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Really useful information. Jun 1, 2009 (48 of 52 found this helpful)
This is a really useful book that has a lot of really good information in it. I find myself constantly referring to it whenever I'm about to go grocery shopping. It really helps to have a guide like to this to make healthy choices especially when it comes to "convenient" prepackaged foods. Another book I enjoyed is Goodbye, Fatty! Hello, Skinny! How I Lost Weight And Still Ate The Foods I Loved-Without Dieting. I read all sorts of books on calorie counting and weight loss and think anyting that informs or encourages is a benefit.
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The nonfiction book of the year? Jan 3, 2009 (254 of 300 found this helpful)
I know, that sounds like a wild claim. And I'm surprised I wrote it.
I own both of the previous Eat This Not That books (Thousands of Simple Food Swaps, For Kids!), so when I noticed this one was about to come out I decided to skip it. What more could it offer than what was already in the other two?
Then, tonight, I went shopping for food with my teenage daughter at Target. We spotted this in the little book section and, at her urging, picked it up and glanced through it.
What a great book! So helpful! So useful! Yes, if it keeps my husband healthy and my daughter enthused about nutrition, it gets my vote as best nonfiction book this year. I read about every day, and no book has struck me as a Must Buy as much as this one.
The reason? Since the book is entirely about food at supermarkets, every item on every page is something readily accessible to you. And since every item is captioned with its relevant nutritional information, it's like having the "Nutrition Facts" panel of every major item at your grocery store right there in your purse, in a little book that is so well designed and organized it is remarkably easy to use.
By comparison, the earlier titles had less detailed grocery sections, as well as lots of stuff about fast food chains and table-service franchise restaurants, material that is useful only if you frequent those particular places.
In this book, every page has valuable content for anyone who shops at a supermarket -- so much, in fact, it's tough to determine just what to highlight in this review. Every time I flip through the book I come across useful, surprising information. For example, right now I'll randomly open it a few times and learn why....
1) Fruit Loops are better for you than Apple Cinnamon Cheerios...
2) Regular Cheerios is a better choice than Smart Start...
3) Regular Quick 1 minute Quaker Oats is healthier than Quaker's Simple Harvest Multigrain hot cereal...
4) Dole pineapple cups are more nutritious than Dole mixed fruit cups...
5) Del Monte pear halves beat Del Monte sliced pears...
I could go on forever.
By the way, not all the pages are side-by-side product comparisons. One spread, titled "The Meat Matrix," compares the nutritional value of a variety of meats, everything from pork to ostrich. Another, "The Perfect Refrigerator," displays a perfectly stocked healthy fridge. My daughter was especially interested in a spread titled "The Snack Matrix," which shows which combination of snack items (fruit, peanut butter, cottage cheese) mix well together for both nutrition and taste. Another section discusses how to store fresh fruit and produce and explains why fresh food is better for you.
Until now, I have never used the phrase "book of the year" in any of my Amazon reviews. But this one, at least for nonfiction, just might live up to that claim.
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Puts the "super" back in "supermarket" Dec 30, 2008 (60 of 79 found this helpful)
To the average American trying to lose weight, the supermarket can be a scary place. I usually dread my weekly trip there, thanks to the temptations in every aisle and the hours I seem to spend perusing overwhelming nutrition facts. But the "Eat This, Not That" guys have officially taken the guess-work (and the candy-aisle scariness!) out of grocery shopping. The easy-to-digest spreads with colorful photos and info boxes make decisions simple so you can feed your family the right stuff. I just bought this book and, for the first time, I'm excited about my next trip to the supermarket!
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Change your food buying equation from "Buy This, Not That" to "Eat This, Not That" Jan 3, 2009 (20 of 25 found this helpful)
For starters, any book that explains how to stock a pantry sensibly in our time constrained world deserves five gold stars and a place on my bookshelf, or kitchen counter in this case. Eat This, Not That does this and so much more.
I have long stood in grocery aisles trying to discern the chem-lab labeling for the can in my hand. This book puts real purchasing and health powers into your shopping equation - for you. I dare say the book makes the money in your wallet greener and healthier to buy food with at the emporium.
Frankly, the food and grocery companies have the total advantage over shoppers. They spend hundreds of billions of dollars each year to convince us to Buy This, Not That - based on their bottom lines not your waist line. This book helps the consumer balance the equation with shopping-carts full of nutritious facts and recommendations.
The food companies put additives of unknown origins/purposes into our food, ostensibly to preserve its shelf life, artificially enhance its coloring or flavor, prevent congealing, and a hundred other reasons not necessarily good to eat.
How do we know what is good for us? Is the label pretty? Do we remember the ad? Do we buy it because our mothers bought it (and who admits to questioning their mothers)? Cheaper or more expensive pricing/branding campaigns are gimmicks and don't necessarily give us healthy.
Arm yourself with Eat This, Not That. The grocery aisles are stocked against us. This book helps us win the Food Wars.
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Lots of good tips May 25, 2009 (6 of 6 found this helpful)
I bought this book after I had gone through the first "Eat This Not That" book. Unlike its predecessor, Mr. Zinczenko goes much more in depth into all different kinds of food, rather than just focusing on what you should eat at different fast food restaurants. It was especially helpful in distinguishing what food labels really mean (whole grain vs. multi-grain, cage-free vs. free range, just for starters.) As well as clever comparisons, such as the nutritional value of different cuts of meat and which fruits and vegetables carry the most pesticides.
Unfortunately, the amount of information is also its downside. Unlike the first book, where there were short lists that are easy to remember (the foods you should eat every day, what to eat when you feel sick/tired/etc.) Mr. Zinczenko creates many different different categories, some of which may not be necessary (sweetened vs. unsweetend cereals, for example). This muddies the message with too much complexity and I often end up ignoring the finer points when actually doing my grocery shopping.
A very interesting, easy to read book. But plan on devoting some time to digest the wealth of information here.