Book Review: What to Eat, by Marion Nestle

This book is about food, but it's a book, right? So, I thought it would be worth reviewing, not for the literary aspect, but the content.

I didn't used to really care about nutrition. I lived on Marshmallow Maties and melted cheese sandwiches during college and my idea of making dinner as a young married was to whip up some boxed mac and cheese or Top Ramen. Then I had a baby; one whose health required weekly visits from our very own nutritionist. I became interested in how diet affects the body and, despite the fact that Dal's nutritionist was recommending extra butter and corn syrup to help him gain weight, I got interested in what was good for me and my family. Eventually I did learn to cook. As I made old family recipes, I started experimenting with substitutions to try and make things more healthy, I read any article I could get my hands on about healthy eating, and I banned white rice, white bread and Kool-Aid from our home. Over the years I've discovered that nutrition advice is often contradictory and it is hard to know who to believe.

Earlier this summer I was listening to NPR and heard a discussion among several nutrition gurus, including Marion Nestle. I liked the title of her book: "What to Eat" is straightforward and exactly what I needed to know. I checked it out from the library and found out exactly how many times they'll let you renew a book (in Weber County, the answer is four), and finally finished reading it.

The bad news: nutrition is still confusing, simply because everyone has to balance budget, availability and convenience in the foods they choose. The good news: there are healthy options and labels CAN be deciphered. I liked the way Ms. Nestle presented her material. It was easy to follow and easy (albeit long) to read. She basically walks the reader from section to section in the grocery store and explains what you need to know in order to make the best choices. She doesn't advocate cutting every bad-for-you (and often tasty) food out of your life. Her goal is to educate the reader so when you are eating a snack, you recognize it for what it is. It is eye-opening to read labels of processed foods that claim to be healthy and recognize all the junk that is actually thrown in. As might be expected, Nestle's recommendations are to eat lots of fruits and veggies, go easy and lean on meats, choose whole grains, and watch intake of salt and sugar and avoid processed not-real food, like hydrogenated oils. She also shows both sides of the research on organics, 'free range' meats and eggs, and hormones and antibiotics used in animals, letting the reader choose for themselves. The most insightful chapter for me was the section on fish, which is the ultimate in food confusion!

If you love to read about food, you'll love this book. If you are the CNO (chief nutrition officer) in your home, you might want to pick it up and read the sections that interest you and are most applicable to the eating habits of your family. Minimally, if you check this book out from the library, read the section on fish and write your congressperson, encouraging stricter labeling and practices in fish farming.

Bon Apetit! (sorry if I spelled the French words wrong!)

P.S. The copy I read was from 2005, and many of the food legislation issues she discusses have changed. However, there is a new 2007 paperback edition in bookstores now.