating and exercise advice laid out in this book. In the past, I have focused on weight loss diets which have made me feel physically bad. Now, I am focused on health and I feel great! I don't crave things like I used to and I know my body is thanking me for taking such good care of it. It was a little hard at first to be OK with eating fats and oils, but now I realize how important it is for the body. And it helps me feel satisfied at the same time. This book offers excellent advice for ANYONE. I highly recommend it! |
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George Webster (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-19 00:00>
This book is a breath of fresh air among a noxious swarm of books that claim to know how we must eat in order to be healthy. They recommend a bewildering variety of diets, megadoses of vitamins and minerals, herbs, extracts, and heaven knows what else, all guaranteed to make us healthy. Some even peddle the nonsense that they can stop, or even reverse, aging.
In contrast, Walter Willett's book is based on solid science, obtained by careful research involving, in some cases, more that 100,000 persons. There is no intuition here. The recommendations are based on facts. And mighty interesting facts they are. We see that the famous, heavy-on- carbohydrate USDA food pyramid has little evidence to support its role in health. Instead, it appears to support the income of the food industry. He presents his own pyramid, based on daily exercise and weight control. Sitting on this base are whole grain foods, vegetable oils, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, fish, poultry, and eggs. At the top of his pyramid are small amounts of dairy products, and even smaller portions of red meat and carbohydrate. He presents evidence to support his pyramid, and the result is impressive. He leads us through things that we should know about fats, carbohydrates, proteins, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. We even get recipes. For me, a biochemist, the book's strong point is its lack of the unsubstantiated claims that I see in so many of the popular books on nutrition. Walter Willett is one the persons best qualified to write an outstanding book on this subject, and the result is excellent. |
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Samuel Kimler (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-19 00:00>
This is a GREAT book with solid science. Of course, no book offers ALL the facts. A lot of this science is obviously a work in progress.
However, between this book and Dr. Barry Sears Week in the Zone and Enter the Zone books I read a few years back, it's a great start. Willett calls for moderation all around. But, he rightly (and scientifically) calls into question much of the conventional wisdom. It's a great analysis and recommendations.
Personally, I think his lean-protein portion of the pyramid is just a little on the light side. And, I think his "whole grain" information is good, but with the exception of oats and barley (often eaten in less processed form), I find that it's actually quite difficult to find truly whole grain foods...particularly of the wheat variety which seems to dominate our culture's eating.
Note, I've been loosely following Dr. Sears' Zone approach for a couple years, with excellent results. Unlike many diets, I don't view Sears' approach as a fad because it doesn't involve drastic changes or so-called "inductions" - read: "crash" - into the psychology of healthy eating and living. With a few minor exceptions, I find that it falls generally in line with Willett's recommendations. I eat a little more lean protein (including soy) than Willett calls for, a little less whole grains, and maybe a little more low GI veggies and fruits. Same emphasis on nuts, olive oil, omega-3's, and supplements.)
I welcomed Willett's findings on alcohol and coffee. I usually prefer a beer over a glass of red wine and here is evidence that it doesn't much matter what alcohol you drink in moderation… you'll get the benefit. And, I've tried hard to reduce caffeine in my day, though I am passionate about good, strong coffee. I drink several cups a day so I went to half-caf. This appears to be enough of a cut. I cannot imagine life without coffee. |
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A Canadian reader (MSL quote), Canada
<2007-01-19 00:00>
I had always thought that what you should and shouldn't eat was simply common sense until I read this book. The best chapters are the ones about good carbs/bad carbs, and good fats/bad fats. Dr. Willett explains that highly processed carbs such as white bread, white rice, pasta, instant oatmeal, and potatoes cause sharp spikes and then sharp drops in blood sugar. The sharp drops trick the brain into thinking you need to eat, so it sends out hunger signals despite the fact that there is plenty of food in the system. This can lead to overeating. Over time it can also lead to diabetes. Willett also explains the concept of glycemic load. Foods with a low glycemic load raise and drop your blood sugar slowly, so you feel full for longer and have more energy. I have switched to eating whole grain breads, old fashioned oatmeal, Uncle Ben's converted rice, and bran cereals, all of which have low glycemic loads. I used to always feel fatigued (even though I'm in my early 30s). Now my energy level has improved dramatically.
The author is opposed to low fat diets. Willett talks about a study in which participants who had diets high in unsaturated fats had significantly fewer heart attacks than participants on low fat diets. This is because unsaturated fats raise good cholesterol. I also found out how to recognize trans fats when I look through lists of ingredients. The author explains the importance of getting many different colors of fruits and vegetables per day. So, everyday I fry a medley of five or six different kinds of vegetables for dinner, and lunch the next day. This is easy to do if you buy frozen vegetables.
My one complaint is that the book did not mention high fructose corn syrup. This is a sweetener that is in many breads, yogurts, crackers, juices, and breakfast cereals. It is man-made and the metabolic system has a difficult time processing it. HFCS actually slows your metabolism when you eat it, which is ridiculous considering that we eat food for energy. I was the same weight for about 5 years. Less than two months after cutting out HFCS, my weight went down 10lbs without any other changes in diet or exercise. I wish Dr. Willett had discussed this because it would have been extremely helpful information for his readers.
Other than that, this is an excellent and life-changing book. I am following everything the book suggests (except drinking alcohol in moderation because I don't drink and never will) and I definitely feel better. Forget the Atkins Diet. Follow the simple instructions in this book and you will be both healthier and thinner. |
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J. Bennett (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-19 00:00>
Ever wondered what is good for you? This book is great! I was skeptical, but this faded. The approach of the book is to inform and maybe scare you away from bad foods. I had been eating baked potatoes because I thought that it was healthy. NO, they are a healthy alternative, but overall they are not good for you. The book goes on to discuss the new MY PRYMIAD and how to change your eating habits. There are some places were they act like a broken record, EAT WHEN YOU ARE HUNGRY, EAT LESS. I guess if they are going to say something twice, it is a helpful reminder. They also offer alternatives to eating foods that will provide more nutrition and keep you fuller longer. Did I metion that the recipes in the back are great! |
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Jason Derleth (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-19 00:00>
I have been on various diets throughout my life, and this particular "way of eating" is not difficult to do - but the jury is still out on whether or not it will work.
One thing that this book does poorly is to repeatedly say "a calorie is a calorie is a calorie" - and then it explains that carbohydrates can cause insulin swings that will create hunger and the need to continue eating, an idea that is at the core of low-carbohydrate diets. So, a calorie isn't really a calorie, is it, if eating some kinds of calories (simple sugars, refined breads, white rice, potatoes, etc.) will cause you to have insulin and hunger swings. yet the writers keep saying that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie...
Still, this book is full of good advice. The thing that I think might be missing on this one is the customization to an individual's needs. It might be fine for someone who is exercising a lot to eat more refined carbohydrates, for instance, whereas someone who is truly sedentary (someone who barely gets up off the couch to get the mail) might find that they truly need to reduce their refined carbohydrates to zero (no sugar) and might even have to reduce their whole grains somewhat, or avoid high-sugar vegetables like corn to make way for more dark green and leafy vegetables. I no longer believe that "one diet fits all," but this book seems to think that if everyone eats this way that they'll lose weight, but I think it's possible to binge on whole wheat bagels and still be fat.
On the whole, though, someone following this book's advice will be healthier than the nominal American diet. The book's genius is the idea that one should “ADD” foods, not subtract, and then let nature take it's course. If you add a lot of vegetables and fruits to your diet, then you won't have room for that 16 oz porterhouse, will you? Perhaps only 6 ounces will be enough. |
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1 Total 1 pages 10 items |
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