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The Good, the Bad and the Healthy: How to make smarter daily choices

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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.

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2026

72 people are currently reading
93 people want to read

About the author

Sunna van Kampen

7 books1 follower

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5 stars
27 (35%)
4 stars
36 (47%)
3 stars
13 (17%)
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for Anna.
653 reviews10 followers
March 8, 2026
helpful, non judgy and accessible.
Profile Image for Simplymegy.
346 reviews5 followers
March 17, 2026

I read this book because I follow Sunna’s IG page, Tonichealth. I don’t always agree with his posts, but somehow he got me to spend more time reading the labels in the shop.

Basically, his book is about supermarket items that you can swap to make healthier product choices- whether it be food, vitamins or cleaning products.

I liked the way his chapters where compartmentalised. There’s a chapter on eggs, milk, meat etc. The key message is to read labels to make sure you’re getting the least processed one. I found the food section of the book quite interesting, although it’s heavily catered to parents and what to feed their children.

As someone who’s been on an enhanced fertility journey (ie., researched everything), I already know most of the non-food section advice/research he shared. Plus, his tone sometimes comes off as very preachy. We all know how bad Coke is, Sunna. We’re not drinking it for the health benefits.

3.5⭐️ because it’s easy to read and taught me something new.
Profile Image for Louise Bray.
328 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.
12 reviews
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.
Profile Image for Tracey.
469 reviews90 followers
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.
Profile Image for Sharmin Hoque.
2 reviews
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!
1 review
March 11, 2026
Simplified and clear evidence based assessment of navigating through the supermarkets on food and health and beauty and cookware in order to stay healthy . Handy tips tha you can implement immediately.
Read this book and share with your loved ones .
11 reviews
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
129 reviews
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
Profile Image for Deb Bee.
19 reviews
March 18, 2026
I watch this guy on instagram and facebook I didn’t feel like the book added new
567 reviews4 followers
May 2, 2026
I’ve been following him for quite some time and love his work
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews