Nutrition Made Clear

by Roberta Anding

Making smart eating choices is essential to living a healthy, happy, and successful life. Yet all too often, we're exposed to information and techniques that promise quick and easy results but can be harmful to your overall health: crash diets, experimental medications, ever-changing studies on what you should eat more or less of, and more. It can be confusing to dig through the mass of hype, myth, and misconceptions about good nutrition habits. So in the face of potentially misleading information and aids, where can you find the key to nutritional success?

The answer: in understanding the concepts, practices, and science behind good nutrition. Once you master the intricate—and undeniably captivating—interaction between what you eat and its effect on your body and mind, you unlock a powerful and scientifically proven tool to use in the quest for maintaining or improving your personal health.

Nutrition Made Clear is your opportunity to finally sort through nutrition misconceptions and replace them with hard science you can understand. In 36 in-depth lectures taught by dietitian and award-winning Professor Roberta H. Anding, you explore the fundamentals of good nutrition and get a practical and personal guide to applying these fundamentals to your unique lifestyle. Designed to appeal to anyone at any age, this course is an invaluable source of medically backed, statistically proven information about the guidelines for healthy eating and living.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Nutrition, Science, Food, Self Help

19 pages, Audiobook

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Amina (ⴰⵎⵉⵏⴰ) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best nutrition info source ever! 36 lectures on multiple subjects including: why we eat the way we do, facts and fiction about the sources of nutrition, calories balance, hydratation, supplements, diseases related to our eating and living style.
What I liked most about it is the scientific evidence-based information, put in a very simple way for everyone to understand, the atmosphere was really enjoyable and these courses are highly recommended!

[Ilinca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This woman knows her stuff. Unlike websites that promote cure-alls and fads, she has science behind her every statement. Wherever there are doubts, she lays them out; wherever there is stupidity in the general public that chooses this year's diet over common sense, she calls it out respectfully and emphatically. I am skeptical (to say the least) of diet fads, alternative medicine and cure-alls; I enjoyed her calm approach to them.
I can't emphasize enough how in control she is of this topic - her credentials are obviously backed by substance. Nothing in this course is "revolutionary", which is a good thing - that's 99.999% of the cases a sure sign of quackery. All in all, glad I took the time.

[Jeff Yoak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This course was fantastic. I was motivated to learn about more about nutrition when my wife got involved with the Paleo diet and while some aspects seemed like big improvements, I had concerns about other parts. While those conclusions more or less held after the course, I've found that it has provided a lot of structure to shape my diet and get more fit. Learning a lot enables me to approach the situation more as a game where I can plan outcomes and exercise control which is fun for me rather than just trying to to eat cheeseburgers less often, which while an important aspect, isn't as much fun in itself.

I would recommend this course to anyone who wants to learn technical basics of nutrition. I think it does as much as a general 16-hour course aimed at the general audience could possibly do. It's fun to listen to and provides a lot of both abstract knowledge and concrete suggestions. If you're thinking about a diet for weight loss or to achieve some other health goal, I would expect this course to provide new information and some motivation.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This NEEDS to be part of mandatory curriculum somewhere during K-12... Closer to the K than the 12!

[Ray Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over the past ten years of training for marathons, earning coaching certification and coaching running and rowing, I've read dozens of books on health, exercise and nutrition. This looked like a comprehensive college level overview, and it was. Roberta Anding does a nice job of explaining the science as well as the practical applications of a wide range of nutrition concepts. She confirmed ideas I believed were true, dispelled myths and provided some warning I hadn't thought of. I know vitamins and nutrients can have unexpected effects, I didn't know that niacin, which I take for cholesterol, raises blood sugar - bad for my diabetes! So I gained some valuable insight.

Why the three stars? Three stars says I liked it. It didn't shock or amaze me and the prose weren't brilliant. It was simply a good survey course which I value having completed. If you have an interest in being healthier, this is a solid series of lectures on topics concerning nutrition.

