Book Review: Animal, Vegetable, Junk

Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food, from Sustainable to Suicidal: A Food Science Nutrition History Book by Mark Bittman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Be prepared for a lot of history and a bleak picture of our food systems. I'd recommend everyone read this. We need change at the personal level (for your health and to support those doing good work) and at the macro level (policies, reform, and global cooperation).

Food writer and journalist Mark Bittman presents a comprehensive history of human food systems, tracing their development from foraging and farming practices to the modern industrialized food economy. He argues that the way humans grow, process, and consume food has always shaped societies, economies, and environments— and today’s food system, dominated by commercial agriculture and ultra-processed “junk” foods, has become unsustainable and harmful.

There are three parts: Part I: The Birth of Growing covers the shift from hunter-gatherer societies to the rise of agriculture, settlement patterns, and farming methods. Part II: The Twentieth Century examines technological progress, colonization, and industrial farming, emphasizing how these boosted production but also led to the exploitation of workers, animals, and ecosystems. Cash crops, monocultures, and colonial food systems prioritized profit over nourishment, laying the foundation for current injustices. Part III: Change explores resistance, the current situation, and the future path. Bittman advocates for regenerative agriculture and diversified farming, strong food policies based on sustainability and equity, and a shared responsibility for systemic reform that benefits both farmers and consumers.

If you're not interested in history or detailed accounts, you might skim through some sections. A bleak picture is painted until the last chapter, where several solutions are offered that give some hope.


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Book Review: Life Styled

LifeStyled: Your Guide to a More Organized & Intentional Life by Shira Gill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a practical guide to intentional living—making deliberate decisions and taking actions that align with your core values. The author’s background in minimalism provides a straightforward, organized way to reduce physical, digital, and mental clutter, create systems to support goals, and develop sustainable habits. She applies these tools as a framework across five key areas: health and wellness, home and environment, relationships and community, career and finance, and personal development. Specific prompts and strategies are included to help implement improvements.

The book is designed so that you can revisit individual chapters at any time to recalibrate as your values and priorities change and evolve.

The book provides incremental steps and plenty of client examples. The “try it,” “quick wins,” and “bottom line” are helpful for reflecting, taking notes, and taking action.

The Health and Wellness chapter describes how to improve your physical and mental health with simple, effective habits that deliver strong results. It highlights five health helpers: (1) identify your fuel foods; (2) eat your veggies; (3) stay hydrated; (4) get moving; and (5) prioritize sleep. It also covers nine mental health boosters that include strategies like going outdoors, trusting your feelings, practicing self-care, seeking support, and more.

The suggestions for setting up smart systems are doable. For example, make standing wellness appointments. “Be proactive, invest in your health, and book your preventive care in advance, automating repeat appointments as you are able” (p. 94). Another example is her three-step method for eating healthfully: plan ahead, stock up on fueling foods, and prep in advance so they are visible and ready to eat.

Most people will not see these concepts as new or innovative. It may be overwhelming to read it cover-to-cover and go through every prompt, tip, and actionable baby step. Instead, the author recommends identifying the major life area where you want to make strides and start there.

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Book Review: The Secret Life of Groceries

The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket by Benjamin Lorr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book unveils our food system—the supply chain, the people, production details, marketing, and the business of making stores successful. Get the insider story of Trader Joe’s founder, Joe Coulombe, one of the beloved grocery chains with an almost cult-like following.

There are six parts: Part I: Salad Days at Trader Joe’s; Part II: Distribution of Responsibility; Part III: Self-Realization through Snack; Part IV: The Retail Experience; Part V: When I look in My Window: Backstage in the Theater of Retail; and Part VI: The Bottom of the Commodity Chain.

“This book is about the grocery store. About the people who work there and the routes of supply that define it. It is the product of five years of research, hundreds of interviews, and thousands of hours tracking down and working alongside the buyers, brokers, marketers, and managers whose lives and choices define our diet” (pp. 4-5).

“So, within a century, we have cut rates of hunger and nutritional deficiency to historic lows, reduced food-borne illness to a rounding error, and democratized food that was once the height of luxury into fare for everyday consumption. And we have been so successful in all those endeavors that we now grapple with a series of problems entirely unprecedented in the history of humanity: of too much food, of using food to distribute ethical responsibility, of food as a proxy for control in our own increasingly detached lives” (p. 6).

