3 out of 4 stars
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I wanted to love this book, as an Ironman and a 40 something mother of three young children, I am a big fan of overall health and the title pulled me right in. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I didn’t give it a 2 because it is a fair/safe guideline to our current culture of fast eating. I didn’t give it a 4 because I felt it was missing neutral data for non-traditional medicine.
The book is sectioned into three areas of focus, I appreciate that Tavel has structured so that it can be used as a reference guide and searched by topics.
Section 1: Every day Health Tips
Section 2: Myths
Section 3: Tricks
I had a healthy appreciation for the way the Tavel starts his first chapter with an important medical insight, “for accumulation of fat around the waist, rather than legs and hips, raises one’s ultimate chances of cardiovascular disease, even though total weight may be within the normal range.” He proceeds to go into lifestyle choices, proximity to unhealthy food choices, and portion sizes, that impact health. He dives right into the four most common means for losing weight: calorie counting, unproven supplements, diet pills, and surgery.
In his description of each section, the sentences tend to run together. This practice is found throughout the book. When he goes into the different life choices that cause obesity, he stays at a superficial level and briefly mentions that the “subject is too complex to cover here,” I would have like to see references for further reading. I appreciate that he starts with the data that someone wanting to take weight loss seriously, wants to read, “Reduction of calories” but this feels oversimplified because who hasn’t tried that? But he immediately comes to the rescue talking about the power that water has in the body, creating sensation of being full, promoting energy use, eventually increasing metabolism. Dieting in general has received a bad rap in news outlets, but Tavel talks about the pros and cons of each idea of “dieting” and concludes that staying committed to a healthy diet is the most effective.
In the chapters that follow, various studies and statistics are referenced to support Tavel’s statements. Tavel discusses how many of the ideas we grew up with that have made it through research and scientific studies are being used to confirm our mother’s advice; eat breakfast, avoid processed foods, and consume caffeine (and basically everything else) in moderation.
I appreciate that he addresses how inaccurate correlations can be made, such as chocolate improving health, but may be tied to finances and accessibility to fine foods such as dark chocolate. For me, some of his suggestions did not match with his theories. He suggested substituting hot chocolate for coffee, but this is a drink high in sugar and rarely is hot chocolate made from dark chocolate, which is the form of chocolate that is purported to have the most benefits. His list of foods to avoid is as humorous as it is obvious, worth the read for a little chuckle: Chicken pot pie, Parkay margarine sticks, Canned soups. He also gives a disclaimer for the “healthy versions”.
I enjoyed and appreciated his frank discussion about fish. I do not eat meat and love fish, so this was very important to me. The big predatory fish should be consumed in minimal amounts, and his description for why is very clear and down to earth; well done.
The time and space he gave to the different minerals that we consume was respectable. Potassium and sodium can make or break a healthy body. The detail that Tavel gets into for many aspects of the book can be a bit overwhelming such as the sensitivity and specificity of tests. It is helpful to discuss it, but it will probably be skimmed over by a general reader.
In the last section where the author “exposes” the questionable treatments, many holistic methods are mentioned. This was disappointing because there are many methods that although may not have been proven by government agencies, are effective. The importance of transparency and full disclosure in discussing health are key. Even though I do not use a chiropractor, I know many elite athletes that do, and the peace of mind and sense of relief they achieve is worth their time.
Overall, I enjoyed the easy reading and open structure of the book. The writing was clean and free of jargon and I appreciated the overall candor. This is a great reference book that can be used as a quick guide, as it is written. I realized that I was hoping for cutting edge health information, which could also be considered “snake oil” so it was a good reality check for me as well.
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Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks
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