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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “This fab little book is a must for everyone, whether you are trying to lose weight or just eat healthier. Not only does it give great tasting, healthier substitutions for all your favorite food items, it is jam-packed with shopping tips, great advice and money saving schemes. |
Didn’t Like It “Interesting but hard to make practical.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
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“I love this book. I've read other reviews and criticisms about this book, and while I can understand the viewpoints of the negative reviews, I still love this book. It is hands down the best "food" advice book I've read for my lifestyle and habits and will become a primary reference book for me in months to come.
Jen M wrote this review Wednesday, October 28 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
This is not really designed for people who are already good about "shopping the perimeter", though those folks also may find useful information. It's primarily for people who are confused by food labels, can be lured by the tricky marketing phrasing that the FDA allows, or who need things broken down into layman's language. There are sections on fruits and vegetables and meat, what each are useful for, which are recommended seeking organics for, how best to store them so they stay fresher longer. There is a section about spices, and one about wise choices for salad bars. The bulk of the book, though, is comprised of side by side comparisons of specific food brands/flavors by category. For example, on the ice cream page there may be 5-6 specific types in the Eat This section, and another 5-6 on the Not That page.
The book is very specific in these comparisons...for example, you wouldn't see a "buy Dreyer's instead of Haagen Daaz" type of statement. Instead, you'd see something like "Dreyer's Slow Churn vanilla is better than Haagen Daaz French Vanilla and here are the stats on the label to demonstrate why"...many of the criticisms disliked this formula because it was SO specific. For me, however, it served as more of a reinforcement of the label-reading information shared earlier in the book; by seeing examples of WHY one particular item is better than another, I feel better armed to read other food labels with more confidence.
What I really liked about this book, aside from the general information I was gleaning, is that it doesn't shy away from the way most real people in America eat. Most diet and diet-like books preach the same sorts of things: candy is bad, sugar is bad, stay away from these things. This book says "Look...chocolate bars are bad. We know they are bad. But there are days when we're going to eat them anyway, so when those days come, you'd be smarter to pick a candybar from THIS column instead of THAT column." Just like with involving kids in decision-making that gives them a choice and therefore a "buy-in" to the process, being told that I have an actual choice that may be better for me rather than having to deny deny deny has already changed my perspective on things.
So...bottom line for me: this book may not be for everyone. Some may see it as too simplistic, some not generic enough. For me, it's been a blessing and has made me highly optimistic, even excited, about future grocery shopping endeavors. I have the restaraunt version of this book too, and I can't wait to dive into it and discover its gems.
”“Interesting but hard to make practical.”
Matthew V wrote this review Saturday, October 10 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Great stuff in here! I think it's worth buying! Or getting as a gift, as in my case!”
Katrina B wrote this review Thursday, October 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“ I'd really hoped for some easier ways to navigate the grocery store. A more of "Brand X is a good one to get but don't get Brand Y." Instead it was more focused on individual products. Like (and I'm totally making this up) "Campbell's Italian Wedding Soup is good, but don't get Progresso's Chicken Noodle Soup." The only real clear cut thing I saw like that was in popcorn. Evidently Orville is a go, but Pop Secret is not. I expected a bit more from this book than the things that EVERYone knows. You know, like how you should buy from the edges of the grocery store and not go into the aisles. Or that chosing items with fewere numbers of ingredients are generally healthier than their counterparts with more ingredients. Or an item with high fructose corn syrup listed second is worse than an item that lists it 8th. Really? I already knew all this stuff. And anyone who's ever tried to diet or be healthy knows it too. So, I was pretty disappointed. It focused more on individual flavors of things that were better to buy instead of making it easier and focusing on brands. ”
Jennifer J wrote this review Thursday, August 27 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“An excellent book, especially if the reader cares about the foods he/she eats.”
Scott O'Dell - Teacher wrote this review Friday, July 31 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“As others have said, an eye-opening and informative book. Easy to understand. By the time you finish this book you will have learned to read food labels and decipher the good fats and sugars from the bad. The only bad thing about this book is that a lot of the products/brands are not available in all areas. ”
koreen56 wrote this review Sunday, July 5 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The books are great for reference. Easy, logically explained swaps. He concentrated alot on sodium content which is a little different, but healthy. Only problem for me is I almost never buy name brands or convenience foods.”
Kat wrote this review Monday, June 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“eye opening,helpful”
TRacey P wrote this review Wednesday, May 13 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No1 of 1 members found this review helpful“This fab little book is a must for everyone, whether you are trying to lose weight or just eat healthier. Not only does it give great tasting, healthier substitutions for all your favorite food items, it is jam-packed with shopping tips, great advice and money saving schemes.
Gardendale Staff wrote this review Friday, May 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Learn the tricks supermarkets use to make you buy certain items. Find out which veggies and fruits are in season and how to store them to get the best and freshest taste. Discover what to look for on food labels and what to avoid. Get info on how to pick the best and tastiest meat cuts and determine what those weird items on the ingredients list really are.
The easy-to-use book features pictures, detailed break downs of the calorie, fat and sodium content on colour coded tags that correspond to the healthier options making shopping a breeze.”
“This fab little book is a must for everyone, whether you are trying to lose weight or just eat healthier. Not only does it give great tasting, healthier substitutions for all your favorite food items, it is jam-packed with shopping tips, great advice and money saving schemes.
Jenne J wrote this review Friday, May 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Learn the tricks supermarkets use to make you buy certain items. Find out which veggies and fruits are in season and how to store them to get the best and freshest taste. Discover what to look for on food labels and what to avoid. Get info on how to pick the best and tastiest meat cuts and determine what those weird items on the ingredients list really are.
The easy-to-use book features pictures, detailed break downs of the calorie, fat and sodium content on colour coded tags that correspond to the healthier options making shopping a breeze.
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