Customer Reviews

Eating Well for Optimum Health: The Essential Guide to Food, Diet, and Nutrition

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

The book is totally cofusing and full of contradictions. Reminds of a road map that takes you everywhere and nowhere.it states that the foods with high GI range, should generally be avoided. Then it lists banana, pineapple, and cantaloup as higher than average. Based on this book then, these fruits are not good food anymore! He mentions that he does not expect us to carry calculator when we dine, but that's exactly what we should do if we follow his convoluted directions. It is not even good reading. The only thing I found out from his book that French Fries is bad for you. Big deal, most people who buy the book, already know that.
why is he promoting supplement? isn't a dangerous proposition if you are not careful. Is he catering to the supplement industry as well.

It's humorous to read Weil's warning not to 'fall under the spell' of the (anti-carb) Atkins diet, while he promotes the magical healing qualities of dark chocolate, Quinoa and Turmeric. He is the master of the food-trend spin! Now some of these recipes are good, but I'm frightened at the thought of anyone taking his advice to heart as based in medical science.

Weil has a habit of making grand, sweeping declarations of what is "bad" and unhealthy and what is not, but never gives background or research for where he got that information - much of it which is wrong, as anyone with a little nutritional common sense will know.

Both Rosie Daley and Oprah should know better than to collaborate on this kind of fuzzy science! I've already sold my book to a used book store, and I won't make the mistake of buying his books again.

I bought this book in hopes that I would have a good reference for healthy eating. Instead, it seems more of a "commercial" for Dr. Weil.

And, his way of eating is not practical. His philosophy is to never use anything processed or from the grocery store. Fine if you live on a farm where you can organically grow your own food, but some of us live hectic lives in big cities. Give us advice that real humans in the 21st century can use - not something left over from the '60's.

I don't recommend this one. There are other books out there that you can buy that are more geared towards healthy eating in today's world.

If you're the type of person who believes that you were Alexander the Great in a previous life, then this book may be for you. I own several books by Dr. Weil. Unfortunately, this book damages his credibility so much that it has forced me to re-evaluate my respect for his earlier work. The offending chapter is Appendix D, "The Possibility of Surviving without Eating." Dr. Weil discusses "bigu," a state in which followers of a certain qigong master can supposedly avoid food for years. Weil even quotes one of the followers, who states that she has not eaten in eight years. Now, if you believe that, I have a bridge I'd like to sell you. Weil doesn't say whether he believes or disbelieves in bigu, but he gives it enough credence by discussing it seriously that he places his other writings in doubt. It frightens me that this seemingly rational man, with a basic knowledge of science, could consider such ridiculous claims. I couldn't get past that. Maybe you can, especially if you're the sort of person who believes that pro wrestling is real or that the government is covering up the truth about the "face of Mars." Otherwise, the advice in "Eating Well . . ." is mostly decent if obvious. Chances are, you've heard most of it from your mother since you were a little kid. For example, one of Dr. Weil's big suggestions is that we eat more fruits and vegetables. Gee, I've never heard that. This is a very disappointing book from someone I used to respect.

If this Doctor knows so much about nutrition, how come he's bald? You may think it is genetic, as is his stocky build - but people who are not tall, thin and hairy have no business practicing medicine. He should be strong enough to overcome a few genes he picked up from his family! Why does the medical profession allow stocky bald men to earn an MD? What kind of message is that sending to our children? For example: who would want to get a nose job from a surgeon who inherited a hawk nose from his father? It is absurd to think that Dr. Weil is worth reading just because he is so educated, knowledgeable and articulate. So what if he has medical advice that can save your life? How can life be worth living if one is bald and 20 pounds overweight?

Doctor - grow thy hair!

I really wanted to like this book more. Unfortunately, I found it very basic. Someone who is just beginning to explore healthy eating and the how-to's of living a healthy life in the Land of the Whopper might find inspiration and information here. If you've already been reading about and trying to live this lifestyle, there is nothing new here. I thought the 1-2 page success stories did not delve in enough to really tell the reader how the person managed to overcome their bad eating habits ("I started giving up fast food restaurants...later I started eating better at home.") I was really hoping for more.

This is an excellent book as many other reviewers have noted but please be aware of the following:

1)It is not a "diet" book in the sense of magical ways to lose weight

2)It is not a book on "fitness" nutrition for people who want huge muscles and low body fat.

3)Health in the sense of the absence of disease, the optimum functioning of the organs of the body and a long-life has much more to do with body chemistry, blood pressure, cholersterol levels, the condition of your coronary arteries, the presence or absence of free-radical damage, etc than it does with the amount of lean muscle mass that sits on your frame or whether or not your body looks good in a bathing suit.

