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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
What even is science? This had me feeling all over the place. We know something. Wait no we don't. Actually hang on we do! But not really. I read Ultra-Processed People right before this so this book really threw me for a loop. đź«
Ingredients is surprisingly only partially about ingredients, and mostly about how data is analyzed in the scientific field. He knows what he's talking about and does a good job at explaining it, but he tries wayyyyy too hard to make jokes in nearly every single sentence, I guess to make this book appeal to more people but it got old after a while. He poses the common question of whether or not processed foods are bad for you, but instead of looking into the ingredients he talks about how scientific research is done to determine this on a grand scale. Don't get me wrong, it was interesting hearing about how researchers can use p-hacking and skew data to get basically any result they want, but it still doesn't really tell us "the strange chemistry of what we put in us and on us" which is what I expected the book to be about. My favorite chapter was the one on sunscreen where he actually broke down the ingredients, how the research was done to calculate SPF values, and the procedures/results/conclusions of the studies, but I really wish the whole book was like that one chapter. His conclusion is basically "there are too many variables to really tell for certain whether processed food overall is bad" and my least favorite "well it's probably not as bad as smoking/other worse thing!" which I mean yeah I was hoping as a chemist he would talk about the preservatives and additives in food instead of saying "honey is ultra processed! Everything is a chemical! Processed food is too vague to put in a box!". Still, I enjoyed it and learned a lot, just before reading it pretend the title is "Research: The scientific method and how it applies to the world of consumer products" before you pick it up.
This was an interesting read but I feel like the author assumed everybody reading this book was, above all, American, and mostly white, and it felt a little weird.
While this book is called "Ingredients", and the topic is certainly explored, it's more about whether or not scientific studies are reliable, and the answer seems to be "Maybe?? Sometimes? Actually, most of the time, not really. Expect for smoking. Smoking will give you cancer." If you want a definite answer about whether or not eating Cheetos will kill you faster, we don't seem to have enough evidence to tell one way or the other, but it's probably a good idea to err on the side of caution. And exercise. And not smoke. And eat vegetables. So not particularly groundbreaking conclusions.
What this book is good for is dissuading you from the assumption that you should pay attention to every single headline you see about what this or that food is doing to improve your health or kill you, depending on the day.
While this book is called "Ingredients", and the topic is certainly explored, it's more about whether or not scientific studies are reliable, and the answer seems to be "Maybe?? Sometimes? Actually, most of the time, not really. Expect for smoking. Smoking will give you cancer." If you want a definite answer about whether or not eating Cheetos will kill you faster, we don't seem to have enough evidence to tell one way or the other, but it's probably a good idea to err on the side of caution. And exercise. And not smoke. And eat vegetables. So not particularly groundbreaking conclusions.
What this book is good for is dissuading you from the assumption that you should pay attention to every single headline you see about what this or that food is doing to improve your health or kill you, depending on the day.
informative
slow-paced
Probably the most frustrating book I've read in a year. Maybe I just wasn't the intended audience. This book had an interesting premise but then jumped all over the place. One minute it's an insightful commentary on how we interact with ingredients then then next is a discussion on how scientists manipulate data to get the results they want. Loads of random stories that don't really contribute to the thesis in a meaningful way. The author talks to the reader like they're an idiot with over simplified explanations for general knowledge concepts (ex. photosynthesis) and he does so in the most obnoxious way. Commentary on death at the end was random and unnecessary. I probably shouldn't have finished this and practiced enjoying the content I consumed but I just kept thinking it'd get better. It didn't.
Ingredients by George Zaidan is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in late March.
Addressing myths and assumptions with each chapter within the quirky kooky, at times sardonic voice of Zaidan, this is clearly someone who's had to teach a string of early-morning 100-level college chemistry classes and had to capture students’ attentions and keep them awake. There's info on mostly unnatural, man-made compounds, but also chaotic, unpredictable plants, the contents of a cigarette, sunblock vs. raw exposure, and conflicting statements on nutritional value and prolonging a human’s lifespan. It'd make for a great lecture series, but it's not the most solid material (nor the strongest title) for a book.
