... down to the nitty gritty of information on maintaining good health. Some will disagree with the dietary stuff ...
346709
This book skips all the medical mumbo-jumbo and gets down to the nitty gritty of information on maintaining good health. Some will disagree with the dietary stuff (as usual) and some of the advice falls strictly within the "DUH...that is just common sense" category, but I found the book helpful. That is not an area of life in which I wish to read a book the size of War and Peace, so this brass and tacks book seems practical to me. Good book to share and pass on to others too. Living a "long life" is not as important as living a quality life ( with a minimum of icky health issues) and I think this book can help people toward that goal.  Now if they would just retire some of these stupid terms for older people: "senior citizens" (like what? we're in high school again?!)  grey panthers (who the hell wants be called a grey panther? sounds like a bad Discovery channel episode)  "mature man" (I've never been accused of that; it is quite pleasant to be old and remain immature in most ways)  "geriatrics" (what a hideous word! it sounds more like a plant than a human being!)  old bats and geezers (at least those terms suggest we have a sense of humor although "geezers" is a pretty revolting word; if we must go that route I would prefer "an eccentric old fart", lol....  .
3205267
Just finished reading this.  Found I skipped parts because it was somewhat repetitive.  There is good information here though, especially the chapter on Fibromyalgia, pain, and Leptin.  Definitely worth reading, but the book could use an edit to make it more concise.  "The Five Rules" are a good solid foundation for health, and worth typing out and taping to your fridge!
4721338
I have read books on all types of diets to see if I can learn more about what to eat and how often. This book is pretty good, mainly due to the fact that it aggregates a ton of information into one source. It also isn't over the top gimmicky, and it isn't promising anything overnight. Instead, it focuses on what should be eaten to permanently make you healthier, and how to feel better so that your body will work well for you. It is holistic in that approach and I liked the overall tone of the book. There are real facts and pretty cool pictures and charts, so it is easy to get through the information. There is helpful info on what foods are good to eat, how to prepare them, how to lessen stress, what vitamins should be eaten, and many other things. This would be great to read if you don't have a lot of time, but want to get your diet on track.
3370231
There were some interesting points in there and a lot of information I already knew.  There was some hilarious misinformation about cancer, GMOs, organics, pesticides, and the modern treatments.  Eating right and living healthy is not a secret and there is no conspiracy.  It is just easier to eat garbage food and people are use to it because that is what their parents fed them.  People want quick fixes so drug companies and doctors give it to them.  If people wanted to be healthy there would be less drug companies and more bike shops, running shoe manufactures, healthy food stores, etc.
120729
All in all there is some good information here.  It's a nice and easy overview on a low glycemic  diet that can benefit people such as my self - someone with PCOS.  It's easy to read because that part is all relatively short.  If you need one good reference book for a low glycemic diet - this book is not it.  If you're looking to begin your research and don't want to be overwhelmed, then great - pick this one.

Much of the book is recipes which are all fine, but a bit unnecessarily complex. I would have appreciated more straightforward suggestions and ideas of what sorts of foods to eat, not a bunch of recipes. Meal plan suggestions and ideas make things much less overwhelming.  I'm no slouch in the kitchen, so maybe that's why I was a bit annoyed.  I'm sure for a budding home chef this would be appreciated.

All in all its a fine book with good information.