I make these points because many people complain the Dr. Weil doesn't look like John Bastow or the author of "Body for Life" so what can he know about "health". Get a clue!! While regular moderate exercize is related to longevity there is NO evidence that "Body for Life" types are healthier the way it really counts just because they have better looking bodies than Dr. Weill. Which do you think is healthier: a lean muscular body combined with high blood pressure, clogged arteries and a colon lined with intestinal polyps? or a body that looks pudgy in a bathing suit but with low BP, low cholesterol, clean arteries and an otherwise clean internal bill of health?

This book is about eating well for health and it is excellent. One of things I like most is that there is nothing "flaky" about it. Weill reviews what we know about nutrition from solid scientific research and is always clear to distinguish that from his own opinion about nutritional matters that may not be fully supported by current research.

Buy it and live longer.

This is the first time I have read any of Dr. Weil's books and I found this one full of new and useful information that I took to heart.

Some good points Dr. Weil made were quite interesting For example he mentions that in the 1950's, scientests thought vegtable oils were healthy and they lowered the risk of a heart attack. This turned out to be false but to this day many foods still contain high amounts of this substance leading to more calories in peoples diets and more weight gain.

Another point that Dr. Weil makes is that it is not the toatal amout of fat that we have in our diets but which foods contain more of saturated fats instead.

Then he makes the point that the idea a of a balanced diet is in consistant due to the vast amout of complex foods. Because he says the best way to get good advice for a healthy diet is to ask a professional or read books not from most doctors or nureses. The reason why is that people particulary doctors get this thought is because of the poor or lack of nutritional education in America.

For people who are looking for new ideas on how to diet this book is one of the best options for both finding out which are the best and the worst diets in the world. Also for various recepies with less fats and chemecals.

Eating Well For Optimum Health
Review by: Kehaulani Marciel

Eating well for optimum health is the concern of many Americans in today's society. The book written by author Andrew Weil is an outstanding book for obtaining optimum health. Dr. Weil draws out how exactly our body works and what our body needs to perform at its peak. Throughout the book you will learn how to improve your health, dietary advice for chronic ailments, as well as recipes to help you reach your optimum health.
Proteins, fats, micronutrients, and carbohydrates are all necessities of life. These are the three basics of human nutrition, which help us to obtain a healthy lifestyle. Yet, eating these things in large or uneven amounts can be very unhealthy likewise. It is important that we get proteins, fats, and carbohydrates in our diets because our body uses them and breaks them down and produces glucose, maltose, disaccharide, lactose and many other components that the body needs to maintain optimum health.
Dr. Weil lists the "Worst" and the "Best" diets that have been studied through many people's eating habits. He continues to pinpoint the benefits as well as the downfalls of each diet. He compares the United States to other countries and explains how and why that particular country is so much healthier. We see that here in America, we are constantly eating fast foods and grabbing a quick snack on the way out. In Asian countries, food selection is much different resulting in healthier life styles. When dining out, Americans often load up on bread and dive into oily and fattening dinner platters which offer a beautiful display. If we were to substitute our gourmet dinners for something a bit healthier, America would not be the top country for obesity.
Eating healthy does not only help you to look better, it helps you to feel better. Studies have shown that people, who consume fast foods, candies, sodas, as well as red meats, are more likely to not only have an obesity problem, but have health problems as well. Japan contained the healthiest people until recently. The average age for men was 77.2 while the women averaged 84.1 years. According to the traditional Japanese diet, there is a correlation with very low rates of coronary heart disease and hormonally driven cancers. Their foods are also prepared at an unusually low percentage of total calories from fat. It is obvious that in some parts of the world, traditional diets are no doubt better than those of today. If we Americans were to eat like our distant hunter-gatherer ancestors, most of our health problems including obesity and cardiovascular disease would disappear. This diet consists of no processed food and little to no carbohydrates. They ate meat from wild game, fish, wild fruits, nuts and tubers. They had no salt or vegetable oils, which made their foods a lot healthier than today's meals.
Through reading this book, you learn not only how to change your bad eating habits, but how to shop for them and order them as well. Dr. Weil shares a number of healing and inspirational stories of how people have changed their lives for the better. With just a slight modification of ones diet, we see a great improvement not only in appearance, but in long-term health as well. With the helpful and abundant recipes provided by Dr. Weil himself there is no reason to delay "Eating Well For Optimum Health."

I was sucked in on this one. And disappointed. This is largely evangelism; I would imagine that the program rarely fails because it is rarely truly tried. Having already tried McDougal, I am not willing to put myself through the grind that this book offers. I didn't understand that this was a virtual-vegan diet (at least for the first few months). I lost ground on the low-protein no-fat regime, and my body does better with high quality protein. I'm sure this must help someone, but I don't know who.

I wonder whether in the year 2015 we will have learned why some people can be healthy as vegans, and some people come alive when they up their meat intake and drop the grains and carbs. It will be great if we can stop the strident screaming. I can't rate this highly when it doesn't deliver.