This book will force you to consider the food industry, the consequences of our purchasing power, and solutions for improving this food system. I highly recommend it to anyone who buys groceries. I hope you will be inspired to support local farmers, shop local, and focus on the least processed, most nutritious options.

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Book Review: Unlocking the Keto Code

Unlocking the Keto Code: The Revolutionary New Science of Keto That Offers More Benefits Without Deprivation by Steven R. Gundry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Steven Gundry, MD, presents a ketogenic diet program that focuses on creating ketones, rejuvenating the gut microbiome, and uncoupling mitochondria. He explains how readers can boost the process, from feasting on plant polyphenols and ketone-generating foods to implementing a timed eating schedule. The book has 11 chapters with detailed rules, food lists, and recipes.

Keys that Unlock the Keto Code (pp. 55-74):
1. Intermittent fasting or time-controlled eating
2. Polyphenols
3. Dietary fiber
4. Fermented foods
5. Polyamines
6. Cold temperatures
7. Hot temperatures
8. Red light therapy

Three Rules of the Plan (pp. 81-83):
1. Consume some of your fats in the form of MCTs
2. Follow a time-restricted eating plan
3. Feast on fermented foods and fiber

Dos and Don’ts of the Keto Program (pp.116-135)
• Do: Eat prebiotic fiber-rich plant foods
• Don’t: Eat lectin-rich plant foods
• Do: Eat whole foods
• Don’t: Eat frankenfoods loaded with frankenfats
• Do: Get your sweetness naturally
• Don’t: Eat sugar
• Do: Enjoy healthy fats
• Don’t: Overdo it on the protein
• Do: Eat postbiotic-producing foods
• Don’t: Eat foods that harm your gut buddies

If you like to follow a plan with rules, food lists, and recipes—this may be for you. Alternatively, the number of instructions, rules, dos/don’ts, and recommended servings for various foods may be overwhelming for some or even difficult to remember or keep straight. Dr. Gundry recommends canola oil for heart health, which I don’t agree with since it is a highly processed seed oil.

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Book Review: Eat Your Heart Out

Eat Your Heart Out: All-Fun, No-Fuss Food to Celebrate Eating Clean by Daphne Oz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The author Daphne Oz shares her love of food and how she balances this with a “clean eating” reset every now and then. For two days, she eats whatever she wants, typically on the weekend, and for the remaining five days, she eats clean with three rules: no gluten, no refined sugar, and limited dairy.

The book has an introduction explaining the plan, followed by recipes categorized by breakfast and brunch; smoothies, juices, and milks; salads and other crunchy green things; soups and something like sandwiches; the main event; on the side; snacks and savory bites; flavor boosters; salad dressings; and sweet nothings.

Daphne is an award-winning television host and bestselling author. Her message and method may resonate with many. Daphne is not a nutritionist but is a certified holistic health counselor and natural foods chef. I would recommend this book if you are a fan of her work or looking for inspiration for better health.
The basics of the plan: Follow clean eating—no gluten, no refined sugar, limited dairy—for five days, then eat whatever you want for two days. Continue as long as you need to rebalance your body.

There is a good balance of straightforward recipes—oat milk (p. 63), collard green sandwich wraps (p. 99), roasted chickpeas (p. 232)—and more complicated ones. There are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options as well. I like how the recipes are presented and written—very esthetically pleasing. The photographs of Daphne, her family, and the food are all amazing. They add warmth to the book.

I thought her explanation of why she has these three rules is sound and makes sense. For example, many people struggle to digest gluten, causing an inflammatory response; additionally, it is often found in processed, simple carbohydrates that launch you into a vicious cycle of blood sugar highs and lows. [Hint: You may want to apply her rules seven days a week.]

The plan will not work as prescribed for those with certain diagnoses or intolerances, e.g., celiac disease or lactose intolerance. The two-day break could be modified for those with restrictions. If you are addicted to sugar, staying on the plan may be too challenging. Daphne allows date sugar on the plan, which may have a slight advantage of more nutrients than white, refined sugar; however, for the body, sugar is sugar. It will still spike insulin.


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Book Review: The Shift: 7 Powerful Mindset Changes for Lasting Weight Loss

I'm not a fan of WW, (formerly Weight Watchers) but I thought this book was very informative and helpful regarding mindset. There are easy-to-implement ideas and practical advice throughout; it was a quick read. By the end of the book, I was tired of the WW references.

The Shift: 7 Powerful Mindset Changes for Lasting Weight Loss by Gary Foster
My rating: 3 of 5 stars; View all my reviews

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