I did happen to receive a discount in exchange for my honest review.  I rely on Amazon reviews - so please know you will never read anything less than the truth from me!  I am in no way affiliated with this or any company and under no obligation to leave any particular star review.
1735439
A lot of good information in this book and I really liked the way several references were given (pub med). The only reason I am giving 3 stars instead of 5 stars is because while it was great information, it's not an easy decision as to whether to take drugs for your osteoporosis or not. While the risks of taking these drugs is real, the risk of not taking them is real too so I feel like I'd like a more balanced book with Pros and Cons.
3666476
As a person who is already well educated on this subject, this book left me a little cold. There might, however, be people who are just starting their wellness journey who would benefit from reading this. It does have great information backed by science and not urban myth or word on the street as so many 'resources' you see these days.
3651764
Good dietary information.  Does lack morality in some statements he makes.  I wish there was a Christian version of this book.  It's interesting in the fact that he shows the wisdom in making certain moral decisions and then at the same time says whatever decision you make is fine.  Stick to the nutritional info.
2117999
I like the format of this journal.  You can track exercise, food intake, alcohol, fat and sugar along with writing your thoughts and specific food if you so desire.  The only thing that I do not like is his use of the term "Bad Carbohydrates."  I hate the whole good food vs. bad food terminology and think that it promotes some unhealthy food issues.
3412567
There is a lot of interesting information in this book about the symbiots that live in us and how the Enderlain remedies can change the symbiotic flora of the blood. This is similar to how taking probiotics, prebiotics, fermented vegetables and fiber and eliminating junk food can change the flora of the intestinal tract. This book was probably written to encourage people to go to a practitioner selling the very expensive Sanum  Enderlain remedies and use them.
But this book repeatedly points the finger at animal proteins as being the cause of the unhealthy symbiotic balance in the blood stream. The information is well laid out and convincing enough to have most people going off animal proteins  and rushing to get some enderlain remedies. But this presentation does not really educate the reader about the basis of a healthy diet and that just going off animal protein is not going to solve the symbiotic problem. Actually most people will go on cooked soy proteins as a substitute and end up in even worse condition than when they started. . Dr Pottenger in his experiments with cats proved that its not animal proteins that cause the problem but cooked animal proteins. As described in "Pottenger's Cats" he fed one group of cats in cages raw meat, raw milk and 1 teaspoon of cod liver oil and they were perfectly healthy well past the 5 th generation. But the cats fed cooked meat, cooked milk, and 1 teaspoon cod liver oil were sickly and could not reproduce a 4 th generation. Furthermore the pee and scat of the cooked group was so toxic that weeds would not grow under their cages. That experiment was done in the 1930-40 so this book is knowingly deceiving the reader by not noting the difference that cooking does to the animal proteins. Books like this are junk science because of this deception. They are promotional material that supports a particular approach to health. Otherwise it is a good introduction to pleomorphism and the science of Dark field microscopy. There are plenty of books written on  holistic health that seek to convince the public to try a particular approach with no attempt to give balanced information.
1055751
If you are confused about the optimal diet for health this book will provide solid answers. Don't read unless you are prepared to have many commonly accepted ideas challenged.
1514493
Information in the book is very good and documented and I believe the message Dr. Barnard has relayed.  I have been eating a whole foods, plant based diet for over seven years now, so to me personally, the recipes were uninviting.  If one is just starting out on this journey, the recipes probably will be a good start for experimenting and learning how to flavor vegetables and grains.
2715323
To the good, there is a lot of information here, much of it quite densely packed (the chapter on how the immune system works, for example).  The information itself is extensive and has depth as well.  Detail is NOT an issue with this book. . .

The problem is that the overall theme of the book is theory presented as fact.  It may be a good theory but it is certainly not an uncontroversial one.  Are grains bad?  Well, maybe.  Or maybe in excess.  However, many cultures have grains as a cornerstone and their health issues are relatively low compared to the USA's. The book seems to be geared towards a paleo diet approach and that is certainly not a universally accepted approach.  In addition, those types of nutritional approaches are so dependent on being "all in" that if you pick and choose from the book's suggestions you may get worse simply because many of the pieces can't be dropped without affecting the others.
1126944
There's a lot of good information in this book but some of it is a little difficult to accept.  Author could have done a better job of explaining why certain foods/combinations were issues so we're not taking quite so much on faith.  In any case, I'm intrigued enough that I'll attempt the 21 day menu and see how I feel.  Afterfall, that's really the test, isn't it??
2303436
This book gives a great summary of the Paleo diet that could be very useful for patients that are very ill and cannot read very much.

The author's website contains interesting info about why eggs, capsicum, eggplant and tomatoes should also be avoided. It'd be great if this info had been in the book.

I disagree with the authors very-low salt stance and would advise them to read about unrefined sea salt and the work of Dr Brownstein on the many myths about salt and low-salt diet scaremongering (and the cholesterol scaremongering as well). I also disagree that saturated fat in moderation is a bad thing, and don't agree with the author's recommendation of flaxseed oil for cooking. Using flax oil for cooking is very bad for you!

But overall, this book is fairly solid and a good overview for newbies at least as far as avoiding grains and legumes goes.

You should probably ignore what the author says about fats and oils though, as most of it is just plain wrong. The book 'Know Your Fats' by Mary Enig PhD explains the facts about fats and oils.

Jodi Bassett, The Hummingbirds' Foundation for M.E. (HFME) and Health, Healing & Hummingbirds (HHH)
4283985
Adelle Davis's books are filled with nutritional information. Ann's book has evolved from Adelle's book "Vitality Through Planned Nutrition". The contents page of Ann's book is set out systematically (maybe simpler), her diagrams are good (especially for someone who does not know the structure or locations of organs in the body).

Lets Stay Healthy has several instances, I guess, where Adelle may not agree with the writing. Eg. P277 "If this deterioration can be avoided by harmless preservatives there seems little reason to condemn the procedure." ...Harmless preservatives?, maybe table salt?

I have read Adelle's books (over and over for several years) and where I understand her writing and then apply the knowledge, I have found the nutrition is highly effective in providing me improved health.

At my current level of knowledge Lets Stay Healthy is disappointing.
1843950
I purchased this book because of a recommendation from a friend after discussing some of my chronic health problems. The book is very informative about nutrition and food.

The books has sections that discuss the history of farming and farming in today's age, and gives suggestions of realistic grocery store purchases to get the highest nutrient rich foods without shopping solely at farmers markets.

The book wasn't extremely captivating to me and I had some difficulty reading through the entire book quickly, but the information provided was good information.

If you are looking to change your eating habits and want a realistic outlook on choices of produce in today's grocery store, this is a great book to get your feet wet on healthy eating.