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Customer Review :

Wonderful!

This book is wonderful. It was a quick read. Although very strict if followed to the letter, I have been alternating recipes in one per day, and have been very pleased with the recipes so far.

Each recipe has nutrition information, quick, easy directions, substitutions (lots of them!), and healthy tidbits about the ingredients. It is very informative, and a wonderful book to start your healthy-cooking recipe collection.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone suffering from food allergies.

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Wonderful book!

I got this book from the library, but loved it so much I bought it! I have an intolerance to wheat, and the recipes (especially the breads) look so easy and delicious. I have begun to incorporate more flax and fish after reading the book, and I feel great. I am hopeful it will make a big difference in my health and the health of my family.

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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

The association between chronic inflammation and disease has been revealed and is continually supported by research studies. Naturopathic practitioner, Jessica Black, has identified foods to eat and foods to avoid that will keep us from unnecessarily over stimulating our immune systems and causing unhealthy, disease-provoking inflammatory responses.

The book begins by explaining why an anti-inflammatory diet is beneficial, providing scientific support. The book continues with what foods to eat and what foods to avoid, as well as 108 recipes. There is also a week of sample menus for summer months and one for winter months. The recipes use anti-inflammatory foods while excluding common allergens and inflammation-promoters.

An anti-inflammatory diet should emphasize pineapple, most fruits (though limiting citrus), vegetables, garlic, ginger, turmeric, flaxseed oil, nuts (not peanuts), seeds (sesame, pumpkin, sunflower), flaxseed oil, olive oil, and filtered water. Additional good food choices include: flaxseeds, avocados, fish (salmon, cod, haddock, halibut, mackerel, sardines, tuna, trout), whole grains (amaranth, spelt, barley, buckwheat, millet, oatmeal, quinoa, basmati, brown rice, rye), legumes, beans (black, pinto, navy, mung), split peas, curry, and tofu (or better choice fermented tempeh or miso.) Inflammation-promoters include wheat products, dairy products, corn, peanuts and peanut butter, sugar, fried foods, foods containing hydrogenated oils, processed foods, alcohol, juice, coffee, caffeinated teas and sodas, potatoes, tomatoes, pork, nonorganic eggs, shellfish, and citrus fruits (except lemon).

Dr. Black also has many healthy hints such as:
For cooking use Coconut oil rather that Canola oil, which is toxic.
Choose yams and sweet potatoes rather than potatoes and tomatoes.
Avoid wheat.
Choose fermented soy products such as tempeh and miso rather than tofu.
Avoid shellfish such as shrimp, crab, lobster, clams, and mussels.
Limit citrus except lemon.
Limit dried fruit
Use quinoa to thicken soup rather than oats.
Use split peas, barley, or navy beans rather than lentils.

This book is full of information in this important area of inflammation and disease. Highly recommended! A great companion book which has similar foods to emphasize and avoid and that is exceptional for weight loss is [[ASIN:097974590X THE 3:00 PM SECRET: Live Slim and Strong, Live Your Dreams]]. I also like Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective. and Dr. Gundry's Diet Evolution: Turn Off the Genes That Are Killing You--And Your Waistline--And Drop the Weight for Good


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Good recipes, poor science

I found the recipes in this book to be a great starting point for replacing some of my unhealthy meals with healthier ones. The author includes recipes for snacks, breads, breakfasts, herbal teas, dinners and deserts. Ingredients are all non-allergy foods. The recipes are delicious and practical.

Although the diet does produce the desired health changes for me, the author's explanation of why the it works leaves much to be desired. For example, the paragraph on canola oil directly quotes a known urban legend (see urbanlegends.about.com and browse "Food and Drink", then "Canola Oil" for a good refutation). The section on dietary fiber glosses over the differences between soluble vs. non-soluble fiber. The author repeatedly stresses the importance of freshly grinding seeds to maximize their nutritional value, however purchasing pre-ground meal seemed to work just fine for me.

Fortunately the explanation of the diet only takes up 1/4th of the book. If there's anything I've learned about health theories, it's to always do you're own research to verify any and all claims. This certainly applies to this book. I still give it 4 stars because the recipes are delicious, easy to cook, practical, and have helped produce the inflammation-reducing effects I was seeking.

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Pain Relief from a diet? It's working for me!!

None of my doctors thought a "diet" would control the chronic pain in my hips due to inflammation of the bone marrow. For 2 1/2 years I have been suffering with chronic pain, mostly in my right hip and sometimes my lower back.

