Diet cults : the surprising fallacy at the core of nutrition fads and a guide to healthy eating for the rest of us / Matt Fitzgerald.
Record details
- ISBN: 1605985600
- ISBN: 9781605985602 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: 303 pages : illustrations 24 cm
- Publisher: New York : Pegasus Books, 2014.
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 289-302). |
Formatted Contents Note: | Forbidden fruit -- 100 foods to eat before you die -- Homo coquus -- The caveman of Orange County -- The suck-it-up diet -- It's a bird! It's a plane! It's superfood! -- Consider the potato -- Eat bad, look good -- Coffee, chocolate, and wine -- Sugar water -- Starve or die -- Scapegluten -- The protein club -- What's your poison? -- Agnostic healthy eating. |
Search for related items by subject
Subject: | Diet > Popular works. Nutrition > Popular works. Weight loss > Popular works. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Kirtland Community College.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kirtland Community College Library | RA 784 .F58 2014 | 30775305472723 | General Collection | Available | - |
Library Journal Review
Diet Cults
Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Athlete and nutritionist Fitzgerald (Racing Weight) describes a diet cult as "a way of eating that is morally based, identity forming.viewed by its followers as superior to all other ways of eating." Acknowledging that cult diets have existed since antiquity, he briefly examines Jewish eating laws and the food philosophies adhered to by followers of Confucius, then examines modern diets and concludes with his own "agnostic healthy eating game." Many eating programs both healthy and not are surveyed, including raw foods, paleo, Weight Watchers, superfoods, -Atkins, gluten-free, and others. Fitzgerald notes that most popular diets advocate "one true way" of eating in order to attain maximum health while focusing on an "unnecessary avoidance of healthy foods." His own eating guidelines are basic: eat mostly from a list of essential and recommended foods-vegetables, fruits, nuts, healthy meats and fish, whole grains, and dairy-and eat less refined grains, processed meats, sweets, and fried and processed foods. -VERDICT While the cult analogy is carried a bit far, referencing the Bible and referring to protein shakes as "a sacrament," the conversational writing is enjoyable and the content informative.-Pauline Baughman, Multnomah Cty. Lib., Portland, OR (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publishers Weekly Review
Diet Cults
Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Eschewing the term "fad diets" in favor of "diet cults," sports nutritionist Fitzgerald (Racing Weight) attempts to ascribe cultish behavior to the quest for weight loss. Noting that there's no single approach that works for everyone, but that each approach has effective elements (though some are only effective in the short term), Fitzgerald identifies what works and what doesn't within each of the major weight-loss programs. Along the way, he studies the paleo diet, the wildly successful Weight Watchers program, gluten-free diets, and the Atkins diet, along with old approaches such as fasting. He concludes with what amounts to his own cult diet. Noting that motivation is a key component, he focuses on common sense: eat lots of fruit and vegetables, avoid processed foods, incorporate healthy oils, eat high-quality meat and seafood, and, of course, exercise. Those who've stuck with Fitzgerald may feel like the kid in A Christmas Story when the secret is revealed, but it's a sensible approach, even if it's reached in elliptical fashion. Agent: Linda Konner, Linda Konner Literary Agency. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.