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It’s all out there. The fads and opinion, the facts and myth relating to food. We’ve all been party and privy to it. And many of us have been both intrigued and confused by it. Conflicting media reports, misconceptions, scares and other hoo-ha have no doubt prompted author and nutritionist Nicole Senior to set the record straight. And indeed she does in Food Myths.
Do you need to be a vegetarian for optimum health?
Is thin better than fat?
Do adults need to drink milk?
Is sugar really our enemy?
Is chocolate really addictive?
What about butter v margarine, sea salt v table salt, sugar v artificial sweeteners?
It’s all here in Food Myths – fact laid out bare and myths busted. Don’t you just love a bit of straight-talk? Particularly when it comes to the very stuff you’re putting in your mouth (all of which subsequently land on your thighs).
In Part 1 of Food Myths, Senior cuts to the chase (because she knows we want it) – discusses dieting and weight loss. Boy, this is gold. Pinpointing several regimes like ‘you should eat according to your blood type’, ‘food combining helps you lose weight’, ‘avoiding carbs after 5pm’, ‘you need to eat every few hours to lose weight’ and many others we have all heard ad infinitum, Senior calmly lays out the yays and nays of each of these well-wrung topics.
At the end of each one, she summarises with Key Info, Long Story Short (perfect for readers who like things bite-size) and Hungry For More, which offers further reading and examination. She also intersperses these short essays with other information like Reality Checks and extras such as ‘What are Carbs?’, the types of sugar and many other fascinating insights.
In Part 2 – Food Pariahs – Senior examines such gastronomic treasures as ‘Fat: Friend or Foe?’, ‘Meat: Essential Food or Harmful Indulgence?’, Coeliac disease and issues surrounding dairy. In Part 3 – In Sickness and Health – we learn about the effects of food on our bodies. Senior covers cravings, vitamins and minerals, sports drinks, raw foods, superfoods and many more fascinating, health-driven information. Part 4 – Food In Modern Living – is dedicated to processed foods, organic and GM foods, coffee, toxicity, fish and mercury content, food labels and a plethora of other eye-opening facts.
Finally, in Old Wives’ Tales, she talks of the old ‘apple a day’, ‘carrots for good eyesight’ (did you ever see a rabbit wearing glasses?), ‘feed a cold and starve a fever’, and other time-honoured corkers that will make you nod in appreciation.
Food Myths is a book for those interested in good health, yes, but it’s as entertaining as it is informative. I loved thinking ‘Ha! knew it!’ as I read through this book, and I also loved staring, wide-eyed at the tripe the public has been force fed over the decades, most frequently by the food production industry and most particularly where obesity and weight loss is concerned.
Food Myths is as informative as they come, but is too much information too much when it comes to food and dieting? Not when it’s straight-talking fact, no. God knows, someone has to set the menu straight.
About the Author
Nicole Senior is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Nutritionist who loves writing and talking about food and health. She is author of two heart-healthy recipe books: Eat to Beat Cholesterol and Heart Food, and Belly Busting for Blokes. Nicole is also Nutrition Editor for Super Food Ideas magazine, and has taken her nutrition-talk into the digital age through her websites and social media. Nicole is a strong advocate for healthy food and an active member of the Dietitians Association of Australia. But most of all she is a food lover with a passion for turning complex nutrition science into simple everyday eating advice.
Nicole’s other books Heart Food, Eat to Beat Cholesterol and Belly Busting for Blokes.