Food For Life : How the New Four Food Groups Can Save Your Life

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Summary: The latest in a long line...
Review: ...of activist vegetarian wackos. Not content to only use their own bodies in their food experiments, these guys now want their way of eating pushed on everybody else. (Do a web search on his name though, he is not exactly the picture of health). Pure politically-motived drivel.

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Summary: Worst nutrition book I've ever read
Review: From reading this book, all that I learned was that the author REALLY hates meat.

Statements made by Neal Barnard:

"Meat consumption is just as dangerous to public health as tobacco use"

"To give a child animal products is a form of child abuse."

This book is not so much about healthy eating and the four food groups, but about how much better off you will be if you stay away from meat. From looking up this guy on the Internet, I learned that Barnard has been admonished by the American Medical Association for unethical practices, and has actually been censured on several occasions.

There are a lot of good vegan books out there that offer practical medical advice, and which aren't written by "dcotors" with political goals over health goals. I'd suggest that anyone who considers purchasing this book do a search on the internet for the "Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine" or "Neal Barnard" and see for yourself the wealth of information regarding his unethical medical practices.

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Summary: Buy it, read it, and do as much as you can to abide by it
Review: I gave a copy to my brother, bought one for a friend, I'm reading it myself for the second time, and I just bought 3 more to share.

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Summary: I buy used copies of this book for my unhealthy family
Review: I have purchased over a dozen copies of this book for my family and friends, and finally browsed the reviews today and was shocked to see any negative feedback. So for those considering the book, remember the negative reviews were written by meat-lovers that in no way plan to give it up.

I've read at least twenty or so nutrition books and this is my favorite of them all. It's simple to read, easy to understand, and very complete. It encourages a vegeterian diet for the sole purpose of having a healthy life, rather than giving all the statisitics on animal cruelty.

It deconstructs all the myths (i.e. people need tons of protein, and vegetarians do not get enough iron) and gives tons of yummy recipes in addition to informing you of all the nutritional benefits of a plant-based diet.

It reinforces the fact that doctors do not fix you until you are broken. My brother is in med school and I asked him how many nutrition classes he was required to take..... the answer was none. Why not learn how to prevent diseases rather than fix them afterwards? Why eat a meat-based diet, take your cholesterol pill and destroy your liver, when you can avoid eating cholesterol at all? Why eat excessive simple carbohydrates and sugars and rely on an insulin shot every day?

I've bought copies for nearly every member in my family over the past three years, but sadly they don't bother reading it until they are required to take insulin, or they find a lump in their breast, or they find their cholesterol is off the charts. I believe you have a duty to your loved ones to keep your body healthy so you can be here for them as long as possible, and this book can show you how. For more info, look into pcrm.org

Also, my sincerest thank you to Dr. Barnard for caring enough to spend time to teach interested people the proper way to eat.

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Summary: This book convinced me to become a vegetarian
Review: I picked up Food for Life because I wanted to learn a littlebit more about nutrition. By the time I finished it I was well on my way to improving the quality of my life with a better diet. This book is filled with interesting about how changing what you eat can improve your health and preserve your youth!

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Summary: Truly a Life Style/Not a Diet Fad
Review: If you could only have one book for diet related information, this is the one to have. My original purchase of the book was seven years ago when I needed help eating balanced meals while learning to become a vegetarian. This book has it all from nutritional needs for different stages of life, meal planning, great recipes and even fast food alternatives and special needs due to various illnesses. I recently purchased my second copy for a friend (so I could get mine back) and she has also found it to be a great reference guide.

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Summary: A piece of the puzzle
Review: This is an excellent book. It traces out the nutritional roots of many significant diseases. My wife found it in the library while looking for something else, and now we're on our way to becoming vegetarian.

At times it's a little slow reading and occasionally seems a bit repetitious. However, his work is very well documented and there are extensive footnotes to research done in this area.

For an even more significant piece of the puzzle with regard to the roots of disease check out Henry Wright's "A More Excellent Way". He deals with the spiritual roots of disease, which affect us even more pervasively than the nutritional roots. A wholistic view on life demands that we address each dimension.