Let Them Eat Flax!: 70 All-New Commentaries on the Science of Everyday Food & Life

by Joe Schwarcz

Award-winning author Joe Schwarcz continues his crusade against purveyors of poppycock as he investigates the surprising and sometimes sinister science of everyday food and life Do you know if your waiter sings in the bathroom? Or if the lady who whipped up the icing on your cake wore false fingernails? When was the last time you microwaved your dishcloth? Is your orange juice pasteurized? The bestselling popular science author of A Grain of Salt serves up “interesting factoids about the way that science has helped shape our everyday lives” (Joe Culotti, PhD, professor of molecular and medical genetics, University of Toronto). What difference does an atom make? It could mean life or death! Get the lowdown on oxygenated water, the healing powers of prayer, and the health benefits of chocolate. Could there be a link between McGill University and Jack the Ripper? Find out how cinnamon helps to counter high cholesterol, and learn just how sweet sugar alternatives can be. In the tradition of Schwarcz’s five previous bestsellers, Let Them Eat Flax fries scientific baloney with humor, wit, and information. From food poisoning to the secret of the Stradivarius violin, fertilizers to spontaneous human combustion, Schwarcz investigates explosive subjects and delivers the unbiased, scientific facts readers need to make informed decisions in their everyday lives.

Genres: Science, Health, Food, Essays, Chemistry

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Dr. Joe Schwarcz holds a PhD in chemistry and is host of the radio program The Dr. Joe Show, directo of McGill University's Office for Science & Society and the author of fourteen bestselling books. Well known for his informative and entertaining lectures, Dr. Schwarcz has received numerous awards for teaching and deciphering science for the public.

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes I'm not sure why I torture myself with these popular chemistry books. I'm always disappointed by how the authors manage to take a topic I'm wonderfully interested in and sully it with bad writing (who knew chemistry could evoke the use of so many exclamation points?)(!) and clumsy attempts to make science interesting to "everyday folks". On the other hand, Mr. Schwarcz a good job of emphasizing that the words "a scientific study shows..." should not be taken as gospel without asking questions about how scientific that study really was. How many subjects were involved? How significant was the supposed effect? Was the effect reproducible in subsequent studies? etc. Mostly this book just reinforced my belief that you're not going to outsmart millions of years of co-evolution between the incredibly complex human body and the surprisingly complex foods we eat by taking massive quantities of vitamin D or by getting that acai smoothie at Jamba Juice.

[Christian Van Cleave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contains very interesting commentaries on things we use in our everyday lives, from organic foods to dynamite to birth control pills. Stuff I had never considered wanting to know the origins of but now I'm glad I know!

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't finish this book. It just got a bit repetitive for me after awhile. Don't get me wrong. I had Dr. Schwarcz as a chemistry professor and I loved his classes. He's an amazing teacher.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book starts with a number of chapters emphasizing the need to beware of pseudoscience and ridiculous claims. Later, other chapters relate how many scientific advancements came to be. Interesting stories built around proven facts of chemistry. Each chapter can stand on its own. Entertaining and informative.

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Dr Joe.