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Summary: Poor ideas about exercise, advice is paranoid
Review: Dr. Weil has a lot of odd advice in this book, and questionable ideas. For instance, rather than partaking in proper fitness training, particularly high intensity training which yields phenominal health benefits, he believes it's enough to chop veggies and do work around the house. This is probably a reason that he himself is overweight. He also believes that if you're overweight and healthy, this is better than being thin and healthy, but what about the evidence that abdominal fat is so highly related to diabetes and heart disease? Routinely he jumps on the most recent study saying this or that, such as mushrooms being cancer-causing, and many of his recommendations are likely to change because there is insufficient research behind them at this time. He believes soy is a wonder food, which there is, again, limited evidence that isoflavones are really good for your body. He does have some interesting ideas about antioxidents which are probably worth reading. I suppose the fundemental issue I have with the book is that it makes a lifestyle recommendation on physical activity that is probably insufficient for optimum health, but convenient for people unwilling to exercise. The book is, otherwise, a big list of foods and some of their theoretical benefits in isolation, without any higher level analysis of a complete dietatry recommendation. His book reads like: food A is good, except for this variety, which is bad. Food B is bad. Food C is good in this way and bad in this way. But really, at the end of the day, what is the actual consequence of all of these details as they're completely unquantified? Is consumption of white mushrooms and peanuts typical in the American diet really going to cause a statistically significant difference in cancer? Why should consumers be paranoid about such nonsense? Wouldn't it be more reasonable to make more solid recommendations on physical activity, cholesterol levels, saturated fats and the ratios of macronutrients than to list all of these insignificant dangers, and moreover to show how a *complete* diet fared with these recommendations, since he is a professor.
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Summary: My favorite Dr. Weil book --packed with good info
Review: This is hands-down my favorite book of Dr. Weil. I like it even better than "Eight Weeks to Optimum Health" and that's saying a lot. Dr. Weil doesn't believe in crazy dieting. Good for him. He does believe in healthy eating habits and can explain why certain fats are bad for you, and THEN he gives delicious recipes to substitute for things like french fries (oven-fried potatoes.) In fact, many of the recipes are very very good, especially the fish recipes. He also debunks both the high-fat high protein diet and the very low fat (and difficult to maintain) diets as well. In addition, the recommendations of food choices for various illnesses were helpful. When you finish reading this book, you are left with plenty of good suggestions to help you choose foods at home and when you eat out, and you don't have to give up good things to live on rice cakes and seaweed puffs. This book is fun to read, too. What more could you ask for?
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Summary: A Goldmine of Essential Information
Review: This book is wonderful. It doesn't say "This food is good so eat it." Dr. Weil really explains what foods do for you. He explains the science of food and nourishment. The book is so interesting. A wealth of information. There were so many facts or studies in this book that I was compelled to share with others.
Another thing I liked about the book is that he isn't pushing anything on you. He is just laying things out as they are leaving you to make the decisions. He ends each chapter with what he recommends, but nothing is rigid.
I highly recommend this book. I cannot stop telling my friends and family about it. This is a book everyone should read. No kidding.
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Summary: Andrew Weil is a big fat............
Review: Eating Well For Optimum Health
Review by: Kehaulani Marciel Eating well for optimum health is the concern of many Americans in today's society. The book written by author Andrew Weil is an outstanding book for obtaining optimum health. Dr. Weil draws out how exactly our body works and what our body needs to perform at its peak. Throughout the book you will learn how to improve your health, dietary advice for chronic ailments, as well as recipes to help you reach your optimum health.
Proteins, fats, micronutrients, and carbohydrates are all necessities of life. These are the three basics of human nutrition, which help us to obtain a healthy lifestyle. Yet, eating these things in large or uneven amounts can be very unhealthy likewise. It is important that we get proteins, fats, and carbohydrates in our diets because our body uses them and breaks them down and produces glucose, maltose, disaccharide, lactose and many other components that the body needs to maintain optimum health.
Dr. Weil lists the "Worst" and the "Best" diets that have been studied through many people's eating habits. He continues to pinpoint the benefits as well as the downfalls of each diet. He compares the United States to other countries and explains how and why that particular country is so much healthier. We see that here in America, we are constantly eating fast foods and grabbing a quick snack on the way out. In Asian countries, food selection is much different resulting in healthier life styles. When dining out, Americans often load up on bread and dive into oily and fattening dinner platters which offer a beautiful display. If we were to substitute our gourmet dinners for something a bit healthier, America would not be the top country for obesity.
Eating healthy does not only help you to look better, it helps you to feel better. Studies have shown that people, who consume fast foods, candies, sodas, as well as red meats, are more likely to not only have an obesity problem, but have health problems as well. Japan contained the healthiest people until recently. The average age for men was 77.2 while the women averaged 84.1 years. According to the traditional Japanese diet, there is a correlation with very low rates of coronary heart disease and hormonally driven cancers. Their foods are also prepared at an unusually low percentage of total calories from fat. It is obvious that in some parts of the world, traditional diets are no doubt better than those of today. If we Americans were to eat like our distant hunter-gatherer ancestors, most of our health problems including obesity and cardiovascular disease would disappear. This diet consists of no processed food and little to no carbohydrates. They ate meat from wild game, fish, wild fruits, nuts and tubers. They had no salt or vegetable oils, which made their foods a lot healthier than today's meals.
Through reading this book, you learn not only how to change your bad eating habits, but how to shop for them and order them as well. Dr. Weil shares a number of healing and inspirational stories of how people have changed their lives for the better. With just a slight modification of ones diet, we see a great improvement not only in appearance, but in long-term health as well. With the helpful and abundant recipes provided by Dr. Weil himself there is no reason to delay "Eating Well For Optimum Health."
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