[Presto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! spanning 36 short chapters and covering everything necessary about nutrition from micronutrients to macro, cardiovascular health, exercise, types of diet, etc.

[Jonathan Mannhart · Rating 2 out of 5]

First bad apple in The Great Courses-series I encountered.

Around half of the book doesn‘t apply to you if you‘re not seriously overweight. (Which isn‘t my criticism of the book, that‘s a relevant part of the topic, but it‘s basically the main part of the book).
Around half of the remaining half doesn‘t apply to you if you live outside of the US and eat at least some vegetables or whole-grain products every day.
Half of what then remains only applies to people who take vitamin supplements, but too much, because, didn‘t you know, that could be bad for you? Because vitamins aren‘t holy water, it totally depends on the amount?

I learned some things, but the information density was just too low. I assume it‘s not an easy job to do, because the main nutritional problems in society are very serious and real, but also simple. And if you know just a little bit, you know them: too much sugar, not enough exercise, more vegetables. 80% of this course is just this on repeat.

I also don‘t know which of the things I learned are true and which false, because of the things I already knew about, quite a bit were wrong. I think Anding doesn‘t like to look into ugly replication swamp land (granted, it‘s from 2009), but a lot of things she just mentions as fact don‘t seem to replicate, and there is absolutely no discussion of this in the course. (I could give a lot of examples, but here is one: “Stretching generally decreases risk of injury during excercise, it‘s good, everyone should do it“ stated as fact, no discussion whatsoever. This just doesn’t seem to be conventional wisdom anymore, except in some slow-updating parts of the fitness culture (https://www.outsideonline.com/2408467...)
I’m not an expert, maybe this article is wrong (it seems fairly credible), but I would like to know, therefore I read books. Anding is a sports dietitian. No discussion of uncertainty in the whole course, nowhere.

I‘m downgrading this one to two stars while I write this review. Old-fashioned and not holding up to modern standards of science writing/lecturing. There‘s a good 10% in there, around 50 pages, but I can‘t tell which ones.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This course was fabulous!!! I listened to one or two lectures a day on Audible. I have read countless books on nutrition, good health and weight management. This course is by far the BEST!

Roberta Andling is wonderful. . . She knows nutrition inside and out and obviously has a passion for her work. I felt like she was my own personal dietitian. At first I was skeptical in listening to such a long course but I was fascinated from the first lecture. I couldn’t wait to get in my car and listen.

I’ve been struggling my entire life with my weight. I’ve lost the same 20 pounds over and over again. It’s so frustrating. Like many others, losing weight and getting healthy was at the top of my list in New Years Resolutions.

I’ve had success before with low carb. I lost the weight but couldn’t maintain it- Im a vegetarian and i missed my beans and brown rice. So I put the weight back on and then some. I had a plan that right after New Year’s I was going to go on the keto , lose the 20 pounds and then add back the carbs but learn how to be moderate and keep it off.

As I started listening to this book I had an epiphany, if I can’t stay on a diet forever then as soon as I get off of it I’m going to start putting the weight back on , little by little, until I’m right back where I started from. This course taught me how to make permanent changes in my life and my relationship with food. I eat well , I just eat too much 😬

Here is an interesting tidbit- in the month I was listening to this book , making very small and manageable changes (without even realizing it), I actually lost 3 pounds. I wasn’t dieting , I just added more fruits and veggies and did a better job measuring portions. 3 lbs in a month is not a lot. But in a year that would be 36 lbs lost - lost on a diet that I can follow for the rest of my life.

Life changing course. . . I highly recommend ❤️❤️❤️

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty informative, but was mostly about things I already knew. The science was strong, but the recommendations were pretty weak. It seems to be made for an audience with no knowledge of general nutrition, not for someone who is already pretty healthy and wants to make even healthier choices or who wants to understand the science behind why their choices are healthy (like me). As this is 10 years old now, it is a little out of date, but most of the assertions still hold true. However, some things I couldn't get behind, which made me question everything she was saying. Recommendations like "It's perfectly fine to drink a diet soda per day" with the underlying assumption being "IF that's the only way you can cut out regular soda" without ever explicitly saying "but it's obviously better to not have ANY soda and just drink water if you can." It really encourages making BETTER choices in the context of your personal situation and gives some recommendations for how to do that, but it doesn't explicitly lay out what the BEST choices are (which makes sense because the BEST choices are very hard to pinpoint for the general population).

The statement "please talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian about this if you are concerned" is said SO MANY TIMES, it just felt like a plug for her practice. I'm listening to this because talking to a doctor is going to cost me $200 for 15 minutes, so saying that is kind of pointless.

The other thing that wasn't so great was that there were often long lists of foods and quantities which seemed pretty pointless. They were all listed in the guidebook that came along with the audio book and if I really need to find foods with more magnesium or something, I'm going to look it up, not rely on a list of 5 random example foods you give me.

[Ian Constable · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this series entertaining and practical. With all the noise on the internet or TV about nutrition, which usually equates to “bro science”, this is a far better way to receive the diet information needed for the average adult.

[Eoin Flynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An audiobook. Broken down into lectures. Slightly odd use of language by Dr. Anding at times ("de-pooch"?!!) which I suspect if I'd seen it in written form would have caused me to remove another star. But didn't bother me so much in this format.

Content is exceptional. And quite up to date science too. Obviously five years from now it won't get so many stars.

Lacks a little in the area of gut microbes but this doesn't detract from the nutritional info.

Disappointed that the section on gut ailments didn't cover ulcerative colitis or crohns but that's a personal disappointment and had no influence on rating.

Strange reluctance to address vegan diets. At one point she recommends meatless Mondays and vegetarian dinners, then goes to great lengths to explain that she doesn't mean substituting in dairy products, and uses the term "plant based". Perhaps this avoidance of the use of vegan is because the stigma attached might scare some people off, which is a good reason to avoid the term in certain contexts, but it made the language seem laboured a little...

Overall though, great listen.

[Elwin Kline · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I really liked it." - 4 out of 5 star rating.

Definitely top of the list of best in class nutrition focused content I've been exposed to. Very well presented and the speaker was great. Super educated, 30 years experience as a registered dietician, supports the National Football League (NFL), speaks publicly ~100 times a year... you get the point. Very qualified individual on the topic.

Extremely comprehensive course on nutrition.

Key Highlights:

- Fats, Sugars, and Portion sizes
- Calories in / Calories out
- Colon cleanses (how they are BS)
- Supplement scams
- Whole foods are the way
- Eat a bowl of grapes instead of using it as an excuse to drink wine
- Fiber
- Vitamin deep dives: A, B, C, D, etc.
- Alcohol is the devil
- Energy Drinks are also the devil
- Major/Minor minerals
- Salt
- Organic debate (she has a fairly unique perspective)
- And much more.

Roberta Anding did an excellent job on a topic that could easily be extremely dull.

Definitely recommend.

[Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! These lectures provide a solid, science-based overview of nutrition, how to improve it in the human diet, how to monitor nutritional health and fully dispels the wild nonsense that is too easily accessed and espoused in the internet-connected world in which we live. I highly recommend it!

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book collection along with DVDs to help along with the book. It breaks down nutrition via vitamins volume and healthy ways to consume. Very educational and informative.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love listening to this audio book while eating alone, or cooking, washing dishes, or doing anything related to house chores at home. The information is super helpful and just a great way to motivate me for a healthy diet plan. It's very hard to be listening to this book telling you how to eat healthy while eating snacks at the same time. :-) It reminds me how I shouldn't go workout with an empty stomach, how I should drink my water, and eat my carb and fiber... I'm currently only on Ch. 7 and I wish the course will never end!

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great advice from a registered dietician. This is a course so it does become more technical.

[Puck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to hold off on reviewing this until I finished, but all along the way I was recommending it to folks.

