Nutrivore: The Radical New Science for Getting the Nutrients You Need from the Food You Eat

by Sarah Ballantyne

Ditch diet culture and get the most nutrients from your food with the no-guilt, personalized, and exciting new science that will change how you think about food and nourishment, from New York Times bestselling author Dr. Sarah Ballantyne.

Almost all of us are missing essential vitamins and minerals from our diets that leave us feeling unwell and unable to achieve our health goals—even those of us who take our daily multi, buy organic produce, or have tried to kick-start our health with different dietary habits. Now, bestselling author Dr. Sarah Ballantyne throws all of that out the window in favor of a simple yet radical choose foods to meet our nutritional needs. Unlock health and vitality with Nutrivore , a transformative guide that navigates the world of nutrition, dispels diet myths, and empowers you to embrace a nutrient-focused lifestyle tailored to your unique needs.

Nutrivore is a paradigm shifting, comprehensive approach to nutrition that
-An easy-to-follow plan for getting the full spectrum of nutrients we all need to reach our health goals, focusing on twelve foundational food families.
-Definitive science that identifies foods rich in the nutrients that treat common symptoms and ailments.
-Comprehensive lists of foods and pain points that you can use to craft your own unique eating plan, such as eating magnesium-rich leafy greens to help with headaches, potassium-packed sweet potatoes to help lower blood pressure, or molasses loaded with calcium to relieve PMS.

With no food off-limits, Nutrivore is a permissive dietary structure, emphasizing nutrient-rich selections compatible with your preferred diet or anti-diet, that can reduce your risk of future health problems and help alleviate the symptoms you’re currently facing—so you can finally start feeling good every day.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Food, Nutrition, Self Help, Unfinished, Ebooks

400 pages, Hardcover

Published May 14, 2024

Reviews

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a lot I loved about this book. I appreciate that the author is a doctor and backs up everything with studies and references. I appreciate that she crunched the numbers to determine which foods give the most nutrients of all types (fiber, anthocyanins, minerals, etc.) and not just a few vitamins or benefits. I appreciate that she teaches that you don’t need to avoid any foods but to prioritize getting lots of the foods with huge benefits and lots of variety. I also appreciate that she recommends all foods and doesn’t have an agenda towards any diet.

A lot of what she says is not new, but it’s a good reminder of how powerfully important healthy foods of all kinds are for maintaining good health. Her statistics are startling about the difference all different nutrients have statistically on everything from MS to colon cancer to dementia to diabetes to mortality in general. She also has charts at the end where you can track that you are eating enough different types of food every week, enough of all kinds of especially helpful foods like berries, etc.

There were a few instances where she didn’t convince me. She doesn’t have any problem with any additives, glyphosate, omega-6 oils, etc. She also looks just at nutrition and its impact, not at possible harm from contaminants like arsenic in rice or lead in cassava flour. She says not to worry about mercury in fish, MSG, food dyes, BPA, microplastics, etc. These can be harmful for pregnant women and children in particular but it seems to be completely missing in her priorities.

All that said, it was a good read and it reinforced what my goal for myself and my family has been for a long time— filling our meals predominantly with nutritious, whole foods. Some of the foods with the highest numbers surprised me and I will definitely be adding more of them to our meals.

I read an advance copy of this book for review.

[Natalie]

The premise of the book is simple: How to get alll the nutrition, namely macronutrients, micronutrients, and antioxidants you need from food based on eating a certain number of servings from different food groups weekly. Like I said, it sounds simple, yet I have never read a nutrition book before that has done this. I love that it’s not a diet, and there aren’t any off limit foods or food groups. Enjoying your food is highly encouraged. And you don’t have to follow perfectly to reap the benefits.

The weekly matrix:
7+ cups of cruciferous vegetables weekly
7+ cups of root vegetables weekly
14+ cups of leafy greens weekly
4+ servings of pulse legumes
3+ servings of mushrooms weekly
3+ servings of seafood weekly
3+ servings of nuts and seeds
3+ servings of alliums (garlic, onions, shallots, etc)
3+ servings of citrus fruits
2+ servings of berries

With each of the above categories, shoot for variety and different colors.
Fill 1/2 of your plate with vegetables and fruits, 1/4 with starchy vegetables, and 1/4 with protein.

I recommend the hard copy since there is a lot of helpful information on tables and graphs. I also have seen some complaints about the audiobook itself.

Overall, I can’t stress how much awful diet advice there is out there, whether it be wild, fantastical claims of the dangers of foods or even sometimes how foods can cure certain diseases or conditions. It sounds sexy and alluring, but much of it is disappointingly not true. Interpreting research and statistics and knowing not to make claims off of Petri dish or mice studies is important. I will say there were a few minor claims in this book that I’m skeptical of. Such as certain plants relieving pain in any way comparable to pain meds. I also wish she had provided more evidence when debunking nutrition myths. But overall, this is a fantastic book based on mostly meta analyses (best research out there regarding nutrition), and I highly recommend it. :)

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been following Sarah Ballantyne on TikTok for a while and I find her content so interesting. This book is an excellent companion to what I've already learned from her online. It explains the methodology behind the Nutrivore "system" and made me trust the science behind her claims.

I appreciate that this method comes from a weight-neutral perspective. Regardless of what our weight goals are, everyone should be able to reap the benefits of eating a diet high in nutrients.

Ballantyne's "system" allows everyone to start where they are. You don't have to track every measure that she discusses in the book. For example, I'm focused on increasing my weekly servings of vegetables before I worry about getting the correct number of servings of each vegetable group.

I eat a vegan diet and I'm still able to follow most of the recommendations from Nutrivore. I would love additional information on how to make Nutrivore work for a plant-based diet.

This isn't a book I would read cover-to-cover, especially the chapters that discuss specific nutrients in detail. But I think Ballantyne does enough here to back up her claims about her Nutrivore approach to eating.

[Racheal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect for anyone who wants to know more about eating a nutritious diet without judgment or rules!

I have been interested in nutrition and dieting for most of my life. I have tried so many diets in an effort to lose "weight", resolve health issues, etc. I have only recently realized how problematic diet culture is in our society and have shifted to an anti-diet culture mindset. At the same time, I want to know that I'm providing myself and my family with the nutrition we need to best support our dietary needs.

Dr. Ballantyne's book is a fascinating, data-based look into how we can eat to supply our bodies with all of the nutrients they need. She does a beautiful job of explaining current science in accessible ways. The Nutrivore framework is about eating in ways that best support our dietary needs, with flexibility and an understanding of the importance of food as an important part of life outside of "health" in terms of enjoyment, traditions, and convenience. Foods are prioritized based on a Nutrivore score- calculated based on nutrients provided per calorie, and she also emphasizes the importance of incorporating a diversity of foods.

The book is divided into several categories, and it's a great read in chronological order, but you can also feel free to pick and choose the information that is most relevant to you at a particular moment in time.

Part 1- Why Nutrivore talks about the Nutrivore philosophy, the science regarding nutrient insufficiencies in most Americans' diets, and ways to start incorporating Nutrivore into your ways of eating.

Part 2- Nutrients and Your Health provides an in-depth, science-based analysis of the importance of macronutrients, minerals, vitamins, and phytonutrients for overall health and specific health concerns (such as joint pain, gut health, PMS, headaches, high blood pressure, allergies, cancer risk, autoimmune disorders, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain health, and more!

Part 3- Nutrivore in Practice explains important food groups to incorporate and bust common myths surrounding what we eat/how we eat. There is also a chapter on how to apply Nutrivore principles in clear steps, including recommendations for weekly servings of key food groups. And a chapter with ideas for nutrient-dense "master" recipes that are easily adaptable for whatever you have on hand/is in season to make easy delicious, nutritious foods.

The last section is the appendices, including a brief list explaining how to approach healthy and sustainable weight loss (this is NOT a focus of the book as a whole), charts showing links between specific nutrient insufficiencies, diseases, and symptoms, and a full list of average Nutrivore scores for over 700 whole foods!

I received an ARC e-book from Simon Element Publishing and Netgalley.com. I look forward to receiving my preordered hard copy so I can make lots of highlights, notes, and tabs for the wealth of information contained. Note that if you preorder the book before its publication date on May 14th, you can go to nutrivore.com and download a bunch of bonus materials to get started with learning and applying the ideas in the book. You will be very happy to have them!

