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The Good, the Bad and the Healthy: How to make smarter daily choices
INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
Good health starts with what we buy.
Our shopping trolley is a snapshot of our life - we pick the same brands, we cook our usual recipes, and fall into patterns by default. These small, everyday decisions may seem trivial, but they all add up over time.
In The Good, the Bad and the Healthy, Sunna van Kampen, founder of Tonic Health, helps you press pause, check the label, and make smarter health choices that don't require a lifestyle overhaul.
Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of your daily routine - from the breakfast foods you eat to the way you wash your clothes. He peels back the marketing veil and reveals what's really in the products you buy - and shows you how to choose better.
Practical, myth-busting, and refreshingly doable, this book isn't about perfection. It's about recognising the best options, avoiding the worst, and finding a balance - so healthy becomes easy, one smart swap at a time.
Good health starts with what we buy.
Our shopping trolley is a snapshot of our life - we pick the same brands, we cook our usual recipes, and fall into patterns by default. These small, everyday decisions may seem trivial, but they all add up over time.
In The Good, the Bad and the Healthy, Sunna van Kampen, founder of Tonic Health, helps you press pause, check the label, and make smarter health choices that don't require a lifestyle overhaul.
Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of your daily routine - from the breakfast foods you eat to the way you wash your clothes. He peels back the marketing veil and reveals what's really in the products you buy - and shows you how to choose better.
Practical, myth-busting, and refreshingly doable, this book isn't about perfection. It's about recognising the best options, avoiding the worst, and finding a balance - so healthy becomes easy, one smart swap at a time.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2026
59 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 26, 2026
3.5 stars
This is a fairly simple but thorough guide to making healthier choices in your weekly shop, with a focus on eating nutrient-dense, and protein- and fibre-rich foods. It gives a lot of easy-to-follow advice and it's probably a pretty good place to start if you feel a bit lost. I appreciate the nuance that he approaches the topic with, taking into consideration budgetary constraints, time constraints, and dietary restrictions, as well as explaining why we should eat differently depending on our goals.
The advice the book gives is good, but I didn't like some of the language used in the book. My issue with most nutrition books is that they will pick a "boogeyman" and then proceed to use a lot of fearmongering language to explain why this specific thing is so dangerous. This book definitely wasn't as bad as most, which I appreciated, but it was still guilty of doing this to an extent.
Firstly, the use of the word "chemical" to describe anything that supports this "dangerous food" argument is very misleading. Chemicals are not inherently harmful, and in fact, every single thing we consume, even water, is a chemical. There was even a point where he interchanged the words "chemical" and "toxin", which is not just misleading, but categorically wrong.
Secondly, I appreciated how he explained at the beginning that the main reason ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are harmful is their lack of nutrient content, and their lack of satiety. However, he also mentions the cumulative effect of all the "chemicals" in these foods over years of eating them - something which he himself says there is no concrete scientific evidence for, and which he also says are flushed out of our body pretty quickly by our liver and kidneys. In spite of this, he continues to use this argument throughout the book.
If you can ignore this fearmongering language, the advice given in the book is sound and I think would help a lot of people make healthier choices in their day-to-day lives.
This is a fairly simple but thorough guide to making healthier choices in your weekly shop, with a focus on eating nutrient-dense, and protein- and fibre-rich foods. It gives a lot of easy-to-follow advice and it's probably a pretty good place to start if you feel a bit lost. I appreciate the nuance that he approaches the topic with, taking into consideration budgetary constraints, time constraints, and dietary restrictions, as well as explaining why we should eat differently depending on our goals.
The advice the book gives is good, but I didn't like some of the language used in the book. My issue with most nutrition books is that they will pick a "boogeyman" and then proceed to use a lot of fearmongering language to explain why this specific thing is so dangerous. This book definitely wasn't as bad as most, which I appreciated, but it was still guilty of doing this to an extent.
Firstly, the use of the word "chemical" to describe anything that supports this "dangerous food" argument is very misleading. Chemicals are not inherently harmful, and in fact, every single thing we consume, even water, is a chemical. There was even a point where he interchanged the words "chemical" and "toxin", which is not just misleading, but categorically wrong.
Secondly, I appreciated how he explained at the beginning that the main reason ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are harmful is their lack of nutrient content, and their lack of satiety. However, he also mentions the cumulative effect of all the "chemicals" in these foods over years of eating them - something which he himself says there is no concrete scientific evidence for, and which he also says are flushed out of our body pretty quickly by our liver and kidneys. In spite of this, he continues to use this argument throughout the book.
If you can ignore this fearmongering language, the advice given in the book is sound and I think would help a lot of people make healthier choices in their day-to-day lives.
February 10, 2026
A well researched and well written book on everything about what we put in our trolleys navigating through the supermarket aisles.
It is not just brand/product names we need to look into but the nutritional and ingredients labels. Author explains very well about Ultra Processed Foods (UPF), breaking the basics about organic and nonorganic foods, importance of well balanced foods. Not only that he explains about personal care products and cleaning products which we often overlook the impact they might have on us in the long term.
Everything backed with proper research references.
An eye opener! Recommended for anyone.
It is not just brand/product names we need to look into but the nutritional and ingredients labels. Author explains very well about Ultra Processed Foods (UPF), breaking the basics about organic and nonorganic foods, importance of well balanced foods. Not only that he explains about personal care products and cleaning products which we often overlook the impact they might have on us in the long term.
Everything backed with proper research references.
An eye opener! Recommended for anyone.
January 5, 2026
If you want to cut out/down on UPFs ultra processed foods, this is a brilliant place to find help and get started on improving your health.
Making smart choices in the supermarket has never been easier.
Small changes, huge improvements.
Making smart choices in the supermarket has never been easier.
Small changes, huge improvements.
January 18, 2026
Was quite an insightful read into healthy supermarkets swaps and gave some great break downs on UPF that can easily be consumed on a daily basis - will be taking these tips on my next shopping trip!
Simple read, yet effective!
Simple read, yet effective!
January 18, 2026
Follow on line as goes around supermarkets advising on everyday products . Good swaps and tips . Trying tonic helping with vitality and sleep
January 20, 2026
very good knowledge
February 2, 2026
I followed his discoveries on line so I was keen to have a paper version of the best products to buy. Well Done Sunna - such a useful book for people who want to eat healthily
February 12, 2026
An excellent sequel to Ultra Processed People. Filled with loads of great tips to gradually improve our diet.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews