Nutrition Books

Glenn Gaesser, Big Fat Lies (Gurze, 2002)

Do yourself a favor-- find this book and read it as soon as possible.

The first two sections of this book show a study in selective reasoning by the medical establishment. Gaesser provides a mountain of evidence that all we've been told by the insurance industry, the medical industry, and the fitness over the last half-century or so regarding weight loss is a lie. We hear some of it now and again on the news, especially how low weight is linked to osteoporosis, but you've never seen this much of it together all in one place. Gaesser's position is that exercise, not weight, is primarily responsible for a person's health, and that "exercise" as we know it today (high-impact aerobic exercise) is not the be-all and end-all foisted upon us. All of which points out why overweight and obese people should be reading it (and popularizing it), and they are its target audience to be sure, but Gaesser makes a lot of noise about the normal- or underweight unfit, too.

The first two parts of the book are the theory, the third part is the practice. Gaesser provides a simple, easy-to-follow exercise regimen suggestion, infinitely customizable for the average person, and dietary suggestions without ever proposing a diet per se; his goal is to steer us towards eating healthier rather than rationing out what we can and can't eat. Again, the thin will benefit from following his guidelines just as much as the overweight. It's all common sense, of course, but he does point out a number of things that may surprise the average grocery shopper (for example, the actual amount of fat to be found in whole milk, which is staggering).

The book's only real flaw is stylistic; Gaesser, not to much surprise, has adopted the medical-jargon use of "overweight" and "underweight" as nouns rather than adjectives, and it's enough to drive the average stickler up the wall. It is certainly not, however, enough to put anyone off reading this. It may be the most important book you read all year, and should go on the short shelf of sacred books next to Peele's The Diseasing of America. **** ½

Read this book before you try one more plan to get thin. It helps you see that, for most people, losing weight is an aesthetic decision, not a health one. You can look at yourself more kindly, realizing that you are not ruining your health, unless you actually do have a weight related condition. You can look at other big folks more kindly- be honest; you know you judge others!- realizing you have no more idea of whether they are unhealthy than their thin counterparts-as if it was any of your business! But, really, the facts helped to loosen the hold this topic had for me. There are other books that go farther with appearance acceptance, but this one is a great start to feel confident it's really okay to go there!

I learned the truth about both Weight Tables and Diets, as well as the importance of Nutrition and Exercise. In this book, Dr Glaesser explains the historical context of the American Weight Tables and their formation by Met Life Insurance Company. His extensive research has shown that people with higher weights can be fit and sometimes even fitter than the ones that actually fit into the prescribed weight tables. For me this is a startling finding. I am relieved to learn that Glaesser recommends allowing our bodies to equilibrate around our natural set point rather than yo-yo dieting to try to attain a weight that we have been taught is optimal. In depth discussions of good vs bad types of body fat are also informative and further make Big Fat Lies a good and instructive read.

I'd love to have a case of this book so that I could gift one to every health care professional who has made snap decisions on their patients based on visible fat. Well, I guess I'd need more than a case of them, wouldn't I... because that tendency is far too prevalent.

I am a healthcare worker, and have long had a love/hate relationship with my fat body. Yes, I do think obesity exacerbates preexisting illnesses; but I don't believe fat causes illness in and of itself. Looking at comparative studies of people who are of moderate weight and even thin who have the same dietary and exercise patterns would be a more useful guage than immediately assuming that weight loss will magically make health problems disappear. Many times, it doesn't.

Recently the New England Journal of Medicine published a study that claimed that weight loss could extend your life by a (staggering) five to nine months. Wow. Whoopee.

What if being overweight could be healthy? Apparently, it's not the pipe dream the majority of the world and researchers would like us to think. In Big Fat Lies, Glenn Gaesser unlocks the myths about obesity specifically the biggest of them all "obesity kills". Glenn is a graduate of the University of California and taught at UCLA and the University of Virginia so he isn't just blowing smoke up our fat butts.

He feels the obsession of a person's weight needs to be dropped mostly because weight loss is no guarantee for improved health. With his book he hopes to reshape your thinking on the various aspects of body weight and health, I think he will. Obviously, some facts are unquestionable if you eat only bad food and don't exercise you're in trouble. But overweight people can be strong and healthy; sometimes stronger and healthier than their slim counterparts.

With simple truths and simple facts Glenn explains how our expectations of body weight have been directed by insurance companies, the diet industry (30 billion plus industry), the fashion industry and of course media appeal. He thinks we should be focusing on metabolic fitness instead of weight. He discusses in great detail his views on metabolic fitness.

Glenn succeeds in taking the focus off weight. Instead he sheds light on the importance of physical activity over "exercise". The purpose of the physical activity is not to lose weight but to be healthy by moving. Lo-Carb-ers will not be impressed with the Nutrition for Metabolic Fitness section but I like how he encourages adding instead of taking away. According to him "No foods are strictly off limits."

A lot of what's discussed are the studies ignored over the last 20+ years showing body fat is not the problem. "Fat in the arteries and fat on the body are different and not necessarily related." Study after study becomes a bit tedious after a while but it is still good to know there's more to the studies than "obesity kills." For sure this book won't appease the die hard skeptic but for those of us who are obese, eat our fruits, veggies and continue a daily bout of physical activity, at least we know for sure it isn't all in our head. We're healthy.

I'm sure when you are finished reading Big Fat Lies you'll have a different view on the role of fat in your life. Pun intended. Reviewed by M. E. Wood

So far this book is very informative and hits right at home for anyone trying to overcome emotional eating or eating for other reasons but hunger.

At first I was skeptical that this book would be like all the other diet books. But after doing some research on the author I found that he is an award winning Psychologist who is an expert in weight loss. I have been a yoyo dieter for many years I went from 250lbs to 165lbs at age 16 and gained it all back after I lost my girlfriend at age 19 by eating 8 whoppers a day(2before class, 2 after class, 2 during work, and 2 after work).

After reading this book I found something that I really agree with. I found that one of the main reasons that I have a problem in losing weight is that it isn't the foods that I am eating it is the amount. At the office I spend all day in front of a computer and when I get bored or frustrated I go to the kitchen to look for a snack. My company is one of those tech companies that order $2000 dollars worth of junk food from Costco to keep developers full of energy. I ended up binging on all that junk food. Today I watch my self when I go to the kitchen and I ask my self am I really hungry or is it that I am bored, frustrated, depressed, etc. Once I find the cause of my hunger I am able to work on the real problem, my emotions. Thanks Dr. Abramson for writing this book, I don't know how else to thank you but to write this review.

Thanks,
Sam

How many of us have read and tried to follow the advice of countless diet books, and walked away more frustrated then when we began? Inside the covers we read, do this, do that, eat this, don't eat that; and the list goes on. Not so in this outstanding work by author Edward Abram. Yes,there is hope for you and for me.
Our author goes to the root of the problem of not being able to maintain a healthy weight by diving into our thought patterns and showing us how they affect the way we eat, see ourselves and live. Believe me he will write about things you have long ago filed in your mind but you really have not forgotten. You will be shocked to see how these memories affect your weight and life.
I enjoyed this book; learned a lot and I truly believe it is a real eye opener.
If you have tried every diet you can find and feel as if nothing will ever work for you; I strongly suggest you give this book a try. I believe by understanding the information given in this book you will finally breath a sigh of relief and get on the right track to a healthier you.
Highly recommended.

Great book. You become aware of why you eat when you dont need to. Alot of us eat well at meals but then all the snacks here and there are the problem. If you want to stop over eatting and really get to know your body then read this.

The body has its own wisdom, and by listening to it, we can find our optimal weight. That is clearly the message of this book, and, as such, the book is a good resource. But hardly ground breaking and eye opening as other reviews have suggested. Similar ideas have been presented in many books over the past thirty years. Susie Orbach wrote about listening to the body's signals of hunger and fullness in her best-seller of the mid-seventies, Fat is a Feminist Issue. My own book, Weight Loss From the Inside Out: Help for the Compulsive Eater, published in the mid-eighties was also based on the concept that the body has its own wisdom and intelligence. Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch's Intuitive Eating, published in the mid-nineties had a similar message.

This book, is a awesome book, a guidence to get get calm and compassionate children, I know that's the title, but it offers great ideas, easy to read, you just can't stop reading.

Wow a truly amazing book! I am an avid reader and this is actually my very first review! After reading the book I felt I needed express my gratitude for such a wonderful book that will forever change my life. I checked this book out at the library and am now here to buy it! Tons of amazing information and an easy read for those who are busy! This book deserves 10 stars! :o)

I have never written a review for amazon before, but feel compelled to do so now because this book is so wonderful. It is the best of its genre that I have read (and I read a LOT of parenting books). There are many wonderful suggestions on how to make your children's lives more calm and peaceful. It is perfect for all ages and all religions. The author is also fantastic- I emailed her for an outline for a study group based on the book, and she responded immediately! I always get my books from the library, but I refer to this so frequently (and can see myself doing so for years to come) that I am buying it!

With practical activities for children, this is more than just a book to be read. The stories and anecdotes are based are true experiences, and give insight to the author's own experiences with the many children she has helped to develop. Bringing kindness and calmness back into or children's life's is truly needed in today's highly stressed world.

I picked up the book yesterday and couldn't put it down. As publisher of a magazine to inspire conscious parenting and empowered kids, this book reminded me of the importance of helping kids settle down, breath, and connect to the world (and people) around them. It's full practical steps to apply in everyday life but what keeps the pages turning are the personal stories she relates. Some ideas we've heard over and over, such as using breath, movement or touch to soothe, but they serve as great reminders to put them back into our lives. Others are innovative, fun, and simple, such as giving your toddler two nickels to hold on to (one for each hand) to distract them while making a quick stop. Without giving too much away, the book offered a reminder that the way things are isn't necesarily the way they have to be. It IS possible for four 10-year-old boys to be kind, compassionate and gentle with a 4-year-old boy who interrupts their game. Empathy is essential for two humans to connect and understand one another. Empathy is what is lacking within families and in world politics. We started our magazine because we know that it is children who determine the future of the world. With conscious parenting and the ideas presented in this book, our kids have a hope for a more peaceful personal life and world situation.

I have owned this book for years & I have to say that is one of my most used books that I own , which is saying a lot. I love this book. Anytime I have a question about an herb or if I have some problems that I would like to first try to heal naturally this is the book. I can't say enough good things about this book.

When I had my first child, I was in bed for 2 weeks hardly able to walk from the pain. It took me a whole year before I did not feel some kind of pain now and then if I walked a lot.

My friend loaned me this fantastic book and after following the childbirth recommendations for herbs, I can say with certainty, that 10 minutes after giving birth, I was up and around without any pain at all- EVER! Not even with an episiotomy!

My daughter was just as large as my son was too.

This book is a very thorough reference book with a LOT of information for women-specific problems.

Each herb has a color photo of it along with in depth descriptions of the herb, history and uses.

I found this book to be fabulous and a very important book to have. The delivery of my daughter was a shock to me- NO AFTER PAIN!

By the way, the birth pains were still strong- just the after pains were not there at all.

This is one of the best herb books I've come across. The pictures and drawings of the herbs are excellent. The information is organized according to the seasons of a woman's life--puberty, motherhood, menopause, etc. There is also a lot of information on herbs for children and a section for general family care. A table at the end summarizing which herbs are useful for which ailments is a huge help when you are in a big hurry to find a remedy. Any woman who uses herbs at all should have this book. It's well worth the money.

This book has saved me hundreds of dollars in medical bills for the past 6 months. I have monthly urinary track infections, which cost money I rather spend somewhere else. This book gave me the remedy I needed to cure myself and save my wallet. I recommend this book to any woman who suffers like I do, it's great!

This book is a wonderful sourse of information about health,illness,herbs and their properties. Many helpful recipes. It does lack a guide as to how much of the herbs to use for body mass - which is critical in not over or under using the herb as a medicine.

This book is an in-depth study of the unsearchably rich Christ as typified by the land of Canaan in the Old Testament. Witness Lee shows that the land of Canaan in all its aspects (water, food, minerals) is actually a type of Christ for believers to enjoy and experience practically and subjectively today. Christ is not only typified by all the items that are in the land, but He is typified by the land itself. He is vast, inexhaustible, and unsearchable in all that He is to His believers in their experience of Him. Therefore, He is "the All-inclusive Christ." Eventually, the enjoyment and experience of this All-inclusive Christ by God's people issues in the temple and the city, which typifies the church, the Body of Christ, as His fullness. The opening up of the Old Testament types in such a clear way makes this book rich and enjoyable. The numerous applications of those types to daily Christian life make it delightfully practical.

Christ is revealed in so many ways in the Bible. He is everything to us! He is our life! He is our sustenance! He is our living water! The list is endless. What a wonderful Christ! Read this book. It will change your life.

This book changed my life. After reading this book, I realized that I owed it to myself to read everything Witness Lee has ever written.

This is certainly one of the most worthwhile-to-read books on Christ. Highly recommended.

This book uses the Old Testament figures of the promised good land of Canaan, the tabernacle, the temple, and the city of Jerusalem with corresponding New Testament verses to unveil how rich and multifarious Christ can be in the personal and corporate Christian experience. The history of the children of Israel from their exodus out of Egypt to their entrance into and possession of the good land with the subsequent building of the temple in Jerusalem is shown to be the potential experience of the present-day believer in Christ. By reading this book, the reader will discover that the Old Testament is no longer just a book of seemingly unrelated stories. It is a book that reveals in types, figures, and shadows what is God's purpose and how He accomplishes it through the believers in Christ.

This book has enhanced my apprehension of who Christ is! For example in one portion, I was helped to see that Christ is like a flowing river in me to water, refresh as well as strengthen me and even to flow out of me to water, refresh and strengthen others. Now, I know Christ not just as a historical figure in the past or a wonderful Savior far away in the heavens. He is the Christ flowing inside of me all the time! This realization has helped in my prayer and fellowship with the Lord and with other believers.

This writer calls herslef an expert bashes thing she has never had any thing to do with uses brain scans which she has only seen for a few seconds and admits with in a interview

GP: One thing I found especially concerning... was [an e-mail] comment that you only saw the [Indiana University] brain scan pix five minutes before air [of The Morning Show]. That being the case, do you think it appropriate to go on and offer a professional opinion based on the scans to the audience?

Dr. Bartell: That's the way it is with TV -- it's just not a black and white thing. I am genuinely sorry that it caused such a sense that I was being so disrespectful [to gamers]. The scans aside I stand by my opinion that violent games should not be played by teens... As to whether I should have responded to the scans -- my intent was going on air to discuss whether the church should be holding Halo nights, clearly that was derailed.

GP: In all honesty, I'm having difficulty reconciling "that's the way it is with TV" to responsible professionalism. It smacks of sensationalism. Just being candid here.

Dr. Bartell: I can understand how you feel... there is an element of sensationalism to it I suppose, but no less, IMO than all the hoopla created by the GP posters in response to my appearance. I appreciate candor -- it will always help me grow as a person and as a professional. I couldn't -- five minutes before going on air -- say, sorry I won't do it, I don't have enough background information about this brain scan! I'm just not that much of a purist...

This writer of this book uses the same kind of (negative) mentality as this writer and look at her reviews
400 negative reviews (in one day the 23 of january) with 700 people agreeing that on single
review is helpful (in again just one day) this writer is truly lucky that she didnt get punished like the
wirter of this book
The Cult of Perfection: Making Peace with Your Inner Overachiever

My personal opinion is that one should not fund such people for that is truly not
the way it should be on tv if atleast one person found my review helpful
I did not waste my last 20 minutes.

(I am not going to let this book into my house since every body is anyway to busy playing
mass effect and halo 3 in church L0L)

Dr. Susan's Girls-Only Weight Loss Guide: The Easy, Fun Way to Look and Feel Good! is a guide written especially for female teens that does not promote a fad diet, but rather permanent lifestyle changes to help one stay in better health. From avoiding family patterns that predispose one to fat, to breaking the control that emotions have over one's eating, to easy and fun exercises that are good for the body and easy to get into using as a routine, Dr. Susan's Girls-Only Weight Loss Guide presents basic, solid advice broken down point-by-point for easy absorption. Highly recommended especially for any girl concerned by the rampant obesity epidemic in America.

As a teenager, I could really relate to this book! It supplied me with terrific tips and easy guidlines to follow! Its self-accessing quizzes and answers were clear enough for me to understand what I've been going through, what's right for MY body type, and what I had to do in order to create a healthier lifestyle for myself. Dr. Susan did most of the writing, but she was advised by a panel of 12 teenage girls. These girls contributed some of their personal weight-battle stories and they told of ways they changed themselves and their views. I found that these stories gave me incredible advise because they were things I could directly relate to!!!

One of the most important things in this book were the eating and exercising/activity tips and tricks. Using this book, I was able to figure out ways to incorporate healthier meals and snacks into my everyday hectic schedules. I also learned the consequences of binge-eating, and how to control my portions of snacks and meals. I was exposed to several new stretches and exercises from diagrams and descriptions, and I learned how I could make exercising into an enjoyable activity - rather than one to loate.

Despite how useful these things were, I found that the MOST helpful thing for ME was when I learned that DIETS DON'T WORK! I had been trying different diets on a constant basis. Dr. Susan taught me that the only way people can lose weight is if they PERMANENTLY change their lifestyle.

