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Summary: The Best Resource for Food-Related Health Information
Review: If you are tired of trying to make sense out of all of the conflicting claims about foods, diets, and various diseases, this book is your answer. The author bravely takes on any school of thought about food (including unhealthy ones), and provides a balanced perspective on what is wrong with that approach.Health is not only about eating. It is also about exercise, sleep, relationships with others, genetics, and environment. But for the part of health that relates to food, this book is the be-all and end-all for now. I say that not because of any weakness the book has, but simply because scientific information about health is expanding so rapidly. As Dr. Weil points out, the information he shares in this book is often news to medical students and physicians. Food and health are subjects that are poorly connected in our minds at this time. The book begins with an excellent section on what food means to us. While most health books focus on the disease related issues, Dr. Weil points out that food not only runs our bodies as fuel, but also is a source of pleasure (did you ever think you would hear that from a physician?), a way to create social interaction, a part of health, and a way to address some diseases toward restoring health. The second section is on the basics of what our bodies need. This is where scientific studies are neatly put together into a consistent description. I was especially impressed with the section on fats. It is very easy to omit getting the right fatty acids in your diet, and I was pleased to see this issue addressed well here. The third section then looks at the worst diet you could possibly eat (the fast food diet) and explains why the food is so appealing, yet why those french fries could be the death of you (for more reasons than you probably now know about -- beware of reused cooked fats!). The fourth section goes on to look at the best diet you can eat. Don't worry! It's nothing extreme. In fact, those who are a bit fanatic about their food regimens may be disappointed. I was pleased to find that my regular Saturday lunch of vegetable soup and a half a tuna sandwich are a good idea. There's also no harping on the need to maintain some extremely low weight. Weight is the next subject, and he looks both at how you should think about what your weight should be and how to get to that weight and stay there. A lot of the material on the satisfaction duration of the food you eat will be new and of interest to you. The next section was also very helpful to me. It talks about how to buy food and how to decide what to eat and order in restaurants. Since I travel a lot, I always need help with the latter. I got a number of good ideas. The final section was on recipes that are healthy and quick to make. Many of them sounded very appealing to me, and I was pleased to see that there were more for desserts than for any other part of the meal! The appendices are very helpful. One summarizes the optimum foods to eat; another looks at how foods can help you deal with various diseases; and another summarizes nutrition information. Dr Weil can definitely help you have a good time with your food and enjoy a healthy life, too!
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Summary: Down-to-earth advice
Review: In this book, Dr. Weil provides real, down-to-earth advice for people interested in good nutrition and health. He dosn't propagate crazy diet-schemes such as eating bagels, or total avoidance of carbohydrates, but instead, advocates moderation (something to practice in all aspects of life, not just eating). A comparison is made between disease trends of the past and present, as well as diets and trends in other countries, and hypotheses are made about how the advent of modern food processing may be responsible for the increased trends of disease we're cuttently experiencing. Also discussed are herbal tonics, remedies, etc. from other cultures around the globe. Areas where information is preliminary, or warrants further study, are duely noted.
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Summary: Diet and Debt Reduction Eliminated My Stress
Review: My wife started following Andrew Weil's advice a year ago when she saw him on PBS talking about a previous book. I resisted at first because his advice seemed a bit restrictive. Happily, I'm now a convert. This book is fabulous. I'm eating well but my weight is down and I no longer need my blood pressure medicine...
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Summary: For Biology Majors Only
Review: After seeing the Author on the Today Show, I was impressed with what he had to say about the book and immediately got online to buy it. I was hoping to find out more about Truths vs. Myths when it came to dieting. This book however dives so deep into the chemistry of the food and how your body digestes differently things, I felt like I needed a Biology degree just to understand it. I wanted more focus on the real life issues that people deal with and real life cures for those issues. It was very hard to get into and took me forever just to get through the first three chapters. If you're into the way food digest and how the digestion of different food works together then this will be a helpful book for you. However, if like myself you want to read about real life solutions then this book is less than helpful.
