Real Food: What to Eat and Why

I picked up this (very user-friendly) book after doing some reading that would explain why the only thing that could help curb my sugar cravings was drinking whole milk in the morning. I've been sugar-addicted for years; just couldn't say no. But about 3 months ago I started drinking whole milk with my breakfast and found that I was no longer thinking about food all morning, binging, skipping lunch, thinking about food all afternoon, binging, skipping dinner, etc. Planck's book explains the science behind this, as well as the common sense - the natural, healthy fats in natural milk are satisfying. They prevent the cravings of the fat-deprived individual I've become while gaining 30 pounds on low-fat eating over the last 10 years. In addition to having more energy eating only natural, whole, real food, I have lost several pounds over the last month. I also appreciate the references given to the science behind it all. One of the more fascinating things I find is that this book would have been considered 100% wrong 15 years ago (when even avocados, olive oil, and almonds were taboo). But in the last 5 years, we see "eat the healthy fats!" and even that margarine is on the outs with the recent trend away from trans fats. What more of the established "knowledge" about healthy eating will be disproven over the next 5-10 years? For me, I'll stick with eating what's been eaten for the last couple thousand years and avoid techno-foods and I bet it'll all be proven out in the end.

I can't praise this book highly enough. A zillion cheers for Nina and the easy-to-read, friendly book she has delivered, filled with information that even a seasoned amateur nutritionist like myself can learn from. What you'll find here are not recipes, like a reviewer was upset about below. But if she had read the title, it's pretty obvious this book is about the "why" behind the foods, not a "how-to-make-a-dish" book. And that's good, as we've been needing this info. What you will find are facts and references to studies (with footnotes). I think we all can agree that American nutrition has been muddled by so much information, that it seems impossible to weed through just exactly what is healthy? And that's where Nina cuts through the fog, with basic, simplified, and logical explanations of "why" our bodies need "what" food and the different kinds of food from traditional to industrial. Nowhere in this book does Nina bash or criticize. Here positivity is glowing and admirable, especially with such hotly debated topics. I would advise anyone to read this book. There are also parts addressed to children and the elderly. It's important for us to get back to the natural order of things, and stop being nutritional and drug experiments for scientists and pharmacologists. Being healthy starts first with your mind, then what you eat!

I can't praise this book highly enough. A zillion cheers for Nina and the easy-to-read, friendly book she has delivered, filled with information that even a seasoned amateur nutritionist like myself can learn from. What you'll find here are not recipes, like a reviewer was upset about below. But if she had read the title, it's pretty obvious this book is about the "why" behind the foods, not a "how-to-make-a-dish" book. And that's good, as we've been needing this info. What you will find are facts and references to studies (with footnotes). I think we all can agree that American nutrition has been muddled by so much information, that it seems impossible to weed through just exactly what is healthy? And that's where Nina cuts through the fog, with basic, simplified, and logical explanations of "why" our bodies need "what" food and the different kinds of food from traditional to industrial. Nowhere in this book does Nina bash or criticize. Here positivity is glowing and admirable, especially with such hotly debated topics. I would advise anyone to read this book. There's even parts addressed to children and the elderly. It's so important for us to get back to the natural order of things, and stop being nutritional and drug experiments for scientists and pharmacologists. Being healthy starts first with your mind, then what you eat!

My first impressions reading this were that a crazy person had somehow tricked a publisher into printing their manifesto. But, I have a rule about not discarding a book until I've read at least 70-100 pages (depending on the thickness of the book), so I pressed on. Once I got past past the beginning, it really redeemed itself. I suspect most people will still look upon this as crazy talk, at least for another ten years. The things she says seem to make sense, and she seems to have evidence to support her statements. It isn't the mainstream health knowledge we are so used to, but don't let that dissuade you. What she presents isn't tainted by the corrupting touch of corporate oligarchy that pervades American public interest. I'm definately making some changes after reading this.

In Woody Allen's 1973 classic comedy Sleeper we see him as Miles Monroe, a nerdy sprout eater, who is transported two hundred years into the future only to find that science has determined that hamburgers, fries and thick milk shakes are now considered "health foods". Fast forward from 1973 to 2006, that's only 33 years, not 200, and we are now learning that hamburgers, fries and thick milk shakes are, indeed, healthy food. The only caveat is that they should be prepared with real ingredients and not "processed" or "industrial" foods as Nina Planck explains in her wonderfully written Real Food, What to Eat and Why published by Bloomsbury Publishing. In the spirit of those oh, so wonderfully helpful government warnings on everything from wine to ground beef I must add my stern warning to readers who sit down to read this book. Warning! Do Not Attempt to Read This Book If You Are Hungry! Why you ask, is this one of those books where they tell you what goes on in meatpacking plants and the images will make you want to throw up? No, no, not that! It is that she writes so well about food, how it is acquired, prepared, served and tastes so good and, is really, truly, even healthy for you, that you will immediately want to put the book down, run to the kitchen and prepare whatever it is that she was describing. You think I jest? Wait till you get to page 238 where she starts to talk about chocolate. She talks about Cacao nibs. I had never heard of them before. I now have my own private stock. For me, the best parts are where she provides both the historical and modern nutritional reasons why natural foods, what humans have been eating for many thousands of years, not only taste good but are good for you. She also provides the detailed technical reasons why modern industrial foods are the real culprits and that they are what is really killing modern humans, not the real food we crave. In addition to a good glossary, bibliography and a further reading and resources list she has a really nice "Where to Find Real Food" section which is how I found the Cacao nibs. You are going to have to read the book to find out where as I'm not telling.