If you want to know the 411 on how to change your life, your self esteem, and your apperance, look no farther than Dr. Susan's "Girls-Only Weight Loss Guide" !!!

I have been in bariatric medicine for 39 years and this is the first book for teen-aged girls that makes sense. This is partly because of Dr. Bartell's advisory panel of a dozen girls and partly because of her extensive knowledge of behavioral management of obesity. The book is easy to read and understand and is practical in her choice of subjects to cover. Healthy eating, understanding of eating disorders, exercise and management of family interactions that could ruin a diet are covered extensively and intelligently. This book is comparable to the one for smaller children written by Leonard Epstein (The Stoplight Diet) that is out of print now. Parents with overweight teenagers need to get this book and share it with their daughters.

As the mother of a 15 year old ninth grader, I was relieved that my daughter embraced Dr. Susan's Weight Loss Guide. Of course, I would like to say that my daughter devoured this book, and then stopped devouring everything in sight. It hasn't been quite that easy, but this Guide has made a significant difference in the way my daughter views her body, her image, and her relationship with food.

The book's format is fun and easy to read, filled with clever hooks that grab a teenage girl's fleeting attention. Lots of quizzes and self-ratings allow girls to be honest with themselves as they evaluate their thoughts about why and what they eat, and their food/friends/family issues.

I especially appreciated reading the thoughts and feelings of Dr.Susan's group of young teenage girls with their own real issues. Learning that my daughter is not alone in the teenage whirlwind of body image and popularity made me (and my daughter) take it all in stride.

This book is a must for all teenage girls, whether or not they are battling weight issues, since at its core, this Guide offers the roadmap to a healthy lifestyle.

Many pictures, table, and related figure were sufficient to understand in physiological mechanism in condition to exercising. Especially, the last chapter was very impressed in my insufficient knowledge of molecular and cellular for exercise physiology.

Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance (Exercise Physiology ( MC Ardle))

When I first considered this book, I thought it was a little pricey. Now that I have it on my shelf, I think it would be cheap at twice the price. Every time I have a question on my personal fitness program, I find the answer in McArdle. Even when I don't have a question, simply reading the book teaches me things that I need to know and hadn't thought about. An excellent value.

I have been a fitness trainer for 20 years. I have read many books. This one is one of the best thus far. I highly recommend it !

This is the only reference book I have and need on Exercise Physiology. Most useful to me are chapters on performance enhacement, high altitude acclimatisation and physical training for seniors. The first few introductory chapters and the first few pages of each chapter remind me of my basic life sciences. The authors then focus on the application of cell biology to training. The thing I like most about this book, is that there is no "guru talk". Every piece of advice is based on currect research.

The book is divided into 7 sections. 1. Nutrition, 2. Energy production, 3. Energy Delivery & Utilisation, 3. Enhancement of Energy Capacity, 4. Environmental Stress, 5. Body Composition & Weight Control, 7. Successful Aging, Disease Prevention.

It's a very thick book, but the paper quality is high and the colourful illustrations make it a joy to read. However, this is not simple book for the average man on the street. There is nothing sensational here - just pure science. Readers without a background in the life sciences may not be able to follow.

I am a Personal Training manager with a Physical Education undergraduate degree and Health Preservation and Rehabilitation graduate degree.
I consider that the science of exercise physiology should constitute the basic knowledge for anybody who wants to understands the way the human body functionates and acutely and chronicaly adapts to the exercise stimuli.
No matter you are(or preparing to become) a PE teacher, sport medicine specialist, personal trainer, physical therapist,athletic coach,etc, you should understand the science of exercise physiology.
Dr. McArdle's " Exercise physiology" is definetely one of the most complete books ever writen on the subject. With miriads of grafics and pictures, and tons of scientific research descriptions and results, the book is quite pleasing to read and very convincing.
With more than 1000 pages, definetelly worths its price and even more. Contains as much information as you could find in 3-4 good scientific books and much more than the complete colection of "Muscle and Fitness" starting from 1970.
You can find detailed informations together with all the book ilustrations and even 4 complete chapters at: www.connection.LWW.com/go/mcardle

In the title it states "you won't be disappointed" maybe I need to re-read the book. I was a little disappointed.

