barbibab's review
4.0
I’m so sorry to my girlfriend who will be the victim of me trying to fit all the veggies, seeds, beans, spices… into everything we eat (:
ela_lee_'s review
4.0
I thought this book was going to be depressing and overwhelming…but I actually found it very inspirational! Dr. Gregger gave me lots of ideas and motivation to continue pushing myself towards a plant-based diet.
It’s so frustrating to know most patients with disease and illness can treat themselves, but our country is so stubborn on maintaining their standard American diet overloaded with meat, dairy, and processed foods. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to convince most of my family and friends that we don’t NEED to eat meat for protein, pharmaceutical drugs aren’t really our friend, and more fruits/veggies can actually feel super satisfying.
The only reason I’ll give this book a 4 instead of 5 is it’s SO long. It took me two weeks of consistent listening to finish (most chapters take about an hour.) I think it could have been cut down a tad to maintain efficacy, but then again there is SO much data and information covered. Overall, I learned a ton and feel inspired to read more books about the whole food lifestyle. I just subscribed to NutritionFacts.org and look forward to eating even healthier.
It’s so frustrating to know most patients with disease and illness can treat themselves, but our country is so stubborn on maintaining their standard American diet overloaded with meat, dairy, and processed foods. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to convince most of my family and friends that we don’t NEED to eat meat for protein, pharmaceutical drugs aren’t really our friend, and more fruits/veggies can actually feel super satisfying.
The only reason I’ll give this book a 4 instead of 5 is it’s SO long. It took me two weeks of consistent listening to finish (most chapters take about an hour.) I think it could have been cut down a tad to maintain efficacy, but then again there is SO much data and information covered. Overall, I learned a ton and feel inspired to read more books about the whole food lifestyle. I just subscribed to NutritionFacts.org and look forward to eating even healthier.
moinfemme's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
wren_z's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.25
I'm not 100% sure how I feel about this book. It definitely had useful information in it, although there was no reason it needed to be that long.
The most helpful part for me was the last bit where he breaks down the daily dozen. I will definitely be incorporating the foods he talked about into my diet and the book has inspired me to significantly increase plant-based foods in my diet.
I found the writing and message aggressive and lacking nuance. There was information presented that I have heard contradictions from other trustworthy sources. Tye author presents his view as absolute without addressing or debunking others.
I think it is a useful book and worth a read, but should be taken with a grain of salt (contrary to what the author would recommend).
The most helpful part for me was the last bit where he breaks down the daily dozen. I will definitely be incorporating the foods he talked about into my diet and the book has inspired me to significantly increase plant-based foods in my diet.
I found the writing and message aggressive and lacking nuance. There was information presented that I have heard contradictions from other trustworthy sources. Tye author presents his view as absolute without addressing or debunking others.
I think it is a useful book and worth a read, but should be taken with a grain of salt (contrary to what the author would recommend).
mochikoreads's review
5.0
Rating: 4.5. Super informative read on nutrition and plant-biased diets. Greger simplifies the science in an entertaining and concise way, making it accessible to all. Only thing is I wish he debunked more counter-evidence to strengthen his argument. Regardless, I am now transitioning to a plant-based diet and excited to Not Die.
charley0796's review
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.75
A comprehensive book about why and how to prevent early death from leading diseases like CHD, cancers etc. It’s packed with research to back up claims, though as Dr Greger reflects, these are mostly small scale or correlations studies. He does a good job of reminding the reader of flaws in the studies he mentions, which is more than most researchers seem to do in non-fiction books!
The second half of the book is all about his daily dozen recommended foods and activities to help stay healthy. These are steep, and hard to achieve. But, as he said, his ‘prescriptions’ aren’t about feasibility but non-watered down medical guidance - which is more than can be said for the current ‘5 a day’ or exercise guidance. He also doesn’t acknowledge how to reach the daily dozen, and doesn’t mention societal/money etc barriers to good food which would be helpful. A lot of his insights are from a USA perspective (for example when talking about latitudes and supplements for vit d based on this, he just mentions USA cities until the last bit). It would have been much better if this book could have a more global reference throughout.
