Book review: Food: WTF should I eat?
Yes, that is the actual title.
Frustrations from all the conflicting information for what we should be eating is at an all time high. Dr. Mark Hyman sorts through the conflicting research on food to give us the skinny on what to eat.
Did you know that eating oatmeal actually isn't a healthy way to start the day?
That milk doesn't build bones, and eggs aren't the devil?
We’ve access to more information now than the secret service in the ‘70s. And we just don’t know what to do with it all. One way says this, the next points benefits of another once and done solution another way. Either way, we’ve all come to realise we’ve a problem with it - all the info and deciding what’s for dinner!
Hyman takes a close look at every food group and explains what we've gotten wrong, revealing which foods nurture our health and which pose a threat. He also explains food's role as powerful medicine capable of reversing chronic disease alongside how our food system and policies impact the environment, the economy, social justice, and personal health. He paints a holistic picture of growing, cooking, and eating food in ways that nourish our bodies and the earth while creating a healthy society.
We need a focus amidst the overwhelm from this hectic world we’ve created for ourselves. The challenge is figuring out what information to focus on, and what to ignore, which I think Dr Hyman does well. In an age where information is constantly flowing, it's easy to get lost in the noise. The problem is compounded by the passive nature of how we consume content-more often than not, we end up believing in the things that seep into our minds without us even realising how they got there.
While I like Dr Hyman’s easy to follow, non cherry picked research, his idea of applying what we research to each of us hits the hardest. We don’t need yet more information, another book on what to do; many "studies" pick data to prove certain foods and practices that they’re promoting despite the fact that they promote ill health (and they know it!). He presents information in a believable way but implies applying it to yourself to correct some of what you’re doing wrong might start your food decision journey more than reading yet more information.
Real growth comes when we actively seek out information that’s isn’t just more information but the right information: to try things and test as you go, have an open mind, and trust nothing without verification. It's your body after all and no one has more interest in keeping it running than you do.