Addressing myths and assumptions with each chapter within the quirky kooky, at times sardonic voice of Zaidan, this is clearly someone who's had to teach a string of early-morning 100-level college chemistry classes and had to capture students’ attentions and keep them awake. There's info on mostly unnatural, man-made compounds, but also chaotic, unpredictable plants, the contents of a cigarette, sunblock vs. raw exposure, and conflicting statements on nutritional value and prolonging a human’s lifespan. It'd make for a great lecture series, but it's not the most solid material (nor the strongest title) for a book.
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
3 stars for somewhat confusing layout of information and/or flow of the book, but 4 stars for the humour.
The cover art alone clued me in that George Zaidan's book Ingredients would be an entertaining approach to science.
I must confess, I did not do well in high school chemistry. The class met at 2 pm in the afternoon; the classroom was too warm, the subject too dry, and I was not the only student who dozed off. Mr. Heald would kick the metal trash can to wake us up.
Zaidan is a 'science communicator' who understands people like me and knows how to make chemistry understandable. He draws pictures and diagrams and talks us through. He is our personal decoder, translating the language of scientific research into English "as accurately and entertainingly as possible."
In the Preface, Zaidan admits that his readings surprised him.
Facts are shifty things. Because science, we learn, is not exact. There are so many ways to set up and twist results, so many variables, that we can't trust all the trial results that we read about.
You know the ones I am talking about. Wait five minutes and you will hear a study from Podunk U that reverses yesterday's study from Wossamotta U.
Caffeine is good for you, caffeine is bad for you. Eggs are good sources of nutrition, eggs are bad for your heart. Butter is bad for you, butter is better than margarine, olive oil is better than anything and its used in the Mediterranean Diet which will extend your life.
Life's big questions are the center of Zaidan's quest for knowledge:
How much life does every additional Cheeto suck from your body?
Are e-cigarettes really a healthier choice?
Is coffee the elixir of life of blood of the devil?
Does chlorine create that public pool smell?
Does sunscreen absorb photons like Whitney Houston's bodyguard absorbs bullets in The Bodyguard?
Should we pay attention to newspaper headlines about food and health
How can I add three years to my life expectancy
Does prayer reduce the risk of death?
His conclusions are not as conclusive as we would like. The biggies are still there: Don't smoke. Be active. Eat reasonably well.
I appreciated how Zaidan broke down the way tests and studies are carried out. It was the most interesting aspect of the book for me.
I was given a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
I must confess, I did not do well in high school chemistry. The class met at 2 pm in the afternoon; the classroom was too warm, the subject too dry, and I was not the only student who dozed off. Mr. Heald would kick the metal trash can to wake us up.
Zaidan is a 'science communicator' who understands people like me and knows how to make chemistry understandable. He draws pictures and diagrams and talks us through. He is our personal decoder, translating the language of scientific research into English "as accurately and entertainingly as possible."
In the Preface, Zaidan admits that his readings surprised him.
Facts are shifty things. Because science, we learn, is not exact. There are so many ways to set up and twist results, so many variables, that we can't trust all the trial results that we read about.
You know the ones I am talking about. Wait five minutes and you will hear a study from Podunk U that reverses yesterday's study from Wossamotta U.
Caffeine is good for you, caffeine is bad for you. Eggs are good sources of nutrition, eggs are bad for your heart. Butter is bad for you, butter is better than margarine, olive oil is better than anything and its used in the Mediterranean Diet which will extend your life.
Life's big questions are the center of Zaidan's quest for knowledge:
How much life does every additional Cheeto suck from your body?
Are e-cigarettes really a healthier choice?
Is coffee the elixir of life of blood of the devil?
Does chlorine create that public pool smell?
Does sunscreen absorb photons like Whitney Houston's bodyguard absorbs bullets in The Bodyguard?
Should we pay attention to newspaper headlines about food and health
How can I add three years to my life expectancy
Does prayer reduce the risk of death?
His conclusions are not as conclusive as we would like. The biggies are still there: Don't smoke. Be active. Eat reasonably well.
I appreciated how Zaidan broke down the way tests and studies are carried out. It was the most interesting aspect of the book for me.
I was given a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.