I learned so much from this - from just the interesting mechanics of how oatmeal lowers cholesterol to confirming what I was doing right and what I was doing wrong.

I really appreciated Roberta's open mind to different diet preferences (pescatarian, vegetarian and vegan) and the format of the lectures personal story, information, data, studies, conclusions, FAQs - though sometimes the anecdote at the start got a little... meh. I see the value of it, but could happily skip them.

For other Audible members complaining that the lecture notes often referred to were not included - for the most part, you can do without them, but occaisionally she does say 'you'll find this or that data in the notes' a quick google pulls them up in PDF form.

I have to admit - at the end, I got a little sad during her farewell, after 18+ hours with the lady, you start to feel like she's a friend.

[Benjamin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like this might be the worst of the Great Courses products I've gotten to-date. It does the minimum of being informative about a lot of things, like vitamins and minerals, but the lectures are more like a laundry list with long explanations about different things. I didn't feel like I was getting a lot more than if I just looked up the information myself with how the lectures were organized. It might be good for an unhealthy person trying to be healthy or someone with some vitamin or mineral problems, but it really didn't offer much for a healthy person trying to be healthier.

[Tony Rogers Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what an incredible course. The instructor is highly experienced, science-based and detailed yet also easy to understand covering almost every aspect of human nutrition you could think of.

Highly recommend 👏🏾!

[Feng Ouyang · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 36 lectures in “Nutrition Made Clear” provide solid science on nutrition by addressing basic principles and fab topics. The knowledge is captivating and beneficial in resisting myths and marketing hype. However, they are not actionable and lack some key links to our daily life.

Dietician and sports medicine practitioner Roberta Anding covers three parts in this course. She first presents basic principles of nutrition science, including the digestive tract, calorie balance, and the primary nutrition components: water, carbohydrates, fiber, protein, and fat. Anding then moves into more complicated and intricate topics, such as vitamins and minerals. Next, she covers several popular topics, such as weight management, organic foods, herbal therapy, etc. The course ends with some reflections and narratives on dietitian practices.

The information provided in the course is undoubtedly useful, especially in dispelling some common myths. However, it is unclear to me how I should change my eating habits based on the information. For example, the course talks in detail about the different kinds of vitamins and their functions in the human body. It describes the symptoms of various vitamin deficiencies. However, most of the symptoms are common and have many causes. At what point should we investigate vitamin deficiency, and how should we do it? While we are convinced that nutrition is vital to our health, under what situation should we seek the service of a dietitian? Is a dietitian covered by typical medical insurance? How do we follow nutrition science while maintaining a diversified and satisfying eating practice? I wish the book would discuss these questions.

[TJ Totland · Rating 5 out of 5]

An 18 hours course on nutrition was definitely worth the several months to get through it but not the most exciting material. None the less, I recommend the book. Here’s why.

Nutrition is core to everyone’s lives. If you don’t eat right you will never live right. You would never put water in your gas tank or gas in your water bottle, so why would you put processed foods and other poor choice items into your body. The motto “You are what you eat” rings true, but you will never know what your body needs unless someone teaches it to you. And this is exactly what this book will do.

The second take away is for those who think they know enough about nutrition and do an OK job at it, but really don’t know it enough. We all know to avoid sugar and fat from our diets but do we know why? Actually we are often ‘feed’ nutrition facts and best practices from the companies why are just trying to sell us their products. They do not have our best interests in mind when they made the products, only their profit margin.

Knowing and understanding nutrition is key to navigating the massive marketing you see in grocery stores these days. Knowing the items that go into each product and how to properly balance your diet will only come from doing your own research, and this book (and many others like it) are the first step.

The key take away for me is not anything that will benefit others. We are all unique people and have different needs (needs means how we plan to use our body or our current medical needs). Long story short, learn about nutrition from an expert and apply what you learn. It will pay you back for many healthy years to come.

[Daria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having listened to this course, I have nothing but respect and admiration for Roberta Anding. It is not her fault my verdict is 2 stars, but it is 2 stars.

Who is to blame? I would say mainly Audible's marketing team, as this course is badly misnamed and mis-marketed. It should not be named "Nutrition Made Clear" but rather "Practical nutrition tips for US citizens and those who live in the United Stated of America". This book is very, very specifically targeted for American audiences, with all the measurements being American-friendly and many chapters specifically dealing with supplements and products only sold in the American market. Ms Anding also specifically addresses most common American problems with nutrition. This American focus is not at all advertised in the courses's description, but it does make this product largely useless for listeners from other countries.

Additionally, I am not sure the word "clear" belongs there. Ms Anding is a scientist, and she uses the scientific approach, which is very respected by me - but, unfortunately, quite often does make her explanations unclear because of the elevated amount of jargon.

Only the first and the last couple of lectures were actually useful for a non-American general listener. I have to say, had it been the first ever Great Courses edition I ever purchased, I would never purchase anything else from them again, as I would think it all is suited only for American professionals in the field.

[William Adam Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this 36 lecture course about three years ago. My motivation was that as I age, I wanted to be sure that I was taking as good care of myself as I could. I am not unfamiliar with many of the topics in nutrition, but wanted something more in depth and this looked like it would fit the bill. Roberta Anding is well qualified to teach a class like this. She is well spoken and her presentation of information is clear and easy to follow. I listened to this course on audio and she had no distracting mannerisms.

I would have given this course three stars instead of 4 except for the guidebook that goes with it. The guidebook is very well done and is a handy reference tool, so I added an extra star. Mrs. Anding often works with the NFL Houston Texans players to have them achieve their health goals. She frequently interjected stories about them (never using a player's name though, of course) to teach health lessons. This gave the information nice, real life, application. Some of the lectures were boring. Some of the lectures were common sense. Some of the lectures were very helpful. Overall, I was glad that I listened to this course and I learned some new ideas and tips about living a healthier life. A good course to re-visit again in the future too!

[Jeff Keehr · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice update and the state of nutrition in the U.S. I read Adelle Davis in the 70s and got an early insight into the deplorable American diet. Davis argued against hydrogenated oils, soda, processed flour, and fast foods back before anyone was paying attention. Anding gives a good overview of the current topics: organic vs conventional, artificial sweeteners, childhood diabetes. She warns that we are experiencing a tsunami of type 2 diabetes, which can no longer be labeled as 'adult onset' because most current cases occur in obese children. Her advice on whole foods and exercise is pretty conventional but she also says a lot about fad diets and other rip offs that take advantage of people looking for a quick way to lose weight. A real eye opener was her description of people who yoyo between losing weight and regaining it. These people lose lean muscle when they take the weight off and gain fat when they put it back on: it's a double whammy. She also has some warnings about those who have surgery to reduce their stomach size. They are losing out in precious vitamins and minerals that get produced in the stomach.

[Holger · Rating 5 out of 5]

... I know Kung Fu!

This course holds all promises - it delivers on what is important, calling out BS by name and goes as deep as a layman can handle. You'll get what you need on nutrition, on calories, on lifestyle, on illness, on gaining weight, losing weight, sports, aging.

As an additional benefit, it'll teach you to appreciate Nutrition as a science. I thought nutrition was still muddled in fads and controversy - and to a degree it is, the author points out her own past mistakes and how this young science is still involving. But the past years have also brought a reassuringly scientific body of knowledge that is being built upon.

Some reviews were unhappy with the absence of the Guide Book - I didn't feel the need to look it up at all. The course is comprehensible enough. My only suggestion for the next version of the course would be better editing (the author repeats some frases so much it can be distracting) and making it less US centric. These points do not diminish the value I got from the course, though.