[Dr. Val Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite food book, ever. EVER. (A close second is “Ultra Processed People.”) Ballantyne shows her expertise in this book by sharing truth and all the studies to back it up. She takes the modern diet culture rules and myths and busts them with science. I appreciate her voice so very much. Her work brings healing to one’s relationship with food. I highly recommend this book, even if you are not looking to follow her plan, it really examines food myths and lies and reveals the beauty of a whole & all food diet.

[Brian Corbin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is fine IF you believe the US dietary guidelines. If you think those guidelines are to some degree, meaningless, then look elsewhere. I do appreciate the dietary agnostic approach with an eye towards nutrients though.

[Shaina Arb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so refreshing to read. Normally when I read a book about health and food there are constant stop signs that can feel jarring and overwhelming— don’t eat this, don’t eat that. The author is amazing at refraining from any such talk, and I really admire how she’s been able to change her views from what they once were. I followed her recommendations for the AIP diet and while it was helpful in some ways, it also did create some food fears for me personally. I love when accomplished researchers and doctors can continue to learn and put out new information that actually contradicts older findings. I think It makes it easier to trust them and accept what they put out there.

The biggest take away from this book is how good is nutrition, and how it’s all good in various ways. So needed in this diet and elimination diet focused world.

[Randi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for people who want to eat healthy, but are sick of the ever-changing landscape of foods you should and should not eat. It is a new twist on the basic concept of eating nutrient dense food. Using tons of science, the author has rated hundreds of foods for their nutrient density so we can easily add more nutritious food to our diet. Plus she explains what our body uses each vitamin and mineral for.

[Jennifer Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been looking for a good nutrition book for my kids’ health course. I’ve read a zillion books about food and nutrition, but for them I specifically wanted a book that gives good information without alarmism or demonizing of particular foods (or diatribes against “Big Food”). This book was almost exactly what I wanted. It focuses on nutrients, talking about what we know about how they help us. The author makes no attempt to scare you into avoiding your favorite foods; she even dispels a lot of the most annoying myths that keep hanging around (like microwaves somehow robbing food of all its nutrients, or BPA making canned veggies unsafe). The overall tone is calm and rational — although some of the bad puns made me roll my eyes.

I will likely use this for my teenagers, but some of the scientific part of the book is pretty dense if you’re not already accustomed to reading about polyphenols and antioxidants and scientific studies and so forth. My teens might have a hard time making sense of it. I think we’ll probably give it a try, though.

[Nerissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read/listened to a TON of books and podcasts on nutrition over the last 10+ years and it can be so confusing, conflicting and often misleading! Dr. Ballantyne does an exceptional job of sharing the up to date scientific consensus on what and how we should really be eating AND she does it in a way that pretty much anyone can use. For instance, she shares really useful tips on how to keep costs low on a healthy diet; how to make it easier and more enjoyable and how you can still incorporate "cheats" which she smartly refers to as "lifestyle foods" noting many times that there are NO "bad" foods (and explains why!).

[Riccardo Lo Monaco · Rating 2 out of 5]

Conceptually this is good, but it’s written for idiots. The prose is questionable and the glossing over of real issues with food toxins as ‘myths’ based on studies funded by stakeholders is disconcerting, if not dangerous. Also, listening to her annunciate every letter of every word and tell her cheap jokes with fabricated cheer made this so robotic - which is ironic because it’s opposite of what she intended. I did not enjoy this, and it contributed little to my overall knowledge.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book. I love that there is science behind everything that Sarah talks about ... that she has done so much research and presented it in a way that is easy to understand. I appreciated the myth busting bits a lot. They challenge some of the ways I think ... good food for thought.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will be assigning this as a main text for my highschoolers' health class. It's perfect for what I want my teens to have for a foundation in nutrition.

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm bad at covering all my nutrients and I can't say I'm any better now but I feel better informed at least.

[LeastTorque · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gathers most of the state of nutrition science in one place and adds the helpful “nutrivore” rating scheme. I very much appreciated that this rating takes calorie density into account. It also includes excellent charts for tracking progress toward increasing nutrient levels and variety in your daily diet.

I normally shy away from this type of book, since most of them have a particular agenda and include poorly run studies and anecdotes. This one is pretty much free of all of that except for the actual purpose of the book: better nutrition.

I’d love to see plant-based, vegetarian, and fish/fowl versions of this book.