Expect A Miracle: The Four-Step Life-Changing "Question & Answer Process" For Managing Your Healing And Health by Dr. Tel Franklin is a "user friendly" self-help workbook for improving one's physical and mental health and habits. Questions for self-awareness and self-actualization form cornerstones of the prompts that lead the reader on a voyage of discovery and understanding with the goal of improving one's overall quality of life. Expect A Miracle is a recommended do-it-yourself workbook addition to self-help, self-improvement bookshelves.

Before I read Expect a Miracle I was in constant pain from a Worker's Comp injury. Everything required authorization by the insurance. I was referred to a surgeon who immediately wanted to operate to fuse two vertebrae in my neck. This terrified me but I felt trapped and limited in my choice of treatment options. After I read Expect a Miracle by Tel Franklin, M.D. which explains both conventional and alternative treatments and how to develop "appreciative dialogue" with everyone involved in your "healing journey" I became empowered. I coordinated many different treatment options as suggested in his book. Through the workbook format of the book I was able to evaluate each option. This book gave me control of my life again. Dr Franklin helps you to feel good about yourself, your choices in life and makes you aware of all the little miracles we experience in everyday life - the real priorities. I chose to have a successful surgery and am now considering acupuncture as an alternative to steroids for my son's asthma. This book is filled with so many positve success stories I recommend it to everyone. It is so uplifting you can't put it down and the workbook sections are easy, fun and insightful.

I have used Dr. Franklin's book for personal and professional purposes and found that it offers me and my patients a deeper insight and new perspective toward healthcare. The workbook not only educates the readers about alternative and complementary medicine, it guides them toward becoming actively involved and accountable for their health.

Dr. Franklin's book has offerred me the opportunity to enhance dialogue and relationships I have with my patients in addition to revamping my own personal outlook and choices. It is an excellent resource and should be on the shelf of patients and provider alike.

The book shows a practical way to discuss the inner self in the medical process of health and/or healing. It is wonderfully written in that the workbook section gives a step-by-step plan that requires journal writings. These are done in a positive way.

The bottom line is that this is how medicine should be practiced not only by doctors and health care providers but especially by patients. We learn how patients through Appreciative Dialogue have postive choices for optimum health.

After reading this book, I am not surprised to learn that Dr. Tel Franklin is ranked in the top 50 physicians in California.

This is much better than all Dr. Andrew Weil's books.

Although Amazon does not provide a link to it here, this book has been revised and reissued as Flour Power, A guide to modern home grain milling (ISBN 0970540116 by Marleeta Basey)

My wife read this book and was so excited about making bread at home, that I had to read the book myself to see what all the ruckus was about. I'll have to admit that before I opened the book, I thought that milling raw wheat and making bread was something reminiscent of the "foxfire" series of do-it-yourself books. Was I ever wrong. The book is at once engaging and entertaining. Ms. Basey's research is heads above any I've read. Her knowledge of grain mills, proteins, glutens, natural vitamins and minerals is amazing. Her practical bread-making technique and application is easy to follow and even a tough guy like me can make great bread. I'm not talking bread like some make from a pre-mixed bag of flour bought at the local market. I'm talking the bread that fills the house with that fresh baked smell one never forgets. The kind that causes you to drool waitng for the baking cycle to finish. The kind that begs for fresh butter and a hungry mouth. Thanks for this wonderful resource and congrats on creating the best book of it's kind since sliced bread !!! Pardon the pun, I couldn't resist.

Really loved your book! Interesting stuff interspersed with humorous facts...very easy reading. I found the historical facts especially entertaining. I'm now committed to a new and healthier way of eating (living)!

The author did a wonderful job of identifying a large variety of grain mills along with specific issues to consider about each such as overheating which destroys the nutrients one tries to save by home grinding, grinding ranges- powder to chunks, dry versus oily, dust, weight, and noise. The reader is well educated on a vast range of grains including gluten, protein, amino acid,and standard uses of each. On a very practical level, she includes detailed info on how to correct/diagnose a flopped loaf of bread with dough enhancers, ingredient altering, kneading and fermentation processes. There is a sampling of recipes along with appendices to find grain mills and grain sources. She takes the intimidation out of bread making by providing a fabulous foundation of knowledge!

Flour Power is simply the most amazing book and read I have ever come across. I love bread I love baking bread. However, until getting this book I only made white breads. Now, I am a whole meal bread lover.

Not only does this book cover why you should eat more whole grains, it tells you about the different grains, how to choose and buy a grain mill for milling your own flour at home. It has recipes, a listing of mill sellers and manufacturers, grain sources and more.