I do also question some of his categorisations of ‘green light food’ for example, soy yoghurt or tofu is considered red light food. But then he doesn’t encourage avoiding red light all together but using these as tools to boost reaching the daily dozen - I.e. if eating yoghurt in the morning squeezes in flax, nuts, berries and fruit then that’s fab. I’m probably going to count soy products as a bean on the checklist 😂.
There are parts where the research seems clearly cherry picked, and you can see articles online that do challenge this. For example, this health line article says: ‘as evidence that high-oxalate vegetables aren’t a problem for kidney stones (a bold claim, given the wide acceptance of foods like rhubarb and beets as risky for stone formers), Greger cites a paper that doesn’t actually look at the effects of high-oxalate vegetables — only total vegetable intake (pages 170-171).’ This is backed up by the nhs guidance which says to avoid rhubarb etc - perhaps it’s outdated guidance but it’s still up on their website!
Overall, I think it’s a really good book and would love to have a new copy with up to date research to see if it all holds up.
I’d also like to read the how not to die cookbook, for inspiration in how to add the daily dozen into my week.
The second half of the book is all about his daily dozen recommended foods and activities to help stay healthy. These are steep, and hard to achieve. But, as he said, his ‘prescriptions’ aren’t about feasibility but non-watered down medical guidance - which is more than can be said for the current ‘5 a day’ or exercise guidance. He also doesn’t acknowledge how to reach the daily dozen, and doesn’t mention societal/money etc barriers to good food which would be helpful. A lot of his insights are from a USA perspective (for example when talking about latitudes and supplements for vit d based on this, he just mentions USA cities until the last bit). It would have been much better if this book could have a more global reference throughout.
I do also question some of his categorisations of ‘green light food’ for example, soy yoghurt or tofu is considered red light food. But then he doesn’t encourage avoiding red light all together but using these as tools to boost reaching the daily dozen - I.e. if eating yoghurt in the morning squeezes in flax, nuts, berries and fruit then that’s fab. I’m probably going to count soy products as a bean on the checklist 😂.
There are parts where the research seems clearly cherry picked, and you can see articles online that do challenge this. For example, this health line article says: ‘as evidence that high-oxalate vegetables aren’t a problem for kidney stones (a bold claim, given the wide acceptance of foods like rhubarb and beets as risky for stone formers), Greger cites a paper that doesn’t actually look at the effects of high-oxalate vegetables — only total vegetable intake (pages 170-171).’ This is backed up by the nhs guidance which says to avoid rhubarb etc - perhaps it’s outdated guidance but it’s still up on their website!
Overall, I think it’s a really good book and would love to have a new copy with up to date research to see if it all holds up.
I’d also like to read the how not to die cookbook, for inspiration in how to add the daily dozen into my week.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia
internationalkris's review
4.0
This a terrific book to own and consult when it comes to eating for health. The author primarily uses data gathered from the World Health Organization which I trust more than anything that comes out of the US. It is such a shame that much of our health data is corrupted by allegiances to big-pharma and to big-ag and other food/medicine industries. Dr. Greger absolutely leans towards a plant-based diet though he doesn't ask anyone to give up the special foods that they love. Rather he states that it is how we eat day-to-day that makes the impact on our health, not what we eat on special occasions. The first part of the book gives very specific diet and exercise recommendations based on common deadly diseases (heart disease, prostate cancer, breast cancer, liver disease, etc). In the second part of the book he more thoroughly gives suggestions on how to improve overall diet and find the right level of exercise. The results of many research studies are described in this fact-filled and informative book. The title makes it sound like a bit of a downer, but our family found it to be fascinating, helpful and overall upbeat. Hope you will too.