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Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'
Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition by T. Colin Campbell
1 review
charley0796's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
This book has sat on my reading list for years and I finally made it to it!
I read this directly after reading The China Study and that was probably a mistake as it was very repetitive. I also found this book much more ‘I’m right, everyone but this other chap I like is wrong’ - a bit too black and white. I also hoped this book would be more about how to eat the WFPB diet he recommends, especially in an age of substitutes and the reality that B12 and iron is hard to get (I find it hard to meet daily recommendations on my chronometer app). Unfortunately, it was more of a ‘so the science still agrees with me about WFPB but it’s being silenced and here’s how’.
The how around reductionism and critically evaluating the American health care system was really interesting and I completely agree with his arguments. However, as someone living in the UK with publicly funded health care (albeit being privatised), where everything is about how can the nhs save money, I found it hard to relate all of his claims to us. For all his talk of reductionism, it seems he has reduced global health care systems to being synonymous with America. I would have liked a little more exploration of other countries and their diet recommendations based on this.
In sum this is all the dietary advice the book gives, the rest is talking a little about his research and the healthcare scandal. So it definitely ne
The ideal human diet looks like this: Consume plant-based foods in forms as close to their natural state as possible ("whole" foods). Eat a variety of fruits, raw nuts and seeds, beans and legumes, and whole grains. Avoid heavily processed foods and animal products. Stay away from added salt, oil, and sugar. Aim to get 80% of your calories from carbs, 10% from fat, and 10% from protein. That's it, in 66 words. In this book I call it the whole food, plant based diet or WFPB).
So, I’m disappointed that the book overlooked talking about why fat is bad, why salt and sugar is bad, even when it’s consumed in a WFPB way. I’m also weary of demonising foods without having support from a text in how to implement it.
Overall, an interesting book but definitely needed to spend more time talking about the how of his aim: to get more people eating WFPB.
I read this directly after reading The China Study and that was probably a mistake as it was very repetitive. I also found this book much more ‘I’m right, everyone but this other chap I like is wrong’ - a bit too black and white. I also hoped this book would be more about how to eat the WFPB diet he recommends, especially in an age of substitutes and the reality that B12 and iron is hard to get (I find it hard to meet daily recommendations on my chronometer app). Unfortunately, it was more of a ‘so the science still agrees with me about WFPB but it’s being silenced and here’s how’.
The how around reductionism and critically evaluating the American health care system was really interesting and I completely agree with his arguments. However, as someone living in the UK with publicly funded health care (albeit being privatised), where everything is about how can the nhs save money, I found it hard to relate all of his claims to us. For all his talk of reductionism, it seems he has reduced global health care systems to being synonymous with America. I would have liked a little more exploration of other countries and their diet recommendations based on this.
In sum this is all the dietary advice the book gives, the rest is talking a little about his research and the healthcare scandal. So it definitely ne
The ideal human diet looks like this: Consume plant-based foods in forms as close to their natural state as possible ("whole" foods). Eat a variety of fruits, raw nuts and seeds, beans and legumes, and whole grains. Avoid heavily processed foods and animal products. Stay away from added salt, oil, and sugar. Aim to get 80% of your calories from carbs, 10% from fat, and 10% from protein. That's it, in 66 words. In this book I call it the whole food, plant based diet or WFPB).
So, I’m disappointed that the book overlooked talking about why fat is bad, why salt and sugar is bad, even when it’s consumed in a WFPB way. I’m also weary of demonising foods without having support from a text in how to implement it.
Overall, an interesting book but definitely needed to spend more time talking about the how of his aim: to get more people eating WFPB.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness
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