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Summary: Has Helped Many People Better Their HEALTH AND WELL BEING
Review: In his book Andrew writes " A healthy diet is the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle. You will find in these pages all the information you need to put that cornerstone in place." In reading this I was reminded of another book called "WORKING ON YOURSELF DOESN'T WORK: A BOOK ABOUT INSTANTANEOUS TRANSFORMATION by Ariel and Shya Kane. THIS IS A GREAT BOOK! For me the Kanes' book is the cornerstone of my life being wonderful. The Kanes' book is easy to read, inspiring, humorous and life transforming. I whole heartedly recommend the Kanes' book to anyone interested in having a centeredness and wellness from within themselves.
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Summary: The voice of reason.
Review: I found this book to be the voice of reason in a world of fanatics. No magic pills or amazing new concepts. Just good old fashioned common sense and good, interesting, scientific information.
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Summary: Andrew Weil AND Bill Philips
Review: Forget what the guy below said - this is a great book. I have also read Body For Life by Bill Philips, and have been following the Body For Life workout plan, and I found Andrew Weil's book to be a great complement to Body For Life. Body for Life gives very sound advice for working out, and Andrew Weil gives very sound advice about nutrition. There's really nothing in either book that makes them in any way mutually exclusive. Anyone seriously interested in getting in shape and eating properly should get both books. You don't have to be a bio-chemist or a workout/gym guru to read either. I knew little to nothing about working out or proper nutrition before reading these books and they both helped me greatly. Thanks Dr. Weil - for an interesting, informative, and very useful book.
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Summary: Why listen to what a FAT guy has to say about nutrition?
Review: At first, I was very interested in this book. However, after using some "simple, good, common sense" I realized something. Why would anyone in their right mind listen to what a FAT guy has to say about nutrition? It just isn't logical. Do you want to look like him? I certainly don't. I suggest taking a look at the book BILL PHILIPS wrote, BODY FOR LIFE. This guy is in phenominal shape. If you want to LOOK YOUR BEST, take a look at his book. Otherwise, go ahead and buy FATTY'S book.
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Summary: Old Wine, New Bottle
Review: Criticizing a well-intentioned man who is likeable and charming, looks like Santa, and is well-intentioned, is always a thankless task. I've met too many people failed by Dr. Weil's methodology; perhaps as many as have benefited. It would be helpful if he subjected his methods to some double blind tests. Yes, orthodox medical practice has all the big bucks, and it would behoove that community to fund these tests. We all know they never will. Nevertheless, in light of the medical communitiy's failure to do so, Dr. Weil should point out that he really has little basis for making his claims. The argument that his techniques are just "good common sense" doesn't hold much water. The belief that the sun revolved around the earth was also based on good common sense, and yet it was wrong. Until, the good doctor can prove otherwise, his medicine is as much hit and miss as most other folk medicine. Old wine, new bottle.
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Summary: Obvious advice + damaged credibility = don't waste your $
Review: If you're the type of person who believes that you were Alexander the Great in a previous life, then this book may be for you. I own several books by Dr. Weil. Unfortunately, this book damages his credibility so much that it has forced me to re-evaluate my respect for his earlier work. The offending chapter is Appendix D, "The Possibility of Surviving without Eating." Dr. Weil discusses "bigu," a state in which followers of a certain qigong master can supposedly avoid food for years. Weil even quotes one of the followers, who states that she has not eaten in eight years. Now, if you believe that, I have a bridge I'd like to sell you. Weil doesn't say whether he believes or disbelieves in bigu, but he gives it enough credence by discussing it seriously that he places his other writings in doubt. It frightens me that this seemingly rational man, with a basic knowledge of science, could consider such ridiculous claims. I couldn't get past that. Maybe you can, especially if you're the sort of person who believes that pro wrestling is real or that the government is covering up the truth about the "face of Mars." Otherwise, the advice in "Eating Well . . ." is mostly decent if obvious. Chances are, you've heard most of it from your mother since you were a little kid. For example, one of Dr. Weil's big suggestions is that we eat more fruits and vegetables. Gee, I've never heard that. This is a very disappointing book from someone I used to respect.
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