Objective, backed by science, full of sage advice

Would you listen to Food again? Why?

YES! I actually plan to listen to it again in about a month. It’s impossible to absorb all the valuable facts in one listen. There is so much info that I want to learn this in layers. I may even listen to it a third time to retain nuance.

What other book might you compare Food to and why?

Honestly this is unlike any other book I’ve read on food and nutrition and my Audible library is full of them. The information in the book is similar to Dr Hyman’s “Eat Fat Get Thin” book, but the winner in “Food” is the way the book is organized and the redelivery of the main points that are summarized at the end of each chapter.

What does Mark Hyman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I’ve been following Dr Hyman for a few years and have seen many interviews, TED talks, video blogs, etc. Dr Hyman brings his own passion for using food as medicine and information into the reading of the book. Since he’s the author, he can make an incredulous chuckling sound and it’s totally believable because he wrote the words he is reading.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Well, it’s still non fiction and a book about science, health and medicine. So, no, it’s not that riveting because the subject is not that riveting. But I enjoyed listening to every moment of it.

Any additional comments?

This is a package, not just an audio book. There is a PDF that goes along with it. Check your Audible Library after purchase to download the PDF. There is also a website with lots more information and it’s worth going there as well. Finally, get this book to learn how to really shop healfully in a store. Learn how to read nutrition information, how to understand the difference between marketing words like “natural” and regulated labels like “certified organic”. I found the info on picking animal proteins to be the most helpful to me. This book is for everyone. It’s not a diet and it’s not meant to be a set of exact rules. Rather, it is an educational experience that will help you choose the foods you want to eat based on the current science and practices surrounding how the foods are farmed, how the animals are treated, how the workers are treated and how the foods may react in your body based on your health status.

75 people found this helpful

Just listen, then buy a copy for reference later!

This is an amazing book that really brings together all the questions many people have in regards to what they should eat and should avoid. Dr. Hyman really breaks down each food group, from meat and veggies to oils and drinks and everything in between to help you make good choices in regards to your eating. I thoroughly enjoyed listening and found myself going back and listening to sections again. It’s a wealth of information!

At the end of the book he brings it together with a 10-day detox diet to help individuals with major or minor health issues to get healthy again. Then he pulls everything he talked about in the book together into a recommended way of eating moving forward.

Don’t think of this as just another diet book. It’s a wealth of information that can really help a lot of people!

15 people found this helpful

Smart way to live a healthy life

Any additional comments?

I am a follower of Dr. Hyman's practices, philosophies and medicine, so I was already very familiar with the content in this book. That said, it is a great reminder of how to get it right and to take control of your own health by following a lifetime nutritional plan that supports health and longevity. I was a bit taken back by the strong embrace and push toward animal products as an integral and necessary part of that plan. But what he has to say makes sense, not that it will change my attitude toward eating mammals, fowl, etc.. I also don't feel that this lifestyle of eating needs a new label like "pegan"... it is what it is and should be a bit different for each individual. This is not a fad diet book... it is a way of living.

32 people found this helpful

Good information, but a caveat or two

There is a lot of good information and resources in this audiobook, and the reading by the author was well done and occasionally humorous.

What I didn’t like was the section on supplements where the author appeared to be hawking his own brand of supplements from his web site. The title of the book is “Food: What the Heck Should I Eat”; not “Supplements: What the Heck Should I Take.”

I also could have done without some of the environmental moralism, but I understand some readers may appreciate that kind of thing.

6 people found this helpful

Awesome comprehensive book

Just what my patients need... a guide through the jungle of nutrition advice!! Much needed resource to give some structure and sanity to Food as Medicine

5 people found this helpful

Very Good Book and True Information.

This book is a must read for every one that wants to feel good and live a long and healthy life. I have been on a diet like this for years, I'm 74. I feel like 45, I have no Pain, I sleep good, and have not been sick since I started on it. Not long after I went on this Diet this book describes. My body started loosing weight and now I'm at the correct weight for my body.

4 people found this helpful

A Lot of Great New Information

I've been following Dr. Hyman and others for years as they try to provide the best information to the public about what a healthy diet really is, so some of the info in this book was not news to me. I enjoyed the refresher, though, and Dr. Hyman added some new data regarding studies into areas of health that were done recently that I had not run across before. I also appreciated his including how our diets affect the planet and other living creatures, not just ourselves. Excellent info and enjoyable narration.

4 people found this helpful

Food

This book is a wealth of information for the novice or expert in dietary information.

4 people found this helpful

NOT PERFECT OK FOR SOME

Irresponsible to give a green light to saturated fat. Associated with other chronicle diseases besides heart diseases. Cautions against fruit consumption due to fructose sugar content. Falsely Associates fruit consumption to chronic disease like non alcoholic liver disease and obesity and diabetes in chapter seven. Only recommends two or three servings per day even after explaining that berries and other fruits are beneficial. Many other authorities recommended more consumption. Advocates eating large amounts of fat because it’s healthy and helps you loose weight. High fat foods are usually low in nutrients per calories and easy to overeat. Advocates eating a fatty diet to speed up metabolism. Speeding up metabolism is not beneficial for longevity. He seems to support a low glycemic and therefore high fat diet as optimal for human health. He supports his claims with various short term studies that measures participants lipid levels and other markers. Many experts have shown skepticism of the long term health benefits of low carbohydrate high fat diets. High fat animal foods often have the highest concentration of contaminants and toxins. Although fats bound to the fiber in nuts and seed appears to be beneficial. Saturated fats have many negative associations besides heart diseases and are not recommended to consume in large amounts. He claims Exogenous cholesterol consumption does increase a persons cholesterol levels and are associated negatively with cardiovascular health. These studies have found to be flawed. All “blue zones” models, where people lived the longest, diets did not include high fat - low carb diets with overconsumption of animal products such as eggs, grass fed meat, butter and eggs as the author would recommend for you. The author points to studies that claim that particular saturated fats from animal products are protective from heart diseases. Yet we have known for decades that the only diet PROVEN to REVERSE heart diseases is a low fat whole food plant based diets recommended by Pritikin, Dr Esselstyn, T Colin Campbell, Dr Macdougall, Dr Furhman, Dr Brenda Davis and many others. We know that the SAD DIET has 30% of calories from animal products and we have some of the worst mortality rates from cardiovascular related deaths. The author blames carbohydrates for much of the cardiovascular risk yet we know of many studies countries where the inhabitants relied on whole food starches and there was virtually no known heart diseases in these populations. Yet Hyman clearly states that “low fat diets cause heart disease”. Saturated fat has been linked to higher prevalence of dementia and diabetes in some studies. Some good advice written here compared to SAD, but clearly not optimal. When considering dietary and lifestyle modification we must take the weight of the scientific evidence and take heed to those populations who have superior health and longevity.

3 people found this helpful

Great book if your a Nutrition Nerd!

Awesome book... I personally enjoyed every minute of it... probably because My beliefs align with Dr Hyman.

3 people found this helpful