Diet For A Poisoned Planet

Rating:
Summary: Be aware of the Co$ connection
Review: Be aware that this book was labeled as 'trash' by former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, and that the Food and Drug Administration issued a paper claiming the author destorts his facts. The book supports and suggests a chain of clinics called 'HealthMed', which are run by Scientologists. Make up your own mind.

Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Book, Despite Corporate Attack and Smear Campaign
Review: I immediately wanted to read this book when I found out through "Toxic Sludge is Good for You" (Stauber and Rampton) that the book was targeted by the agricultural industry because it recommended organic food. As Toxic Sludge says: "Before shoppers can use [this] information, they must first hear about the book...the California Raisin Advisory Board wanted to make sure that Steinman's book was dead on arrival...Diet for a Poisoned Planet is a serious, important contribution to the public debate over health, the environment, and food safety. It fell victim to a PR [Public Relations] campaign designed to prevent it from ever reaching the 'marketplace of ideas'."

Rating:
Summary: This Book Has No Connection to Scientology
Review: The reviewers who say there is some connection between this book and Scientology must have mistaken this for some other book. I have this book and am not aware of any references to Scientology in it. Steinman is a well-respected health writer who researched the material in this book through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the USDA, which was forced to reveal the results of its own testing on various foods. This information was then compiled into a book that tells you which foods are polluted and which are not.

This is a great book for anyone concerned about health. However, it has one problem; it is twelve years old, and the toxic load of the planet is in a state of ever increasing flux.

Steinman has a more recent title (1995) called The Safe Shopper's Bible, which expands its scope from food to include all household products (and food, too). In that book, he has partnered with Samuel Epstein, one of the world's most respected cancer researchers.

The only criticism I would make of the Safe Shopper's Bible (which is a must-have for anyone who wants to live a long life today) is that it is primarily focused upon cancer-causing contaminants, to the near-exclusion of other toxins, such as mercury. This is particularly problematic in the category of Seafood, which has heavy mercury contamination.

Still, I haven't found a better source of information about food toxicity in a single volume.

Rating:
Summary: Junk Science, Scientology style
Review: This book is based on pulp fiction author L. Ron Hubbard's imaginary delusions of physiology. Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop said it better than I could, when asked about this book.

Question. What about the author's detoxification advice? He credits L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology with some of the theories he recommends.

Answer. "My recommendation about detoxification is to keep away from it. You don't need it. I'm not sure it does what this book describes. It's dangerous. I don't think L. Ron Hubbard has credibility in the scientific world. The author's suggestions about detoxification can be detrimental to your health. " - C. Everett Koop, M.D.

Rating:
Summary: Be aware of the Co$ connection
Review: This is a superb reference for anyone interested in understanding what goes into the food that they eat, and how to make informed choices about their diet. Some of the specific suggestions for foods, and the glossary of pesticiddes and chemicals in the back may be a bit dated by now (I would strongly recommend that the authors update it - I would buy it in a second), the most important aspect of this book is information about _why_ certain foods carry a heavy toxic load, which gives you a framework for making general decisions about eating. I bought this book in 1994, and it was a constant companion until I lent it to someone (if it was you - please give it back!), and lost it. But I had already memorized most of the basic rules that I use to chose the way that I eat. And I am going to buy another copy.