Once I started reading, I just couldn't put it down. I read it from cover to cover in one night. I have to tell you that doesn't happen often. If you bake bread by hand, bread machine, mixer, or whatever you have to have this book. ORDER IT NOW!

Full disclosure here: I'm a holistic doctor, so I'm biased towards natural interventions for mood disorders, and this is stuff that I talk to patients about on an almost daily basis. But I've seldom seen natural therapies for psychological conditions presented in such a balanced, clear, scientific fashion.

I sometimes blanch at the outlandish claims made by some health books that deal with mental conditions. I think they cruelly mislead patients to believe that there's a vitamin or a supplement for every psychiatric complaint. Reinforcing denial is not good for patients at risk to themselves and others. But Jack Challem is versed in the latest science, and never strays far from the evidence in making his case for natural approaches.

There's clearly a place for drugs in the treatment of mental disorders, but I wish books like this got wider circulation because we could relieve untold suffering with a few basic suggestions herein. Studies have actually shown that good self-help books cure sufferers of mild to moderate depression at a rate comparable to that of Zoloft, Paxil and other commonly used drugs. They've even coined a term for it: "Bibliotherapy"!

So take this book and call your shrink in the morning--it may really not be so far-fetched! I think I'll start stocking it in my dispensary to give to my patients.

Ronald L. Hoffman, MD, New York City

Jack Challem seems to have written this book just for me. I was so tired of seeing doctors who merely prescribed multi-bad-effects medications and who each told me a different cause of my problems. I had to became very proactive to save my own health.

I was always exhausted, in body and spirit. I felt like I was in a constant brain fog, getting early Alzheimer's! I awakened more tired than when I went to bed, longing to take naps, no needing them. I have had fibromyalgia for 15 years and am taking medications for this, taking two medications which help tremendously but cause side effects. I have hypertension, am an adult with ADD. Like most people I am stressed, anxious, impatient, lack focus, taking care of an elderly parent......sound familiar? But I am an early retired teacher who loved her job and should be more relaxed and healthy. I want and need my active life-style back. I'm not "that old"!!

Well, I was literally sick from taking meds, so I picked up Mr. Challem's book just by chance and found I COULD help myself, was doing so many wrong nutritional things, made some of his easy, suggested changes and, to my disbelief, found great relief within two weeks! I have always taken supplements and watched my health - so I thought - but still felt bad most of the time. And only the suggestions made in this book have helped me feel so much better. This author makes sense.

In the easiest reading and well organized presentation, Mr. Challem specifically presents HOW food affects mood and four steps to change. He discusses real, every day problems: how to realistically reduce our levels of stress and anxiety, how to handle our irritability, how to have more energy. And his suggestions, fully explained so even I would understand them, worked!

He goes on to take us step by step through a "recovery" process in which we can "fix" ourselves - armed with nutritional understanding and easy to do changes in our diet and life style. And best of all Mr. Challem clearly points out the specific connections between foods and moods and gives the reader things to DO and things to avoid....along with some of the best recipes I have ever tried.

While all his information is data based, I could easily understand the author and put his connections and suggestions to use immediately. And they have made a wonderfully positive change in my health, my entire life.
And he sells no supplements!

This book is a perfect gift for any friend or family member (underlining and notes will have you hold on to your own copy!) who has hypertension, fibromyalgia, ADD, exhaustion, depression, who is overweight or those irritating characteristics of impatience, irritsbility, stress, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, forgetfulness ---- characteristics we certainly notice in THEM but seldom admit about ourselves!

Buy this book for your own health and sanity --- and some to give as gifts to those you care about. These ideas make sense and work.

I had difficulty understanding why I acted certain ways when my stomach was empty or full for that matter but now I know why I act the way I do after reading The Food-Mood Solution. My friends use to kindly remind me to eat something when I got too cranky for them to tolerate. Food really does effect your mood. If you don't think so, you really do need to read this book! Enjoy......

A concise, insightful, easy to understand read that can liberate the average person from the downside of the average American diet. Look around and see how right Mr Challem is, then test his theories in your own life. It's a relief to see what great, quick results you can get when you try his solutions.

Controlling moods with food is nothing new for me. The trouble was I went to the wrong foods for a quick fix that had a negative effect on my health, weight and moods. Jack Challem's book is full of stories I can relate to and it is worth the price for his recipes alone. They are terrific!