The Diet Myth: The Real Science Behind What We Eat

I think that it's obvious by the five star rating I've given this book that it is excellent. It isn't a book about dieting so much as a book about understanding food, how food is sometimes processed so that it starts to affect our microorganisms that reside in our gut negatively, the part that preservatives play in disrupting our digestion, how consumption of drinks with artificial sweeteners seem to have a counter-intuitive effect on our weight gain/loss, to name but a few.This is a very accessible read in that it describes biological subjects in a way that is perfectly understandable, and it identifies many myths that even doctors and governments fall for but that have little evidence to substantiate them. Heck, I can't do the book justice!This is a must read for anyone who lives with the pain of IBS, and indeed for anyone that is human who eats food. It isn't faddy, it is based in decades of paying attention to studies involving twins with surprising results that reveal how genetics as well as the effects of treatments using antibiotics can play a major part in the diversity of our gut microorganisms, why some people struggle with weight while others seem to be immune to the effects of eating exactly the same food, and talks about some of the things we can do to be kind to our biology to bring it back into balance.The author is not trying to create a book of answers or a new diet, but is revealing what he has found so far from his very extensive study of twins (which vividly highlight when something is genetic and when it is not since they share the same genome), and how that information explodes many of the myths associated with lots of different diets, even those promoted by medical science (e.g. calorie counting).I read this book cover to cover, and if this is any measure of how valuable I found the quality of information, having read it I made quite significant changes to my food and food preparation simply because of being more informed. I wish this information had been available years ago.Five stars because it truly is a no-nonsense empirical and in-depth study of the facts, but at the same time it is eminently readable and written in a way that treats the reader as an intelligent adult who just wants to be informed of the facts to be able to make their own mind up. Superb.

Tim Spectre rose to prominence recently with the Joint Zoe covid app. Reading this book it's clear he's one of those individuals of boundless energy and a drive to always be 'finding out' stuff. I can imagine him as a kid pulling electrical stuff apart to see how it works. He is not a crusty academic surrounding himself in impenetrable language. Above all, he doesn't take himself too seriously. He writes with humour, insight and in plain English. Consequently, The Diet Myth is a very easy read with numerous laughs.It's five years old now and the microbiome is becoming more well known and it's likely importance is being more thoroughly investigated. At the time of publication, I can see this being relatively groundbreaking.He uses a mix of anecdote and science to look at the role various constituent parts of our diet might play in health and disease, focusing on the effects on the microbiome. He uses the broad framework of nutritional labels to look at each 'nutrient' in turn, adding a few others such as alcohol and artificial sweeteners at the end. Some of the science is a bit outdated now, such as the predimed study which has since been retracted and republished though still with a bit of a cloud over its data. However, this book doesn't claim to give answers but provides lots of 'food' for thought.It's certainly encouraged my to stick with my inherent bias away from 'diet' foods such as highly doctored low fat yoghurts and keep with the more natural full fat plain ones.A highly enjoyable book which might trigger many a discussion.

I ordered this after hearing the author on the radio discussing gut microbiome research. Then I saw some very dismissive reviews and wondered if I had wasted my money. Now I have read it, I am glad I got it. I would definitely recommend it for anyone interested in a science-based assessment of diet fads. There is definitely interesting information in the book and I feel considerably better informed on the topic of various nutritional and dieting fads. So I now know that gut microbiome 'might' be connected with mood, weight, mental health, etc etc. - very interesting - more please! Also each chapter takes up one kind of food/nutrition/diet component and assesses the research on it and almost invariably discloses that the 1001 diet fads derived from this research are complete bunkum. Interesting, if a bit negative. This aspect of the book is sometimes historical in aspect since he digs back through decades of bumf and hype to reveal that the original 'science' on the topic, eg vitamins, is completely inadequate and would not even count as scientific research by contemporary standards. Aligned with this is his distinction between scientific research and observational studies – the author needs to make the distinction clearer and do that upfront as it is a major methodological theme to each chapter.The author's qualifications seem to be based on his having marshalled over the years an extraordinary cohort of 11,000 sets of twins who have agreed to participate in various kinds of research. He has then been able research, for example, diet/lifestyle choices on genetically identical subjects. Cool!However, I have a few reservations. 1. I bought it cos I wanted the lowdown on gut microbiome research. The issue of gut microbiome is a theme that runs through almost every chapter but somehow it does not deliver a 'state of the art' account of research on that topic. Also while gut microbiome comes up in relation to most topics, the author's conclusion is too often that we do not yet know enough about the impact of some nutritional component on gut flora to make a judgement. Duh! Why include that topic if there is nothing to say...? 3. Which brings me to my final complaint, which is that it is really unclear what the book is trying to do. It is not just about gut microbiome, because it reviews every diet/nutrition regime known to humankind. My view is that the author was poorly guided by his editors.

El tiempo de entrega fue unos días antes de lo planeado y eso estuvo maravilloso.Me lo recomendaron y apenas estoy empezando a leerlo pero hasta ahora es un libro muy bueno!Deberían muchas más personas interesarse en lo que consumen!

I love the clear and concise science, the author gives you the facts about many studies and the background to do your own research, should you choose to.It totally dispels the "silver bullet" solution, there is no one-size-fits-all diet.Nevertheless the best part is he doesn't try to sell you anything

Boa leitura e cumpre o objetivo de informar sobre os diferentes aspectos da dieta.

I had always suspected that good variety was a key to maintaining healthy weight. This book has helped me understand that and also to try a different approach. As a gardener seasonal produce has always been an important part of my diet.

very detailed information, sometimes too many words, but still, this book is highly recommended.