Eating Well for Optimum Health: The Essential Guide to Bringing Health and Pleasure Back to Eating by Andrew Weil

From Barnes & Noble

The Barnes & Noble Review
Andrew Weil, M.D., is well known for his nationally bestselling books on the body's ability to heal itself, Spontaneous Healing and 8 Weeks to Optimum Health. Now Dr. Weil turns his attention toward improving health and well-being through diet. But Eating Well for Optimum Health: The Essential Guide to Food, Diet, and Nutrition is more than just a diet book. In addition to containing enough information to be a fairly extensive primer on nutrition, Eating Well for Optimum Health also looks at and evaluates other diet plans, including those enjoying current popularity.

The results are not what you might expect. Rather than dismissing these diets out of hand, Weil highlights the advantages as well as the shortcomings. He clearly and concisely discusses the principles of nutrition at work with each diet, then sifts out the positive attributes they all share, using them as the basis for making his own dietary recommendations. This logical and methodical process makes Weil a diet guru in the strictest sense of the word, providing enlightenment and guidance to help readers negotiate their way through the confusing maze of diets currently on the market.

Weil doesn't focus only on making eating a healthy habit; he also addresses making it a pleasurable one. He stresses and addresses the importance of satisfying hunger pangs, of course, but he also pays attention to the importance of satisfying the other pleasures often derived from eating, such as tactile sensations and emotional connections. The bulk of the book, however, is dedicated to the study of nutrition, providing a detailed discussion of fats, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Weil points out that a large part of the confusion created by the wide array of dietary advice available today is that each camp can spout medical and scientific studies that support their particular plan. Weil shows us why -- it's because each of these diets has attributes grounded in science. He shows how a low-fat diet offers certain distinct advantages but can also create problems because it may not fulfill the body's need for all nutrients. With regard to carbohydrates, Weil examines the evidence that suggests a high carbohydrate intake may contribute to obesity and heart disease and agrees there is a connection. But Weil theorizes that the problem is not so much that we are consuming larger quantities of carbohydrates as such -- rather, the trouble is that we now tend to consume poorer-quality carbohydrates. He examines the glycemic index value of carbohydrates in great detail, explaining how these values affect nutrition and metabolism and why foods with a low glycemic index are preferable to those with a high one -- and he provides a table that lists the glycemic index value of many popular foods. The results are a little surprising when you realize that rice cakes, which are traditionally considered a "diet" food, have a high glycemic index that can actually interfere with dieting.

After a thorough examination of the various nutritional components and the soundness of other diets, Weil spends a few pages composing what he calls "the worst diet in the world." He then invites readers to visit three different fast food restaurants and observe the people eating there, with this worst diet in mind. Considering Weil's claim that fast food is the "most unhealthy dietary development in human history," it's clear what he expects readers to find. He then provides his "best diet in the world," incorporating basic nutritional guidelines and the advantages offered by several other diets. His "best diet" is presented in weekly menu plans that are backed up by a collection of 85 recipes that include everything from soups and salads to desserts. The recipes vary with regard to time and complexity, and at the end of each one, there is a complete nutritional analysis.

Weil also devotes a chapter to the dissection and evaluation of consumer labeling, using several ordinary items off the grocery store shelves to demonstrate how such labeling can be both beneficial and misleading. For those who eat out often, there is a discussion on how to make sensible choices in a restaurant. At the back of the book are appendixes chock-full of helpful information, like a breakdown of daily nutritional needs in an optimal diet, a list of other helpful resources, and a Q&A section that addresses a number of common dietary problems. But probably the most helpful of the appendixes is the one that provides dietary recommendations for a number of common health concerns, everything from allergies and arthritis to body odor and prostate problems.

Weil's stated goal for this book is to turn readers into savvy consumers who can make wise and informed dietary choices that will promote good health. He has achieved that goal in spades, developing a sensible plan that can be customized to meet the needs of just about any dietary situation.

Beth Amos, RN, spent 20 years working as a nurse in various medical settings before becoming a novelist and medical freelance writer. She has authored more than 100 articles in medical and lay journals around the country.

From the Publisher

At last, a book about eating (and eating well) for health—from Dr. Andrew Weil, the brilliantly innovative and greatly respected doctor who has been instrumental in transforming the way Americans think about health.

Now Dr. Weil—whose nationwide best-sellers Spontaneous Healing and Eight Weeks to Optimum Health have made us aware of the body's capacity to heal itself—provides us with a program for improving our well-being by making informed choices about how and what we eat.

He gives us all the basic facts about human nutrition. Here is everything we need to know about fats, protein, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins, and their effects on our health.

He equips us to make decisions about the latest miracle diet or reducing aid.

At the heart of his book, he presents in easy-to-follow detail his recommended OPTIMUM DIET, including complete weekly menus for use both at home and in restaurants.

He provides eighty-five recipes accompanied by a rigorous and reliable nutritional breakdown—delicious recipes reminding us that we can eat for health without giving up the essential pleasures of eating.

Customized dietary advice is included for dozens of common ailments, among them asthma, allergies, heart disease, migraines, and thyroid problems. Dr. Weil helps us to read labels on all food products and thereby become much wiser consumers. Throughout he makes clear how an optimal diet can both supply the basic needs of the body and fortify the body's defenses and mechanisms of healing. And he always stresses that good food—and the good feeling it engenders at the table—is not only a delight but also necessary to our well-being, so that eating for health means enjoyable eating.

In sum, a hugely practical and inspiring book about food, diet, and nutrition that stands to change—for the better and the healthier—our most fundamental ideas about eating.

About the Author:
Andrew Weil, M.D., a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School, is Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona and director of the Program in Integrative Medicine at that institution. He is also the founder of the Foundation for Integrative Medicine in Tucson, Arizona, and editorial director of the "Ask Dr. Weil" Web site (www.drweil.com). Dr. Weil is the author of eight books, including most recently Spontaneous Healing and Eight Weeks to Optimum Health.

Product Details

• Table of Contents
• Read an Excerpt
• View a Recipe

Table of Contents

Read an Excerpt

Eat a balanced and varied diet. Avoid obesity and fad diets. There are no magical guidelines for good nutrition. Patients should resolve to plan their diet around the watchwords "variety, moderation, and balance." Remember: There are no "good" or "bad" foods. The primary danger from food is overindulgence.

Super Blue Green Algae gives us nutrients and energy at almost no cost to the body's reserves. This algae is 97% assimilable, and many of the nutrients are in forms that are directly usable. For example, the algae's 60% protein content is of a type called glycoproteins, as opposed to the lipoproteins found in vegetables and meat. As a result, the body doesn't have to spend its valuable resources converting lipoproteins into glycoproteins as it does with other foods. Super Blue Green Algae contains almost every vitamin and mineral needed by the body . . . [and] is one of the richest sources of chlorophyll -- a cell regenerator and blood purifier.

I know of no subject more confused, emotionally charged, and important in our lives than food and nutrition and their influence on our well-being. When I give public talks on health and medicine, the questions I get reveal both the interest and confusion. Here are some examples:

• How can I lose weight? I've tried everything.
  
• It seems as if I gain weight just by looking at food. Why?
  
• I've had cancer. What foods should I avoid?
  
• I have no energy. Could my diet be the problem?
  
• I thought we were supposed to avoid dietary fat. Now I'm hearing that fat is okay and carbohydrates are bad. What are the answers?
  
• Is it okay to eat soybeans if I had breast cancer?
  
• If I change my diet, can I get off all the drugs I'm taking for my arthritis?
  
• My five-year-old has asthma. Are there foods he shouldn't be eating? My doctor doesn't seem to know.
  
• A holistic doctor told me I'm allergic to wheat. What does that mean? I love bread and pasta.
  
• If I'm eating pretty well, do I need to take vitamins?
  
• If I'm supposed to be eating more fruits and vegetables, do I have to worry about pesticides on them?
  
• I don't have time to cook. How can I eat a healthy diet?
  
• My children like only macaroni and cheese. How can I get them to develop better eating habits?
  
• I love chocolate. Is it bad for me?
  
• The cafeteria food at my school is wretched. How can I persuade the school to improve it?
  
• Is it all right to eat eggs if heart disease runs in your family?
  
• Is sugar bad for you?
  
• Are microwave ovens safe?
  
• Is it dangerous to cook in aluminum pots?
  
• I read that dairy products could be causing my sinus problems. Isn't milk supposed to be the perfect food?
  
• Are artificial sweeteners safe?
  
• Is it okay to drink water with your meals?
  
• What's the best way to eat if I want to live to be a hundred?
  

It is said to be a weakness in my character not to be much interested in food, and Liebling was a true trencherman, whose appetite astonished and appalled me. I saw that he was, in the old saying, digging his grave with his teeth, but there was nothing to be done about it; the pleasure he took in gourmandizing was obviously identical to the pleasure other people took in listening to a Chopin nocturne. One day at lunch at the Villa Nova, during a period when, on doctor's orders, Liebling was making a valiant effort to eat lightly, he ordered a succulent dish of veal, peppers, and eggplant, which, in the Villa Nova tradition, arrived at the table aswim and asizzle in a large pewter platter. Liebling quickly polished off the entire platter, then, breaking chunks of bread from a long loaf on the table, soaked up the remaining gravy, all but literally licking the platter clean. It was a meal the very thought of which was enough to keep me from feeling hungry for a week. Liebling beckoned to the waiter. I thought he would be asking for the check, but not at all. "I'll have one more of the same," he said.

Combine carrot pulp [leftover residue after juicing carrots], ground flax and sunflower seeds, finely minced celery, onion, parsley, and red pepper; season with soy sauce; shape into patties and leave them in the sun until warm or place in warm oven for 15 minutes. These are delicious served in a cabbage leaf "bun": fold a cabbage leaf over the burger with any condiments you like or cut two squares of cabbage from the large leaves and place the burger in between them.

View a Recipe

2 ahi tuna steaks, 4-6 ounces each, about 1 inch thick
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 medium ripe tomato, diced fine
6 green olives, pitted and chopped
1 tablespoon scallions, chopped
2 teaspoons capers
1 clove garlic, mashed
a pinch of dried whole oregano

1. Rinse the tuna steaks under cold running water and pat dry. Brush them with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and season them with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat grill or broiler. Meanwhile, mix all the remaining ingredients, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
3. Grill the steaks on high heat or broil, about 2-3 minutes per side or until desired doneness.
4. Cover the steaks with topping mixture, and serve. Good hot or cold.

Servings: 2. Calories 161, fat 7 g (40% of calories from fat), saturated fat 1 g, protein 20.5 g, carbohydrate 3 g, cholesterol 38 mg, fiber 1 g

Nutritional benefits: Protein from fish

5-6 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and crushed (or use canned Italian tomatoes, drained and crushed)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons black olives (Kalamata or oil-cured), pitted and chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, minced
1 pound dried penne pasta
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, olive oil, red pepper flakes, capers, olives, garlic, and basil. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
2. Cook the pasta until it is al dente. Drain well.
3. Toss the hot pasta with the tomato mixture. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Servings: 6. Calories 391, fat 7.5 g (17% of calories from fat), saturated fat 2.5 g, protein 15.5 g, carbohydrate 66 g, cholesterol 8 mg, sodium 247 mg, fiber 4 g

Nutritional benefits: Good carbohydrate; micronutrients from tomatoes and garlic

12 large green apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
juice of 1 fresh lemon
1z4 cup raisins
1/3 cup brandy
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons whole-wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup light olive oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
nonstick cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a mixing bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice, raisins, brandy, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and the flour.
3. Pile the apples in a glass or ceramic baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
4. Mix together the remaining ingredients and cover the apples with the mixture.
5. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 30-40 minutes more until the apples are soft. Serve warm.

Servings: 12. Calories 244, fat 7.5 g (27.5% of calories from fat), saturated fat 1 g, protein 4 g, carbohydrate 40 g, cholesterol 0 mg, sodium 140 mg, fiber 5 g

Nutritional benefits: Fiber and carbohydrate from whole grains; monounsaturated fat; micronutrients