Good Food, Great Medicine: A Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle Guide

by Miles Hassell, Mea Hassell

Book by MD Miles Hassell

Genres: Cookbooks, Health, Cooking

300 pages, Spiral-bound

First published June 1, 2007

About the author

Miles Hassell MD is board certified in Internal Medicine and in private practice at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Oregon (USA), where he lives with his wife Anna and son Tor. He is a clinical instructor in the training of Internal Medicine residents, twice named Outstanding Teacher of the Year, and is Associate Medical Director and Professor at Pacific University School of Physician Assistant Studies. He was born in Seattle, Washington, grew up in Perth, Western Australia, and received his medical degree from the University of Western Australia; he completed his residency in Portland. Dr. Hassell established the
Integrative Medicine Program at Providence Cancer Center in Portland, and speaks to physician groups regarding the integration of lifestyle and conventional medicine, as well as to corporate and public audiences. He has been chosen as one of Portland’s Top Doctors, and encourages the vigorous application of evidence-based food and exercise choices in the Good Food, Great Medicine Basecamp Cardiac + Prevention Wellness Center class series at Providence Heart and Vascular Institute.

Reviews

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked up this book as it actually came up in a case I'm working on, but as it happens, I am presently focused on eating exclusively whole foods, so this corresponded nicely. It contains extensive (but very brief) recitations of studies backing up its findings.

Some of these I knew (and are probably common knowledge to most of us) - like:

--extra virgin olive oil is, by far, the healthiest fat
--artificial sweeteners are actually worse than sugar (which is itself quite bad - sub honey or maple syrup, or go unsweetened)
--dark chocolate and red wine are good for you
--consuming unsweetened cultured dairy (yogurt, kefir, aged cheese) is associated with better health outcomes than not consuming it
--leafy greens/cruciferous vegetables should be eaten every single day
--white rice is bad (like, really bad. Like, each additional serving you consume per day increases your risk of diabetes 11%)
--keep consumption of meat low, and seafood high
--despite technically being vegetables, potatoes and corn are really terrible for you (except home-popped popcorn) and should be avoided

And others which were new to me:

--butter is actually better for you than canola oils (or any vegetable oils other than EVOO-- they all require intensive processing)
--gluten-free diets are associated with higher mortality (I already knew gluten-free was bullshit unless you have celiac disease, but didn't expect it to be actively harmful)
--sodium isn't as bad as you think (compared to processed food and sugar) -- if you're cooking all whole food and adding salt at home (vs eating out or eating processed food) you don't need to fret about your salt intake too much
--raw nuts are really good (makes sense) but commercially roasted nuts are really bad (this surprised me)
--I knew beans and lentils are good for you-- but the fact that they lower your bad cholesterol as much as taking double doses of cholesterol-lowering prescription drugs is another stat entirely
--you should be eating a pound of vegetables a day (I suppose this makes sense, I've just never heard it put that way; normally it's all about "serving sizes"

Less of a full book read, and more of a lengthy reference guide for a long life. But not a bad one, and certainly a well-cited one.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book for anyone interested in a comprehensive, thoughtful approach to food, diet, and healthy outcomes. I particularly liked the absence of attitudes of superiority and the imposition of guilt if you did not adhere to the recommendations. The book espouses the ‘Mediterranean Diet’ in whole and part. When it comes to processed food, the author has nothing good to say about any processed food and lays the epidemic of obesity squarely at the feet of processed food. If you are willing to prepare most of what you eat, this book will work well for you, but if you have kids, lots of demands on your time or are prone to eat out quite a bit, the book will have limited value unless you are willing to change your eating and especially your food preparation habits.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very balanced approach that should help a lot of people. Fascinating read.

[Night · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a book I'll want to keep handy.

[Ruth Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book full of great information and wonderful recipes. I will use this book over and over again and I highly recommend it.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great healthy food read. This one gives some basic ideas for how to use each vegetable in a new and different way. As well as other healthy dishes. I have already tried some of the ideas and can't wait to try more. This book solidified my thoughts after reading "In Defense of Food" towards better eating.

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart healthy macaroni and cheese? This books has taken tons of pressure off my grandmother to come up with recipe ideas on her own, and made my grandfather want to live again.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this from cover to cover. I am a big fan of Miles Hassell and if I didn't live so far away, I would go to some of his classes. His recipes are healthful and delicious.

[John]

Diverges from the Heart Association's dietary guidelines and advocates of the low fat diet, but the authors back their assertions with studies, reasons, opinions labeled as opinions, and medical practice experience.