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The Culprit & The Cure: Why lifestyle is the culprit behind America's poor health
This book presents a wealth of evidence that reveals how a healthy diet, exercise, and other healthy lifestyles can impact life-span and the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases. It provides easy-to-follow guidelines that will help individuals begin and maintain a healthy lifestyle for life. No infomercials here, just the facts from an authority who knows.
261 pages, Hardcover
First published December 17, 2004
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143 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
September 30, 2020
This book was pretty simple, and serves as a pretty good basic introduction to the science surrounding nutrition, fitness, and preventing chronic diseases, losing weight etc. This book is moderate in tone and avoids extreme recommendations in either diet or exercise.
The author says that as of the writing of this book the balance of scientific benefits suggests that to capture the health benefits of exercise we do moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes on most, preferably all, days of the week. He also says that more is even better, and that strength training is recommended at least 2 days a week.
His approach to food is pretty straightforward. He advocates lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains with every or almost every meal, beans and legumes, nuts in moderation, and healthy fats (not saturated or trans fats). He suggests minimizing red meat and eating meat sparingly, with fish, poultry of eggs 0-2 servings per day. He recommends eating dairy products somewhat sparingly and low fat is best. He suggests minimizing butter and non-whole grains, processed foods, etc.
Advocates of vegetarianism, veganism, or whole-foods plant-based diets will probably say that this author doesn't go far enough in pushing for the meat, dairy, processed foods etc to get cut out of the diet entirely, but I think if you are following all his good advice then the limited amounts he is recommending of the other stuff is probably not going to do much harm.
As a fairly simple introduction to the subject, I felt like this book was a bit light on details and was written in a more informative than persuasive tone. Other health and nutrition books I have read were much more helpful in helping me feel inspired or motivated to change. This felt mildly useful and informative. I appreciated learning some new information about exercise, but I have to go elsewhere to get the detail I am looking for.
Still, all things considered, if the standard American adopted the very reasonable recommendations given in this book their health would be remarkably improved, so in that sense it is definitely a good book. This book was a useful addition to my personal education in nutrition, health, and physical fitness.
The author says that as of the writing of this book the balance of scientific benefits suggests that to capture the health benefits of exercise we do moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes on most, preferably all, days of the week. He also says that more is even better, and that strength training is recommended at least 2 days a week.
His approach to food is pretty straightforward. He advocates lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains with every or almost every meal, beans and legumes, nuts in moderation, and healthy fats (not saturated or trans fats). He suggests minimizing red meat and eating meat sparingly, with fish, poultry of eggs 0-2 servings per day. He recommends eating dairy products somewhat sparingly and low fat is best. He suggests minimizing butter and non-whole grains, processed foods, etc.
Advocates of vegetarianism, veganism, or whole-foods plant-based diets will probably say that this author doesn't go far enough in pushing for the meat, dairy, processed foods etc to get cut out of the diet entirely, but I think if you are following all his good advice then the limited amounts he is recommending of the other stuff is probably not going to do much harm.
As a fairly simple introduction to the subject, I felt like this book was a bit light on details and was written in a more informative than persuasive tone. Other health and nutrition books I have read were much more helpful in helping me feel inspired or motivated to change. This felt mildly useful and informative. I appreciated learning some new information about exercise, but I have to go elsewhere to get the detail I am looking for.
Still, all things considered, if the standard American adopted the very reasonable recommendations given in this book their health would be remarkably improved, so in that sense it is definitely a good book. This book was a useful addition to my personal education in nutrition, health, and physical fitness.
June 29, 2017
Maybe this is a case of you love the research that supports your own argument/opinion, but I don't mind. This book is awesome! I love how well-rounded, well-researched, and whole-picture it is. With the exception for people who truly do have allergies and intolerances, I think this book presents the way to healthy and feel-good living as opposed to all the fad diets out there saying to cut this or that out of your diet entirely. The principles in this book just make sense. I visited with a local group that said they have the answer to losing weight, keeping it off, and being healthy . . . wait for it . . . by consuming 80% FAT and 20% protein - it just felt so wrong. There are indeed very good, scientific reasons to eat WHOLE grains - they are not evil. This book presents the research for and/or against all the different sources of food (whole grains, veggies, fruits, plant oils, nuts, legumes, fish, poultry, dairy, red meat, refined grains, etc.) and understandably lays it out what kind of "diet" we should all be consuming. I'm so pumped about this! I'm starting some family goals with this information. Look out family! :)
April 29, 2019
This was a meta-analysis in layman’s terms of all the research on health and exercise out there. It was nice to finally have some explanations for the confusing words of wisdom we hear every day. I would like to see books like this written in tandem with Intuitive Eating principles. There wasn’t any mention of Intuitive Eating, which is something that research suggests is beneficial for weight maintenance. I have already started putting everything into practice for the last three weeks. Great read for my life!
January 30, 2023
After getting past the initial "here are my biases" part of the book, it improved. It was nice to read the science portion of things.
The major drawback is that this information is nearly 20 years old. Yes, much still holds true, but I feel that updating would be advantageous.
This book was a semi-required reading for my work. I would not have chosen to read it on my own volition. I think it is a good starter book for someone looking for a more science-based approach to living a "healthy" lifestyle.
The major drawback is that this information is nearly 20 years old. Yes, much still holds true, but I feel that updating would be advantageous.
This book was a semi-required reading for my work. I would not have chosen to read it on my own volition. I think it is a good starter book for someone looking for a more science-based approach to living a "healthy" lifestyle.
July 1, 2023
Would recommend to anyone looking for straight facts about “how to be healthy.” I read this for my Chronic Disease Prevention class and loved the science-based perspective paired with the conversational tone. A plethora of research is cited to give legitimate, non-biased evidence about how to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
September 19, 2018
This book was one of the most inspiring books I have ever read about health. I still think about it almost every day. The author includes synopses of hundreds of health studies and everything is written in layman's terms.
March 30, 2023
There have to be better health books out there. The author contradicted himself at times and didn’t offer anything new to inspire me or help me in my health journey. Some of the information is just wrong.
October 22, 2018
This was an interesting and informative read.
January 3, 2019
Class book for chronic disease prevention.
April 11, 2020
I felt like this book was written towards an older audience. I liked the sections where he talks about the link between disease and diet the best
July 5, 2020
Everyone should read this book. Great reminders and some sensible studies done about health.
October 12, 2023
Finally finished a book from college. I resonate a lot with the book, but it didn’t have much new in it since the college days.
But I do truly believe our lifestyle does influence our health.
But I do truly believe our lifestyle does influence our health.
April 22, 2024
For school
June 18, 2015
I have to say, reading this book while eating junk food was probably the closest I've come to spitting on someone's life work.
Now that that's out of the way, this book was actually pretty good and made me want to change my diet. The reason I only gave it three stars was because I really connected well with the first half of the book, but I wasn't so keen on the second half.
The reason I liked the first half of the book so much was mostly because of the facts it shared and the tone it took while sharing the facts. Aldana was very direct in sharing almost mini meta-analyses that balanced out the various studies on certain health topics. He would then take these facts, put them in an easy to understand format, and mark them with a tone of, "You can take the benefits or leave them." I liked this tone a lot because my dumb brain tends to read health books that tell me what I need to change and think, "You can't tell me I can't have a terrible health plan!" and then I go back to eating crap. The tone of, "Here's the fact, this is what happens if you utilize it, and here's what you risk if you don't," made me feel like the "no duh" choice was to progress towards change.
The reason I didn't care so much for the second half of the book was because it lost the previously mentioned tone and instead changed to a, "You can do it!" and, "Let's write us some goals!" workbook type tone. Gone was the focus on facts and figures, and instead it was replaced with fill in the blank worksheets. I'm sure some people appreciate this, and I can understand that Aldana's plan was probably to build people's motivation in the first half and then get them working in the second. For me, I did feel the change in motivation from the first half of the book, so it only seemed natural for me to make my own plans. By placing these worksheet experiences in the book however, I no longer got that tone of, "Choose what you want, but we all know you're a dummy if you don't follow through," and instead felt like my hand was being held in what seemed like easy steps that could be made without obvious planning guides to help me.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is wanting to change their diet and/or physical activity and wants a book to guide them along the way. I wouldn't recommend this book to someone like myself who was mostly looking for some interesting facts to clarify some questions about diet. If you are that later type of person, I would say you could probably read the book and still like it, but maybe only until somewhere between chapters 7 and 9.
Now that that's out of the way, this book was actually pretty good and made me want to change my diet. The reason I only gave it three stars was because I really connected well with the first half of the book, but I wasn't so keen on the second half.
The reason I liked the first half of the book so much was mostly because of the facts it shared and the tone it took while sharing the facts. Aldana was very direct in sharing almost mini meta-analyses that balanced out the various studies on certain health topics. He would then take these facts, put them in an easy to understand format, and mark them with a tone of, "You can take the benefits or leave them." I liked this tone a lot because my dumb brain tends to read health books that tell me what I need to change and think, "You can't tell me I can't have a terrible health plan!" and then I go back to eating crap. The tone of, "Here's the fact, this is what happens if you utilize it, and here's what you risk if you don't," made me feel like the "no duh" choice was to progress towards change.
The reason I didn't care so much for the second half of the book was because it lost the previously mentioned tone and instead changed to a, "You can do it!" and, "Let's write us some goals!" workbook type tone. Gone was the focus on facts and figures, and instead it was replaced with fill in the blank worksheets. I'm sure some people appreciate this, and I can understand that Aldana's plan was probably to build people's motivation in the first half and then get them working in the second. For me, I did feel the change in motivation from the first half of the book, so it only seemed natural for me to make my own plans. By placing these worksheet experiences in the book however, I no longer got that tone of, "Choose what you want, but we all know you're a dummy if you don't follow through," and instead felt like my hand was being held in what seemed like easy steps that could be made without obvious planning guides to help me.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is wanting to change their diet and/or physical activity and wants a book to guide them along the way. I wouldn't recommend this book to someone like myself who was mostly looking for some interesting facts to clarify some questions about diet. If you are that later type of person, I would say you could probably read the book and still like it, but maybe only until somewhere between chapters 7 and 9.
February 25, 2021
I literally use the information I learned from this book every day in my life. It’s really interesting understanding so much about what physically happens in your body after you eat certain things. I’ve used this information in more college research papers than I can fit on one hand. It’s nice having the science explained to you in a way that you can easily understand. I really enjoyed this book:) I hope others do as well!
May 26, 2010
I liked this book. If you are on a weird kick (or if your husband just says it's weird, like mine) of reading all books on health and nutrition, this fits in nicely. If you want to read just one book, rather than a whole library, this one is pretty good too. It sort of briefly covers everything, rather than focusing in on any particular area.
Sort of vaguely on topic, I spent weeks and weeks and weeks reading this, because I was busy watching old episodes of LOST. And now it's all over, and they didn't answer anything. I'm still mad! I still don't get half of what happened! What about the guy with the eye patch on the island that kept getting killed but coming back to life? What was up with him? How exactly did John Locke get un-paralyzed simply by landing on the island, and why did he not go BACK to being paralyzed when he left, like Rose thought her cancer would come back if she left? How come that Dogen guy that Sayid killed at the temple said Jacob told him his son could live if he came to the island - what on earth was it that Jacob could do to make people live forever and not age, or bring them back from the dead, or cure cancer (like Juliet's sister she left behind)?
I really think a few answers was not too much to ask.
This book just mixes with old episodes of LOST for me. I can't keep them straight. Maybe Jacob could get people to live forever by controlling their diet and forcing them to exercise daily. Maybe that was the answer, but I mixed them all up.
Sort of vaguely on topic, I spent weeks and weeks and weeks reading this, because I was busy watching old episodes of LOST. And now it's all over, and they didn't answer anything. I'm still mad! I still don't get half of what happened! What about the guy with the eye patch on the island that kept getting killed but coming back to life? What was up with him? How exactly did John Locke get un-paralyzed simply by landing on the island, and why did he not go BACK to being paralyzed when he left, like Rose thought her cancer would come back if she left? How come that Dogen guy that Sayid killed at the temple said Jacob told him his son could live if he came to the island - what on earth was it that Jacob could do to make people live forever and not age, or bring them back from the dead, or cure cancer (like Juliet's sister she left behind)?
I really think a few answers was not too much to ask.
This book just mixes with old episodes of LOST for me. I can't keep them straight. Maybe Jacob could get people to live forever by controlling their diet and forcing them to exercise daily. Maybe that was the answer, but I mixed them all up.
April 14, 2008
The Culprit and the Cure is an all inclusive guide to healthy living. The premise of this book is that poor health is the primary cause of disease and early death. The author states that poor health is generally caused by improper diet, inadequate exercise, and the use of tobacco products. Thus, in order to become healthier, individuals must address these deficiencies and make permanent lifestyle changes.
To this end, this book examines various aspects of healthy living as studied in various nutrition, physical fitness, and psychological case studies as well as through real life examples. The author then translates this information into simple, inexpensive, realistic solutions for real people wanting to undertake permanent healthy lifestyle changes. This book also features many easy to understand charts and various interactive exercises to help the reader tailor his or her current lifestyle to become healthier.
The Culprit and the Cure is a unique guide to health as it examines the need for healthy lifestyle changes in nutrition and exercise. This book does not promote fast weight loss by undertaking fad diets. Instead, this book looks at the greater benefits of healthy living and more realistic aspects of making lifestyle changes to achieve a healthier way of life.
To this end, this book examines various aspects of healthy living as studied in various nutrition, physical fitness, and psychological case studies as well as through real life examples. The author then translates this information into simple, inexpensive, realistic solutions for real people wanting to undertake permanent healthy lifestyle changes. This book also features many easy to understand charts and various interactive exercises to help the reader tailor his or her current lifestyle to become healthier.
The Culprit and the Cure is a unique guide to health as it examines the need for healthy lifestyle changes in nutrition and exercise. This book does not promote fast weight loss by undertaking fad diets. Instead, this book looks at the greater benefits of healthy living and more realistic aspects of making lifestyle changes to achieve a healthier way of life.
March 17, 2009
This book discusses the downfall of America's health. It talks about reasons why America has an increasing rate of obesity, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, and what we can do to delay or even avoid these in our own lives.
I have two very opposing opinions to this book. One side of me hated reading this book. It is nothing that I haven't heard in every single health class I've been to. I read it in the news daily, I learn about it at the doctors. It's old news. It also felt like a very depressing read. It gives the impression that, even if you are trying your best to live a healthy lifestyle, it still isn't good enough. You will still end up with some sort of disease.
The other side of me thought it was very informative. There was a lot of information and statistics that I had not heard before. It is also somewhat encouraging. Pushing you to try a little harder to live a healthier life. And as often as we hear how important a healthy lifestyle is, it never hurts to hear it again and again, so it can be engrained in your mind.
Overall, I would recommend it. It gives you that extra little push to try harder and be better.
I have two very opposing opinions to this book. One side of me hated reading this book. It is nothing that I haven't heard in every single health class I've been to. I read it in the news daily, I learn about it at the doctors. It's old news. It also felt like a very depressing read. It gives the impression that, even if you are trying your best to live a healthy lifestyle, it still isn't good enough. You will still end up with some sort of disease.
The other side of me thought it was very informative. There was a lot of information and statistics that I had not heard before. It is also somewhat encouraging. Pushing you to try a little harder to live a healthier life. And as often as we hear how important a healthy lifestyle is, it never hurts to hear it again and again, so it can be engrained in your mind.
Overall, I would recommend it. It gives you that extra little push to try harder and be better.
August 10, 2009
We had to read this for our wellness program at work but I was fairly impressed with the balanced coverage of how to solve our health issues. As a gastric bypass patient and interested party, I knew most of what Aldana talked about. What I didn't realize was the severity. One of the exercises we had to complete was to review our pantry and find the transfats. My diet doesn't allow for many processed food anymore so the likelihood of having transfat is seriously limited. At the same time, my diet also doesn't allow for a whole lot of fiber, which was something else we had to track. It reminded me to be aware but I suspect for many people, the book was a real eye-opener. Many of us do not eat well in this country. We have plenty of food but given a choice, most of us go for the easy way - processed or take-out or fried. It tastes good! But so does fresh food. It's really about lifestyle change. Aldana provides not only statistics, but suggestions, things to look for, ways to make small changes that have the chance to become permanent.
August 24, 2009
So this had a few good tidbits and even had a fair index and footnotes. There were a couple of blatant assumptions and of course, those had no backing, but most of it was scientifically conceived. He relies so much on the scientific studies that it seems a little overboard and not leaving anything to intuition, but I guess that's how some people work. He doesn't go into any of the emotional/spiritual benefits of maintaining a healthy life. (there is even science related to those...)
well, it was certainly more mainstream than I usually read, but it had some interesting info and for someone just starting on their nutrition and health journey, this would be a great start. Very unbiased.
Loved his unbiased nutrition pyramid... :-)
well, it was certainly more mainstream than I usually read, but it had some interesting info and for someone just starting on their nutrition and health journey, this would be a great start. Very unbiased.
Loved his unbiased nutrition pyramid... :-)
January 7, 2010
This was the perfect "healthy-living" book for me to read. It wasn't too intense, drastic, or impractical. It didn't make me feel like I had to throw out all my food and start over. It empowered me to make small changes in my health. Aldana offers compelling and convincing research and data throughout the book, and it helped me know that even if I'm just making one change at a time, each change is improving the overall quality of my life.
All that said, this book definitely is not for everyone. If you're already eating really well and exercising consistently, it might be a bit boring for you. But it really was just what I needed to jump start a healthier life. Who knows, maybe I'll even be a health fanatic someday! (Yeah, right.)
All that said, this book definitely is not for everyone. If you're already eating really well and exercising consistently, it might be a bit boring for you. But it really was just what I needed to jump start a healthier life. Who knows, maybe I'll even be a health fanatic someday! (Yeah, right.)
February 22, 2010
I recommend this book to everyone and anyone. It discusses lifestyle choices and how to improve your overall health and wellness. What is a great topic! This is not a diet book. Just to be clear. It is a lifestyle changing book. He discusses how to adjust not only your eating habits, but also your lifestyle to improve your overall health. Dr. Aldana is a former professor who wrote the book as a combination of all the research on health and wellness available and condensed it into this book. It is written for the everyday person, not a doctor or researcher, or health care provider so it is pretty straight forward. It is really a great book. It is a must to include in your book reading list.
February 20, 2014
I read this book as part of a Wellness program offered by my husband's employer. The book is nearly 10 years old and needs some updating, but overall it seemed well researched yet written in a simple way. The main points are not anything new. Eat fruits and vegetables, get exercise, and such. The author really drills into you (overkill at some points) the objective, proven benefits of doing these things. I was somewhat surprised by some of the stats and studies that show just how much these things can impact your health later in life. I liked that the author summed things up into one sentence directives and made them seem doable. I did get bored at the end, but in general I feel motivated to start making small changes in my life to be healthier.
January 4, 2008
I don't think anybody can explain a healthy lifestyle and healthy eating habits any better.
Read the book! excercise 30 minutes a day! eat lots of nuts, vegies, fruits and grains! don't eat the trans-fats but if you have to eat the yummy greasy food make sure it's from poly and monosaturated fats!
And I know! you have heard all of this before, but please don't take my word! read the book and everything will see so simple and you will see how all of this makes sense and in no time you too will be adjusting your life to live a good healthy and long life! come on?! I will be lonely in my 100s if nobody else joins?!! LOL
Read the book! excercise 30 minutes a day! eat lots of nuts, vegies, fruits and grains! don't eat the trans-fats but if you have to eat the yummy greasy food make sure it's from poly and monosaturated fats!
And I know! you have heard all of this before, but please don't take my word! read the book and everything will see so simple and you will see how all of this makes sense and in no time you too will be adjusting your life to live a good healthy and long life! come on?! I will be lonely in my 100s if nobody else joins?!! LOL
February 27, 2008
Usually, I strongly dislike reading any book telling me about trying to live a healthier lifestyle because it's full of data that doesn't make sense. However, this is a book my employer is using as a part of our Wellness Committee ... thought I'd try it out just to see what all the fuss is about.... I absolutely love this book! While struggling to keep at a healthy weight, this book puts so much in perspective, and is truly helping me re-evaluate my lifestyle and make some serious changes so I can live longer! Great book that everyone should read ... not just those of us who could lose a few pounds :)
September 10, 2009
I found this book very interesting. The basic belief of the author is that the American diet and lifestyle are the causes of most chronic diseases in this country. He uses scientific studies and research to back up his claims. The book gives basic nutrition and fitness information and helps the reader develop habits for healthy living. A few of the statements and claims in the book were questionable but overall it had good advice. I have used some of the studies and facts in teaching my health and fitness classes. I would recommend the book to anyone who wanted to live healthier and was looking for some good motivation.
February 22, 2011
I may have to buy this one. This is an excellent compilation of health information and studies. I thought the author did a good job of being objective about the data that has been collected thus far. I also enjoyed the stories from his own life that he shared; they helped me remember the concept that was being discussed in a more concrete way. I loved the graphs, it made the book feel like a mini-textbook. I love textbooks. The good explanations/examples inspired me to do better.
If you are looking for a book that talks in an easy to understand and encouraging way about health and fitness, this is it.
If you are looking for a book that talks in an easy to understand and encouraging way about health and fitness, this is it.
April 10, 2011
This is a great STARTER book to discovering what's wrong with the Americanized/Western diet and how to fix it. A lot of things have changed- or rather, been discovered- since the writing of this book. That's why I say it's a great STARTER. But it has lots of great information and tips- anyone who applies the things in this book WILL start to live a healthier life and will lose excess fat/weight. It's just for those who are seeking even MORE health benefits may need to continue the search for newer books. But I really liked the format and the author writes in a way that's enjoyable and easy to read.
June 3, 2008
I read this book a while ago but it is one I still think about. It shows how we are a society of quick-fixes and band-aids. The practice of preventative medicine is almost non-existent and our poor health is evidence of that. I love how it shows through various research that diet and exercise are the key to prevenative medicine and a longer life. It is logical and straightforward in explaining research and debunking diet myths.
August 7, 2008
I loved this book. I am constantly reading health books and I thought this one was unbiased and had a lot of facts about health and what can help a person have a healthy lifestyle for life. A few years ago I attended a seminar where this author spoke about the research that he did to write this book. I was not disappointed. It has a lot of statistics, so if you don't like that type of book it's not for you.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews