Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I read this book after reading two of Michael Pollan's books and "Real Food: What to Eat and Why" by Nina Planck, and I have to say I was disappointed by this book. I think she's too critical of things that don't merit criticism (probiotics, healthiness of fish, saturated fat from nutrient dense foods such as pastured chicken eggs etc.) and not critical enough of topics that deserve harsher criticism (rBST, polyunsatured oils, oxidized cholesterol in low-fat dairy). I think she missed an opportunity to inform people about what are very reasonable arguments questioning the validity of the importance of blood cholesterol levels. And any one of the millions of women who eat yogurt to prevent yeast infections during antibiotic use can attest to the usefulness of probiotics! I also think she glosses over the nutritional differences between organic and non-organic produce, eggs and meat, which can be substantial. Explanations are somewhat simplistic and people with prior nutrition and/or science backgrounds will likely be frustrated by overly-simplified claims and explanations and the lack of detailed specific explanations about nutrients and why they are important. Overall, this book provides a very basic overview of nutrition according to the status quo and gives the impression that nutritionists have it all figured out now, when in fact they don't. Her sources for bold claims are rarely quoted. She refers to studies generally, but not specifically. It's almost as if she drew conclusions by reading only the abstracts of many journal articles without reading the entire article. From personal experience I can tell you that a study may appear to be well -designed and conclusions may appear to be reasonable, but when you look at the specifics of the study, you often find other variables which completely negate the supposed conclusion. I do, however, think she's on target with regard to the overwhelming power exerted by big food producing companies and their lobbyists. And she does explain some of the environmental and moral issues created by factory farms, fish farming and big agricultural. So I give her credit in this regard. Personally, I think Nina Planck's "Real Food" provides a much more detailed explanation of various foods, nutrients, and controversial health claims and guides. She covers quite a few (important) topics that Nestle's book doesn't and is impeccable about supporting her assertions with journal citations so you can research the original source. She offers a differing point of view in some regards- a view you likely have not heard and I think her arguments for doing so are compelling. The ONE area where the two authors agree? Eat your veggies!