[Terry Koressel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent offering from Great Courses. I have yet to be disappointed. Ms. Anding does a wonderful job clarifying and simplifying the dizzying world of nutritional science. And I do mean science. She focuses on the science....the proven science....in making recommendations and developing lifelong nutritional principles. All the Great Courses are long and detailed, but that is precisely why I listen to them. There is so much value in the details. Ms. Anding does a masterful job providing the scientific underpinnings of each nutritional topic without losing the lay person like myself. There are clearly three overarching themes to her nutritional philosophy: 1) Eat more whole, unprocessed foods; 2) Eat a well-balanced diet; 3) Do not necessarily eliminate meat proteins, but limit their proportion in your diet. Here is my best recommendation: I have changed my diet significantly and I am certain that I will do so for the rest of my life. Well done Great Courses and Roberta Anding.

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Great Courses series of lectures presented by a registered dietician and sports consultant.

NOTE: My own dietician knows the lecturer, but I didn't know this until after I bought this audiobook course. I was already halfway through the lectures when my dietician mentioned that she knew Roberta Anding (or at least knew of her and respected her).

Nutrition Made Clear is actually as clear as the title claims. She explains nutrition, debunks food myths, and provides examples of how poor nutrition can mimic series diseases. In other words, you don't want to have a doctor cut you open simply because you've been eating the wrong foods. Can this really happen? Yes, it can.

Every body is different and thus your body may react differently than mine when reacting to medicines, supplements and foods. Thus the lecturer can only teach basic principles. One should consult a registered dietician if one is not sure or if you need specific advice.

I plan on listening to these lectures again and again. There is a lot of information to absorb.

[Chad Schultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The many courses of this lecture go over different aspects of nutrition, often delving into detailed, scientific concepts, and running a gamut of subjects including hyponutremia and diabetes and acid reflux and herbal supplements.

I do have nitpicks: I'm not a fan of how the author ends each chapter with "thank you," and at the time I wrote this, the book is 9 years old - an update would be nice. But still, if you want to learn more about how food affects the human body, this is a pretty solid way to do it.

The book could be condensed to "eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Don't eat too many calories. Exercise is a necessity. Talk to your doctor," but that would be bypassing a lot of interesting information, even if much of it won't apply to the reader.

This book is likely most useful for people who think they know some tips about proper diet, but actually may believe some misinformation and need to learn the facts.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this course through audible and cannot recommend it enough. I took nutrition in college but forgot much of what I learned and wanted a good overview and this course exceeded my expectations. It consists of 35 lectures each focused on a different aspect of nutrition. It took me over 3 months to finish as I listened to only a few lectures a week and then re-listened to many so I could jot down notes. Roberta Anding does a great job explaining science along with sharing many practical applications of nutrition while dispelling many myths. A good summary: eat for balance and color, focus on whole foods, calorie control is a lifetime solution.

[YB · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the time of listening, I was rather enjoying it, but now that it's finished, can't say that I learned something fundamentally new or important that I can implement in my daily life. That was not my first book on healthy lifestyle and food choices, though.
Most of the information is pretty basic with some less-known details, but a lot of that is just theory, interesting to learn, but it's not like you can do something about it, like information about the roles of vitamins.
The author says several times that vitamins from whole foods are much better than from supplements, but also talks as if everyone eats fortified cereals.
The book overall is based on and is written for the American society, so might be less helpful if you are not from the US. For example, if in your country fortified foods are not a common thing.
There is no info on multivitamins, vitamins and minerals are discussed separately. It is made clear, though, that too much of some specific vitamin or mineral can do more harm than good.
The course is based on the science, divided into lectures, comfortable to listen to. A lot of points are repeated, and I suppose it could be a few lectures shorter without all those repetitions.
I also didn't like some advice, like "don't finish all your food, get comfortable of throwing some last bites away", don't see what's the point of getting into that habit, buying smaller plates or having a portion in mind before cooking would be much better than throwing food away.
Overall, nothing really new, eat healthy and exercise, and you might have fewer chances of serious conditions, but as always there is no guarantee for that.
Would recommend it as basic intro to nutrition, if you know the basics already, might not be worth almost 19 hours. I speeded up a lot to finish it.