My copy was from the library, but I have ordered one for us to call our own.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarah Ballantyne is my go-to expert when it comes to health information/research and how to create a healthy lifestyle. Her book is well documented and offers so much practical information. Doesn't disappoint! 👏

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by a health expert that gives information backed by research on healthy eating!

[Lynnette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book seeks to improve your nutrient awareness, i.e., what nutrients are, what they do, how much we need, and how we can get them. It is an excellent resource for addressing specific symptoms and conditions by choosing health-promoting, nutrient-dense foods.

There are three parts: What is Nutrivore?, Nutrients and Your Health, and Nutrivore in Practice. The book is educational, providing definitions, examples, cheat sheets, and recipes.

Basics of the plan
1. Choose primarily whole foods
2. Eat a diverse diet
3. Eat the rainbow of fruits and vegetables
4. Use the nutrivore meal map (50% veg/fruit; 25% starch; 25% protein; drink water; choose healthy fats)

This book is replete with practical information, e.g., marvelous minerals cheat sheet, valuable vitamins cheat sheet, eat the rainbow chart, nutrivore foundational foods cheat sheet, serving size cheat sheet, 17 tips for weight loss, and simple recipes.

This book is challenging to read, cover to cover. The nutrivore score is helpful but not something I would use regularly. It seems more important to vary a whole-food diet. The nutrivore meal map does not include a percentage for healthy fats. This part needs to be clarified.

[Donna · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the new year. I was so excited about reading this. I've heard the author on many podcasts talking about it. Finally, I was able to obtain a library copy. And now I'm more than a little disappointed.

If you are healthy, eating this way would pose no problem. If you know what plagues you (health wise), again, this might help you. Now the author does caution the reader to be mindful of foods to see whether they can tolerate them or not, so there is that. But if you haven't any idea why you feel the way you do and I'll add too, if you don't have a CGM to wear, then eating like this might not be the best thing. My dear friend had IBS and was constantly told to eat better and to eat more fiber and he just got worse. Ended up having his colon removed. Poor guy. He is still plagued with problems.

She talked about "eating the rainbow" like many other authors have, then she added that we should do what we have to in order to make it palatable. That had me laughing out loud. My husband will eat anything wrapped in bacon, then deep fried and then dipped in a vat of fry sauce.

She then glossed over the negative effects of fasting , keto, and more......which needed a book all its own. I'd love to read those studies. None of this was mentioned in her podcast interviews. I don't like the nay saying. It pets my peeves. That was when my 2 star rating went to 1.

Lastly, I am glad she did her own narration of the audiobook. She talked with passion and surety on the topic. I loved that......but her "dad jokes" were cringy.

I may edit my review later, but right now I'm too wrapped up in my disappointment.

[Erin Dunne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was filled with such great info and I loved the approach that yes, whole food nutrition is very important and should be a focus of our lives for healthier living/preventative lifestyle but there’s also room for “soul foods.” There are no labels, no good/bad, diet fads, just a spectrum of more nutrient dense vs less and there’s space for both! I connected with this Intuitive eating approach more than the traditional model that’s always discussed in books - all foods still fit, but we’re diving more into the why behind whole food focus for health and longevity as well.

[Kendra Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Audio and book) As far as nutrition books go, this one is really good! It did a great job at explaining different nutrition principles and providing lots of data and research. The Nutrivore model goes a step further than My Plate by providing a weekly checklist to help someone know what foods to eat each week to get maximum health benefits.

[Melissa Bilobran · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much noise out there about what to eat, when to eat, and what not to eat. Eating healthy can feel overwhelming, expensive and confusing, with so many different definitions of what it is. Doesn't science have anything to say to cut through this noise and make it easy?

It does! And Dr. Sarah Ballantyne has used her research scientist expertise to lay out all the latest scientific research into a permissive way of eating designed to give you all the nutrients you need through your diet: Nutrivore! You won't find cherry-picking here, unless it's you, at the farm, gathering cherries to stuff in your face or make a pie.

Rather, what you will find inside is resources that let you get as much information on how to eat a healthy diet as you need. If you just need the "rules," there is a handy Nutrivore Plate Model and ways to measure portions and permission - nay, encouragement - to eat a diverse diet full of a variety of foods with a weekly checklist of the kinds of foods and quantities that you really want to strive for to get all the nutrients you need. You can also find this information on her website, Nutrivore.com. If you want to go deeper and get into the science of it, if you are like me and you don't like to be told what to do and prefer instead to geek out on the details and you need to know WHY, she's got you covered there too.

The book is entertaining as it digs into the benefits of different foods and how they work in our bodies for different health outcomes by providing an overview of definitions, nutritional science, biochemistry, and the latest in scientific studies and even some behavioral psychology to break free from the disordered eating that all that "noise" can develop into. The information is sorted and sifted and shared through several ways, like narrative sections, charts, graphs, and the Nutrivore Score of many common (and uncommon) foods that you might find. If you have a specific health condition or outcome you are seeking to improve, it's fairly easy to find useful information on what to do, including an appendix with principles to follow if weight-loss is a goal for you. There are even some simple mix-and-match recipes to get you going. Also helpful to me was a myth-busting section that gets into the science of frozen food, microwaves, organic, canning, food additives, red meat, etc. that let me feel better about being able to feed my family and not break the budget.

At the end of the book, was my mind-blown? Not based on the science, since eating a diverse diet focused on whole foods isn't really new information and jives with Michael Pollan's "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants;" the Mediterranean Diet, and other healthy diet models we get prescribed. However, I was very impressed and feel EMPOWERED with the information provided that helped me really hone in on what foods to add to my diet (more citrus! more mushrooms! more beets!), quantities, and knowing why makes it more likely I will do so 80%+ of the time and hopefully feel less on the health "edge." This book basically makes the last several years of personal healthy diet research obsolete because it's all in here and more!

So, in closing, this book has it all. It doesn't just add noise to the healthy diet conversation. It cuts through the noise with science and education to empower you with tools to actually implement a healthy diet in your life no matter your budget, where you live, or what you have done in the past. It is permissive and gentle, celebrating a slow habit-changing process and inclusive so that this can be a sustainable way of eating for your long and healthy life. You don't need any other nutrition/diet books besides this one!

[Kristie J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I would not really call this approach "radical," but it is helpful to be able to summarize the nutritional value of a food in one cumulative number so it can be easily compared to other foods. Maximizing the nutritional value of the food we eat makes perfect sense and having a "Nutrivore" score makes it easier to make higher-nutrient choices. Many of the foods that we've been told our whole lives are nutritious are at the top of the Nutrivore list as well, so they were not a surprise, however the value-add with the Nutrivore system comes when comparing foods within broad categories, such as comparing types of mushrooms or various vegetables. It's also handy to see in numbers how nutrient-rich (nutrients per calorie) various vegetables are compared to legumes compared to grains compared to meat. What the Nutrivore score doesn't tell us is which nutrients foods provide compared to each other. We can't just eat cruciferous or leafy vegetables, which have the highest Nutrivore ratings, and get all of our nutritional needs; the author emphasizes that we need to eat a variety of foods and provides recommendations for which food families we should eat every week and how many servings of each.

The most important statement of the book is on page 41, "The best way to make this calculation comprehensive and unbiased was easy for me to see, perhaps because I have no loyalty to government dietary guidelines, no food lobby breathing down my neck, no prejudgement on which foods should score high or low, and no feeling of any necessity to align a nutrient-density score with any specific diet." So many diet books are biased especially against meat in general or red meat in particular. I was glad to see meat being included in the ratings without judgement.

It's also important to note that the author is not promoting this as a diet to lose weight. The "Nutrivore diet" is designed to make you healthier by ensuring that you consume the nutrients that your body needs. Presumably, if you start eating more nutritious whole foods, you will naturally shed a few pounds that you gained from eating highly processed foods.

The Nutrivore calculation is pretty technical so it's hard to truly evaluate whether it is accurate. I question whether fiber should be included because it isn't an essential nutrient.

Overall, this book referenced a dizzying array of studies along with a dizzying array of nutrients. It would take hours and hours to really evaluate if these studies are good guidelines. However, the principles presented are logical and make sense, and again, I appreciated that the author included meat and dairy and didn't insist we all have to be vegan.

I was a bit turned off by the handful of cheesy jokes incorporated throughout. I know the author was trying to lighten up a dense subject, but it fell a bit flat. I appreciated the dozen or so master recipes included at the back of the book and noted several of them to try.

I would recommend this book as a good general guideline for everyday eating to get the most nutrition from your diet.

[Zo Smi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a valuable book in our times of all-out diet trends such as "carnivore," "zero carb," as well as Ozempic over-use, which is why it deserves a higher-end rating.

For me personally, Sarah Ballantyne is preaching to the already converted, as I've been following the approach for many years of trying to optimize my nutrition wherever I can without adhering to any specific diet (which is essentially what "Nutrivore" is about). Despite this, the book still offers some useful reference lists and reminders that similar types of foods can have significantly different nutrient profiles. Sometimes I spotted a food on the page that I'd completely forgotten exists and/or which prompted me to think "I should get that next time I see it!"

In terms of criticism, I feel that Ballantyne all to readily dismisses concerns about contaminants in foods. She generally says that they are negligible and often offset by other nutrients, and cites research to support her point. However, we all disturbingly have microplastics in our bodies, grocery store fruit and veg tend to be pumped with water to make them look big and juicy, people are getting bowel cancer at ever earlier ages, and the list goes on. These are real concerns that relate to what we eat, and we can easily find recent research that counters that cited by Ballantyne.

Other criticisms relate to omissions: eggs not discussed (unless I missed it--they're not mentioned in the index), olive oil in plastic bottles vs glass bottles, cancer-causing mycotoxins in foods (bee pollen comes to mind here, and it doesn't feature in Ballantyne's database of Nutrivore-ranked foods). There's also scant mention of quality foods often costing more (Ballantyne does briefly say that reducing food waste is a key aspect of keeping cost down), plus a lack of mention of heavily exclusionary diets being essential for some people (think celiac disease or lactose allergy)ranted, it would be difficult to cover all the foods on this planet).

Overall, I don't think this book format will be able to persuade the generation of potato chip and soda addicts to switch to rainbow trout and kale. Rather, this book will appeal more to those who are already have some healthy habits in place but want to improve further. If you adhere to general Mediterranean diet principles, which repeatedly seem to be the soundest "diet" of all, then Nutrivore could help to expand, say, the range of vegetables that you might associate with a Mediterranean diet.

[Stefani · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited to read this book. I already own The Paleo Approach, The Paleo Approach Cookbook, and The Healing Kitchen by Sarah Ballantyne. Unfortunately, this book is nothing like those books. I found the book very uneven. At times she gave interesting information. At other times, she dumped a bunch of numbers (waaaaay too many) that I ended up glossing over when they got to be too much. Sometimes she gave information that seemed to make no sense. Often she gave information that completely countered her previous health trajectory. (I've been trying to figure out if she had a lobotomy or has been paid off by USDA or some other organization to make such a drastic change.) And her language at times (jokes and jargon) was trying too hard and felt awkward and cheesy. All in all, I don't recommend this book. Even her Nutrivore really just ends up complicating things. Her "Top 100" scored foods barely include any protein or fat, which shows me that those are NOT the top 100 foods I should be eating, which would seem to make the whole thing unhelpful. A "Top 100 foods to eat on repeat" would have been helpful instead (including ACTUAL foods people would eat), and THEN a "Top 100 foods to add to your diet." Anyway, the book is a glut of information, some good, some bad, some too number-y (and I LIKE science and numbers), some with too much allowance, and some without enough allowances made. I'm sure there's better books out there than this. Save your time, and skip this nutrition book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is monumental in allaying food fears and busting food myths. I already get a healthy dose of that from food science babe on IG, which made the things Ballantyne had to say here easier to swallow (sorry- that was so bad). I love the emphasis on nutrients and removing the guilt around eating that were her main themes in this book. Food positivity. I found this book through a podcast I listen to and I loved how this author was willing to admit the mistakes she has made in the past and move forward- I trust people more easily when they are open about their journey.

I listened to this, and while I'm not mad about that I think it would be helpful to have a hard copy. This was an interesting listen if a little fact heavy at times- as in listing the nutrients of foods. For that reason, and for its systematic layout, it would make an excellent reference book.

It was difficult that the PDF was often referred to but was not accessible through the library system I had this checked out from. Her website is nice and easy to navigate but I believe most of the really helpful day-to-day info. that was included as a PDF with the audiobook is something you have to pay for from the website. I guess I might just have to buy the book in this instance. I do think the information is worth it, it's just hard once I've already consumed the material to justify it.

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to nutrients for those who do not have a nutrition degree, and a wonderful telling to the promise of turning to nutrients to decide what to eat instead of staying stuck in macros and calories.
This truly is a great read for those ready to get off the diet train and learn more about how to think of food, nourishment, and feeding oneself. Dr. Ballantyne states the obvious that has been staring us in the face forever but has been 'hidden' by simplistic thinking and influencers who didn't/couldn't convey the full picture. While I've been eating in the manner she calls 'Nutrivore' for years and facilitating others to this form of nourishment, no one has yet broken into the mainstream to share what is emerging in tiny pockets across the world. So this book is a gift in that regard. While the book is comprehensive but not overwhelming, as a reader I felt it didn't leave me with a clear sense of how to proceed. Dr. Ballantyne offers resources on her website that do simplify the adaptation to this way of eating. They are not necessary, but they do make it easier. Without them, I do worry that the lack of clear, concrete steps may feel difficult for people to implement simply by reading the text. To them, I will say that every bite counts and every change made to increase nutrients is a worthwhile one.

[Nat · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who’s been harmed by the Paleo cult and eventually moved toward intuitive eating, I wanted to love this book, especially since I used to religiously follow Ballantyne’s Paleo advice. And there are some really great aspects; I’ll definitely make use of the 12 recommended categories to help balance my diet.

But it’s hard to recommend the book itself, unless it’s for someone who’s so mired in standard nutrition advice that they need something non-radical to shift in a better direction, or someone with lots of nutrition education who needs permission to relax a bit.

My main disappointment is the over-reliance on calories as a metric of health. I know this is a very mainstream idea and it does have its uses, but I didn’t find the way she uses it fundamentally useful.

It would be hard to list everything I disliked since I read most of it more than a month ago, but for instance, she quotes studies that attribute autism and ADHD to nutrient deficiencies. There can certainly be behavioral issues related to nutrition, but this type of framework fundamentally misunderstands the genetic causes of neurodivergence. There were several harmful assumptions taken from mainstream research, including fatphobia (although this was fortunately not as bad as most mainstream nutrition books, since she did challenge some fatphobic ideas here and there).

[Emily Mellow · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to separate books themselves from the audiobook version, but when the author herself narrates the audiobook, I don't think I need to. Sarah enunciates so clearly it's like listening to a robot. For example, she never softens a "t" the way we do in so much spoken language. It seems like a small thing, but it's hard to listen to, hard to separate the information from its robotic delivery.
As for the information, she is so intent on dispelling every possible food "myth" that it's hard to trust her assurances that canned food is just as healthy as fresh (sometimes even more so!) or that conventional produce & farmed fish are just as beneficial as their organic and wild caught versions. She would have us believe that microplastics and BPA leave our bodies within hours, causing no damage. Just go ahead and eat whatever you want, she says, as long as you're getting points in all her complicated "nutrivore" categories.
I'm not saying she's incorrect. It would be lovely to live in a world where this was accurate. I just don't think I can suspend disbelief in everything else I have ever read, enough to trust this Pollyanna of nutrition.
I also don't think she makes a strong enough case for eating real food rather than taking vitamins, as it seems her argument is just to get the correct nutrients, which people have often used vitamins in pursuit of.

[McKinley Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the book’s main ideas - 3-5 servings vegetables/day, 2 servings fruit/day, eat as diverse diet as possible, get 80% of daily calories from minimally processed foods, and avoid restricting foods or labelling them as “bad” are good and something I will do my best to implement.

However the main thesis of the book that we are all nutrient “insufficient” and that this is contributing to much of our collective disease etiology is something I did not find convincing. Thus most of the books focus on specific nutrients kinda falls on deaf ears for me.

Also, although she acknowledges the healthy correlation bias that is almost impossible to control for in epidemiological studies (eg people who ate 3 servings of sea vegetables a day got less cancer - well does that imply sea vegetables are causative or just that people who eat 3 servings of sea vegetables a day are doing all sorts of other healthy stuff that also reduces cancer risk) - she repeatedly cites such studies because they are the standard for the field of nutrition today which makes many points she makes unconvincing to say the least. The big exception being the controlled trial studies of Kevin Hall like with processed foods.