I have read other Anti-Inflammatory books before. Other books are good at convincing you that inflammation exists and shows medical backing on it's link to most diseases including cancer, diabetes, and obesity. This book cuts to the chase as if you have done most of your homework and provides a simple way to eat complete with recipes and a chart. This book to some people might seem scary because it is the strictest as far as food allowances but the payoff is immeasurable...and it is working for me! Many of the foods I was eating were what we considered healthy but they were toxic for my inflammatory condition.

I would recommend this book if you are serious about fighting inflammation. It has the recipes using their suggested best ingredients....nlike other books which allow sugar and flours, peanut products and alcohol. It is easy to rule these out and be strict for some time knowing you might solve your inflammation problem once and for all! After you give this diet a fair shot you can modify your diet based on how you feel.

I am full of gratitude for the simplicity of your research and this book. And more happy that I will NOT be facing the surgeon's knife or any synthetic drugs of any kind. Along with this diet and a juice recommended to me for inflammation...I am thankful for my health and my husband thinks I'm just about a different person!!

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Customer Review :

Simple, Common Sense Nutrition Advice and Guidelines

This book was recommended to me by my doctor when I asked him some questions about nutrition. I quite enjoyed this book and most certainly feel it was worth my while. There's not much that's mind-blowing here, there's no easy or magic secret to good health, but it spells out proper nutrition clearly and concisely and does recommend some foods you may not know of or consider, like quinoa as an example. The book is based on years of research, and I have no doubt that anyone's health would improve by following the advice in Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy.

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A Comprehensive Aid in Nutrition Decision Making

With so much news constant inundating all of us on the most recent nutrition fads it's often difficult to decide what the right choices are when it comes to eating.

This book is an excellent source of advice citing which studies make sense to pay attention to and what sorts of dietary changes we can all be making to improve our lives. I purchased 2 copies, one for myself, and one for my parents.

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Great customer service!

The quality of the books are excellent. I had a problem receiving the books, though. When tracking them I was told they were delivered, but I had never received them. I got connected with customer service through the website and they helped make things right by re-sending my order. These books came in the same time I should have received my other books. I feel confident that I can order through Amazon again and they will make sure that I am satisfied. Thank you, Amazon!

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Exactly what I was looking for

This book is exactly what I was looking for: scientific information related to nutrition and health. It is clear, easy to read, and provides practical ideas for implementation. I have already changed my diet and feel great. I've even lost weight without trying. I really appreciate a book that takes all the research that has been done and boils it down into a readable text. This book has done that better than I expected.

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Great!

The book came promptly and was in great condition, as described. I am really enjoying reading it. Thanks much!

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Editorial Review :

Studies show that the reason why many people gain weight—and keep it on—is emotional eating, not physical eating. Now Dr. Roger Gould, a psychotherapist and a leading authority on emotional eating, shows how to overcome fear, anxiety, and other stresses and stop using food as an over-the-counter tranquilizer that can cause weight gain. With 12 practical ways to stop emotional eating and an eight-session program, Dr. Gould helps you become your own eating therapist and shrink yourself for good.

Customer Review :

The only weight loss book for me

I have been an emotional eater my whole life. I have tried to find a book that would help me understand why and how to stop, but have never found a good one. I was starting to get hopeless after numerous diet books failed to adress what I was dealing with, that which was preventing me from being able to even start trying a diet. I thought no one understood and I was the only one feeling this way. But then I found this book and it looked interesting so I bought it. So far, I have only read the introduction and first chapter, but I am already hooked on this book. I found so much in only the first chapter that has already motivated me tremendously. I can't wait to finish the book and lose weight, because I know I will with this excellent book!

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Great tool to understand why you overeat

I've been defently impressed by this book becuase it doesn't speak about anything realted to the food diets but it only is about our mind and propose great tools, wwithout giving any magic solution, to understand your the deep reasons that push anyone to overeat. It is doeasn't matter if you overeat occasionally o regularly, the book helps you to understand and identify the reasons, giving up overeating is the consequent that happens later with strong commitment without forcing yourself becuase you've learned many things about you as an adult. Thanks Professor Gould!


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This review refers to the Summary....

I noticed that the lower reviews came from persons who felt that the book didn't cover specifics on what to do to loose the weight. What I felt the author is offering is the "tool" to help you recognize WHY you're overweight and the steps you can take to correct the WHY, which is emotional eating. Now everyone's emotional reasons are different, hence it would be a very lengthy book to read, and it would be too general if "tools" where given. When reading the summary version of this book I was shaking my head in amazed agreement of how relevant and on-point the book was for me. I agreed with the material presented and recognized that if put into practice, I can begin to turn my current situation around emotionally, physically and spiritually. When I purchase the book I will come back to amend my rating.

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THIS IS THE ONE!

ANYONE WHO HAS EVER STRUGGLED, WHO HAS FIFTY MILLION DIET BOOKS ON THEIR BOOKSHELF - LOOK NO FURTHER..this book is the one!!! I have 21 diet books, have read them all, tried them all...but this one struck a chord somehow. It explained things in a way that I haven't found before..both my girlfriend and I are reading it and we have already found drastic improvements in the first week. We no longer binge, we stop - we realise no "goal" we make in regards to our weight can control our desire to eat. We have learnt to not lose weight for our husbands, for a dress size, for a weight on the scales - we are no longer thinking of a number to attain - we are just so excited to have found a solution that we can work with. The book is TREMENDOUS - we are in Australia and will be ordering more copies. THANK YOU ROGER!!!!! YOU ARE A GENIUS - THANK YOU FOR SHARING THE THERAPISTS SECRETS - you have saved us heaps of money and lots of emotional pain. Kind regards from two aussie gals happy and well on our way!!

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Shrink Yourself

This book is worth a read if you've been blocked from loosing weight. It gives you a simple but deep explanation of the whys to overeating. It definitely set me on my way towards making changes from within and I know I will return to read the book to fine tune my thoughts and feelings. Thank you for this very well written book with plenty of ah-ha moments.

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Powerful Message

This book is an examination of the Western diet and health. In his previous book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pollan described his personal experiences in taking the challenge of re-connecting with food. In the present book, Pollan explores some of the themes that he uncovered with his increased interest in food, such as where food comes from, and why we eat it. The book is divided into 3 parts: The Age of Nutritionism, The Western Diet and the Diseases of Civilization, and Getting over Nutritionism. Pollan argues that food processors and industry groups have used scientific findings on nutrition to further their own financial interests rather than safeguard our health. As a result of "educational" campaigns on nutrition, we follow a misguided program of obsessing over individual nutrients, enriched ingredients, and supplements, when what we really should be eating is a variety of unprocessed foods in reasonable amounts.

The book is quite engaging to read, as well as informative. Pollan consulted numerous scientific articles when researching this book. Sources are provided at the end of the book, divided by chapter and topic; many are also available online at the author's website. Following the publication of The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pollan has become a leader and spokesperson for the localvore movement, in which consumers are urged to shorten the food supply chain and eat food that is produced close to home. In the present book, Pollan presents both a guideline and justification for such local eating: "Shake the hand that feeds you." He points out that direct connections between food producers and food consumers help producers keep in mind that real people will be eating their foods (thus, the food needs to be healthy, clean, free of pesticides and other contaminants), and help consumers keep in mind that real people have grown their food (and need to be compensated fairly and held accountable for their growing practices). Such a guideline makes much more sense than the arbitrary distance limits popular in localvore literature (limit your diet to foods grown within a 100 mile radius of where you live). In formulating such a simple guideline, Pollan has distilled the true intention of the localvore movement into a catchphrase that is both meaningful and easy to remember. This is only one of the many simple guidelines Pollan proposes in this book as alternatives to the ones we hear in the media about fat, cholesterol, and vitamins. The book is very thought-provoking and informative, wherever you are in your relationship to food.


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Ayurveda and Food equals Health & Longevity

This book is welcome. I use it together with the Yale University School of Medicine Dr. Frank John Ninivaggi book: Ayurveda: A Comprehensive Guide To Traditional Indian Medicine for the West. Both give practical info about how and what to east for great health in body, mind, and spirit. I recommend them both.

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Just Eat Food. Real Food.

"Don't you want any of this good food?", my Great Aunt Margaret beams at me over the buffet aisle. I answer, "If any of it were good, I would want it."

It is the 1970's and a new kind of restaurant came to our rural county: the smorgasbord. Adult eyes widened at the sight of aisles of food, a melange of red, orange, brown and white gooey side dishes punctuated by varieties of tough grisly meat. They wonder that I don't want to load my plate as they do. I equally marveled over their reaction. The food tasted off; powdery when it should be toothsome, salty where it should be savory, and blandly gelatinous when it should be creamy.

Anything Aung Margaret cooked was a hell of a lot better than this and now I know the reason behind what even my uneducated seven year old palate was perceiving. Aunt Margaret's meals were simple, always a meat, potato and vegetable, cooked simply; but the meat was fresh from the butcher's pack, the potatoes from the bag, and the vegetables from our garden in summer, or from the can or freezer in winter. At my uncle's request, Aunt Marg cooked just like his mother did, and his mother was born in the 1890's. Unknowingly we were living Michael Pollan's dictum to only eat food that our great grandmothers would recognize as food.

Throughout the work Pollan explores how our Western understanding of food has been reduced to calories and nutrients, a movement he calls nutritionism. He asserts that Westerners have forsaken and maligned the social, emotional and sensory aspects of eating and asked science to dictate our diets. But science has not been successful at curing our ills and limiting our waistlines through diet due to the inherent reductionism necessary to most scientific research. Also, so much of the processing of food has brought with it ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup and hydrongenated vegetable oils, ingredients that are not doing us any favors.

Pollan cuts through the proliferation of dietary advice based upon managing various nutrient levels, and calls us to a simpler, more enjoyable approach to food: just eating food. Real food. Food that you don't have to add water to and stir. Food that doesn't come in a plastic bubble pack. Food that looks and smells and tastes like what it really it. What could be better?

If you are a bit of a foodie already, you will be nodding your head in agreement all through this this book. If you are tired of trying various dietary regimens to no avail, then this work will set your heart at ease. If you are the impatient sort, skip the chapter on nutritionism's history and delve right into the guidelines in the final chapters. However you use this book, it definitely serves up food for thought. Bon Appetit!






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Blew Through This GREAT Book

This should be mandatory reading. I like the structure: tripartite, 1. breaking down the emergence of 'nutritionism' (the doctrine that food should be measured by the recognizable component nutrient values), and debunking it, brilliantly through the lipid hypothesis (fat is bad), 2. The pathological component: 'Western Diseases' and the search for a unified field theory nutritional equivalent, then 3. Getting Over Nutritionism, which is a set of prescriptive ways to avoid the foregone horrors, delivered as a fusion of deadpan and Lutherian theses.

What's great about this book is that, without an ounce of (deserved) hysteria, it empties both barrels into all the culprits whose role in what has become institutionalized mass murder has been for whatever reason off limits. Surprisingly, it's in some of the indictments that don't go far enough that the only disappointments lurk. For example, there's a longish discussion of the nurses studies that were the source of many of the errors, but no discussion of the worst such mistake: the emergence of HRT as a general purpose solution for menapause, which literally ended up killing millions (when HRT was finally stopped in its tracks, breast cancer rates dropped 15%).

Actually, the best thing about this book is that the devolution of food (through corruption) that is detailed here can be read as an allegory for the culture at large: reductionism, the subjugation of all things to the short term interest of the sellers, the absence of said agents when the downstream costs explode on their victims. Though the book does read amazingly well on the two levels simultaneously, I ended up wishing that the author spent some energy widening his gaze to try and understand how some of these mishaps occurred. For instance, the nutritionism diatribe discusses the part/whole shortcomings brought on by reductionism. Not unlike what happened when Utilitarianism emerged in philosophy in the 19th Century. There are many places where the simple process of even making hypotheses is not just questioned, but likened to something akin to insanity. It would have been great if there were some discussion of the fact that 'science' education generally means no exposure to philosophy or rhetoric, or process theory for that matter, and the results have been horrific.

A must read.

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enlightening

This book transformed how I think about food. It also revealed the extent to which we are socialized to have such misunderstandings about food. This is a must-read for anybody who wants to eat better. It raises awareness as to what is really food really vs. what is simply food-like product.

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MUST READ for the newly diagnosed with Diabetes

Before I started my Diabetes education classes I wanted to get some well researched information written by someone who went through it and not by just a Dr. only. This book is helpful and well written...an easy read. Titled clearly for easy to find topics.

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Type 2 Diabetes -- Excellent book

The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed (First Year, The) Useful, current information about "causes" and treatments of Type 2 Diabetes: Insulin Resistance; Blood Glucose measurement and management; Low-fat, Low-carb, Low-Glycemic Index, other Diets. Thoughtful, sensitive information about the frustrations faced by Type 2 diabetics: Family; Friends; Work; Travel. No-nonsense guide on how to take control and manage your Diabetes.

After reading this book, I bought additional copies to give to friends.


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Great book; but was sent the old (not latest) edition as ordered.

Excellent book; very informative and "user friendly." However, I wish I had been shipped the latest edition instead of being "jipped" by receiving the old edition.

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Well researched and easy to use..

A good starter book that takes a lot of the guess work out of " What- do I- do-now " ?? Well researched and presented..

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Must Have If You Are Recently Diagnosed

This book was so helpful. I know I will learn more from it every day. If you are just diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes it's a must have. I had no idea what I was doing. This book has gotten me through. I highly recommend it.

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