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Ingredients: The Strange Chemistry of What We Put in Us and on Us
Cheese puffs. Coffee. Sunscreen. Vapes. George Zaidan reveals what will kill you, what won't, and why--explained with high-octane hilarity, hysterical hijinks, and other things that don't begin with the letter H.
INGREDIENTS offers the perspective of a chemist on the stuff we eat, drink, inhale, and smear on ourselves. Apart from the burning question of whether you should eat that Cheeto, Zaidan explores a range of topics. Here's a helpful guide:
Stuff in this book:
- How bad is processed food? How sure are we?
- Is sunscreen safe? Should you use it?
- Is coffee good or bad for you?
- What's your disease horoscope?
- What is that public pool smell made of?
- What happens when you overdose on fentanyl in the sun?
- What do cassava plants and Soviet spies have in common?
- When will you die?
Stuff in other books:
- Your carbon footprint
- Food sustainability
- GMOs
- CEO pay
- Science funding
- Politics
- Football
- Baseball
- Any kind of ball really
Zaidan, an MIT-trained chemist who cohosted CNBC's hit Make Me a Millionaire Inventor and wrote and voiced several TED-Ed viral videos, makes chemistry more fun than Hogwarts as he reveals exactly what science can (and can't) tell us about the packaged ingredients sold to us every day. Sugar, spinach, formaldehyde, cyanide, the ingredients of life and death, and how we know if something is good or bad for us--as well as the genius of aphids and their butts--are all discussed in exquisite detail at breakneck speed.
INGREDIENTS offers the perspective of a chemist on the stuff we eat, drink, inhale, and smear on ourselves. Apart from the burning question of whether you should eat that Cheeto, Zaidan explores a range of topics. Here's a helpful guide:
Stuff in this book:
- How bad is processed food? How sure are we?
- Is sunscreen safe? Should you use it?
- Is coffee good or bad for you?
- What's your disease horoscope?
- What is that public pool smell made of?
- What happens when you overdose on fentanyl in the sun?
- What do cassava plants and Soviet spies have in common?
- When will you die?
Stuff in other books:
- Your carbon footprint
- Food sustainability
- GMOs
- CEO pay
- Science funding
- Politics
- Football
- Baseball
- Any kind of ball really
Zaidan, an MIT-trained chemist who cohosted CNBC's hit Make Me a Millionaire Inventor and wrote and voiced several TED-Ed viral videos, makes chemistry more fun than Hogwarts as he reveals exactly what science can (and can't) tell us about the packaged ingredients sold to us every day. Sugar, spinach, formaldehyde, cyanide, the ingredients of life and death, and how we know if something is good or bad for us--as well as the genius of aphids and their butts--are all discussed in exquisite detail at breakneck speed.
299 pages, Hardcover
First published April 14, 2020
228 people are currently reading
6958 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 272 reviews
March 4, 2022
This book can be summed up in a quote, "Lies, damned lies and statistics". The book is not really about the chemical makeup of what we put into us, but about the scientific reports and how you can't trust so many of them. Even those whose scientific method was rigorous can be a bit of a joke, which side to take on coffee for instance? Is it bad for us or good for us? There are many studies on each side. The author really did his research, it's pretty endless, grinding even but he introduces levity both with his style of writing which didn't resonate with me, and the really rather random titles of the chapters.
It's not a bad book, but it's not what I wanted to read. I put it down halfway through when my copy of Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good arrived. I spent the whole day doing nothing but reading it and thought that if I can find books that keep my interest so that I neglect everything else what am I doing reading a book that is a chore to get through?
Your mileage might vary on this one, and you might find it really enjoyable. I think this is a case of it's me, not the book.
__________
Notes on reading "This chapter is about ingredient labels, diabetes, uninhabited islands, porn, and homemade Cheetos". Can a book where that is the beginning of the first chapter be all bad? The chapter is entitled, "Processed food is bad for you, right?" So I know the attitude of the book is iconoclastic, and I want to know how he links homemade Cheetos to porn. It all sounds so promising that I am ignoring all the so-so reviews and hoping its a really great book.
It's not a bad book, but it's not what I wanted to read. I put it down halfway through when my copy of Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good arrived. I spent the whole day doing nothing but reading it and thought that if I can find books that keep my interest so that I neglect everything else what am I doing reading a book that is a chore to get through?
Your mileage might vary on this one, and you might find it really enjoyable. I think this is a case of it's me, not the book.
__________
Notes on reading "This chapter is about ingredient labels, diabetes, uninhabited islands, porn, and homemade Cheetos". Can a book where that is the beginning of the first chapter be all bad? The chapter is entitled, "Processed food is bad for you, right?" So I know the attitude of the book is iconoclastic, and I want to know how he links homemade Cheetos to porn. It all sounds so promising that I am ignoring all the so-so reviews and hoping its a really great book.
March 9, 2020
Zaidan answers questions, I'm sure, of which many of us wonder. Explains the science, chemistry behind them and where the fault lays with different stories and studies.. Subjects include, pre-processed food, is vaping betters than cigarettes, does sun screen actually work, and is coffee good or bad? Many other common things as well. He does so in a witty manner, using graphs, data collected and the pot hole theory if measurement.
Parts of this were very interesting, though I thought at times he over explained. I have to admit chemistry is not my forte, in fact it is one of my weakest subjects. Of course, it didn't help that my teacher was an elderly gentleman, who spoke in s monotone. I can definitely see where statisticians and budding chemists will understand much more of this than I. I did get answers though and loved seeing the molecule dance steps.
ARC from Netgalley.
Parts of this were very interesting, though I thought at times he over explained. I have to admit chemistry is not my forte, in fact it is one of my weakest subjects. Of course, it didn't help that my teacher was an elderly gentleman, who spoke in s monotone. I can definitely see where statisticians and budding chemists will understand much more of this than I. I did get answers though and loved seeing the molecule dance steps.
ARC from Netgalley.
March 23, 2020
Ingredients is misleading. You could be forgiven for thinking it is a book about what goes into our food, about how chemicals interact with each other and our organs, or comparing the damage done by alternating, well, ingredients. It is none of those.
George Zaidan has instead written a book about data. The ingredients he’s writing about are the data that go into and come out of scientific studies of consumption. From every conceivable angle, he shows that scientific studies are faulty and can be legitimately criticized. Garbage in, garbage out. That decisions should not be made on the basis of a single study. That fraud, incompetence, forgetfulness, bad math, preconceived notions and garden-variety malice can all play significant roles in the outcomes cited in scientific studies.
As such, the book is a terrific educational tool, thickening the skin of readers who like to peruse and believe the health, fitness and food pages on the internet. Forewarned is forearmed. He shows that coffee alone has been the subject of endless thousands of studies, which have claimed to show cause and effect with the full range of health, from glowing to early death. If you like chemical bond drawings of compounds and dissecting full studies — and not just the topline summaries you get in internet news — this is a helpful introduction.
Except it’s weird too. Zaidan loves swear words. He seems to prefer them to scientific words. For example, he has two words for feces: poop and s-it. They make an odd couple, especially in the context of scientific studies. It might be the new level of presidential language, but it still stops the eye in a science book. He also likes dropping pop cultural references into explanations, which cuts down the number of readers who can understand what he’s writing.
So while it might be valuable for those who are serious about their food science, it seems to be written for 16 year-olds, who pay no mind to the process of making Cheetos (a favorite reference throughout the book. It is also the cover image). But then, there’s lots of humor, too. Often just corny. He likes making absurd juxtapositions to show that no one would ever think such a thing. He also enjoys making up absurd titles to fictitious studies. So I’m not really sure who the audience is for Ingredients.
There is no question Zaidan did the research. He did. He says he read north of a thousand papers to put the book together. He interviewed famous names like Willett and Ioannidis. And Zaidan himself has a track record in the field. He also spends a lot of time explaining how much of an old-style nerd he is personally. So it’s not a slapdash effort. It’s just garishly overdecorated.
There are precious few non-data takeaways in the book. The only one I can remember now was that indoor swimming pool smell (It gets its own chapter, disconnected from everything) is not just chlorine in water. That doesn’t smell like a swimming pool. No, only human excretions mixed with chlorine and water produce that smell. That’s why they insist on chlorine to begin with. That you smell it means people have not been totally — considerate.
There is also a non-food chapter wrapped around sunscreen creams. It doesn’t seem to break any new ground though. Sunscreen works, but only what it’s meant to do, not what sunworshippers think it does.
The conclusion from all this is that highly processed foods might do you no good, but science has not achieved the exalted level of proving they will kill you, either. Oh, maybe shorten your life a year or so, but nothing to get hung up on. A toast to Cheetos, then.
David Wineberg
George Zaidan has instead written a book about data. The ingredients he’s writing about are the data that go into and come out of scientific studies of consumption. From every conceivable angle, he shows that scientific studies are faulty and can be legitimately criticized. Garbage in, garbage out. That decisions should not be made on the basis of a single study. That fraud, incompetence, forgetfulness, bad math, preconceived notions and garden-variety malice can all play significant roles in the outcomes cited in scientific studies.
As such, the book is a terrific educational tool, thickening the skin of readers who like to peruse and believe the health, fitness and food pages on the internet. Forewarned is forearmed. He shows that coffee alone has been the subject of endless thousands of studies, which have claimed to show cause and effect with the full range of health, from glowing to early death. If you like chemical bond drawings of compounds and dissecting full studies — and not just the topline summaries you get in internet news — this is a helpful introduction.
Except it’s weird too. Zaidan loves swear words. He seems to prefer them to scientific words. For example, he has two words for feces: poop and s-it. They make an odd couple, especially in the context of scientific studies. It might be the new level of presidential language, but it still stops the eye in a science book. He also likes dropping pop cultural references into explanations, which cuts down the number of readers who can understand what he’s writing.
So while it might be valuable for those who are serious about their food science, it seems to be written for 16 year-olds, who pay no mind to the process of making Cheetos (a favorite reference throughout the book. It is also the cover image). But then, there’s lots of humor, too. Often just corny. He likes making absurd juxtapositions to show that no one would ever think such a thing. He also enjoys making up absurd titles to fictitious studies. So I’m not really sure who the audience is for Ingredients.
There is no question Zaidan did the research. He did. He says he read north of a thousand papers to put the book together. He interviewed famous names like Willett and Ioannidis. And Zaidan himself has a track record in the field. He also spends a lot of time explaining how much of an old-style nerd he is personally. So it’s not a slapdash effort. It’s just garishly overdecorated.
There are precious few non-data takeaways in the book. The only one I can remember now was that indoor swimming pool smell (It gets its own chapter, disconnected from everything) is not just chlorine in water. That doesn’t smell like a swimming pool. No, only human excretions mixed with chlorine and water produce that smell. That’s why they insist on chlorine to begin with. That you smell it means people have not been totally — considerate.
There is also a non-food chapter wrapped around sunscreen creams. It doesn’t seem to break any new ground though. Sunscreen works, but only what it’s meant to do, not what sunworshippers think it does.
The conclusion from all this is that highly processed foods might do you no good, but science has not achieved the exalted level of proving they will kill you, either. Oh, maybe shorten your life a year or so, but nothing to get hung up on. A toast to Cheetos, then.
David Wineberg
March 20, 2022
This is a book about chemistry. It is a book about how science is done. It is a book about humor--I would say, mostly a big attempt at humor. I appreciate some humor in a science book--but rarely do I find a book like this one, where humor seems to be more important than the supposed subject of the book. For example, he writes, "You have to see the best in people, but you also have to be kind of an asshole. Don't worry, it's really fun." While the subject matter in the book is excellent, and the author, George Zaidan, has excellent qualifications as a chemist, I would have preferred a book that did not try so hard to be funny.
Nevertheless, the book covers a lot of fascinating topics; How bad are processed foods? Is coffee good or bad for you? Is sunscreen safe? I learned a lot; what follows in this review is a summary of some of the most gripping topics.
Dry foods and spices are almost devoid of water, so they are inhospitable to bacteria and spoilage. Honey is almost devoid of water (15%), so it also lasts a long time before spoiling. In fact, historically honey has been used as a preservative. The residual water in honey is attached to sugars, so it is not available to microbes.
There is considerable discussion of the distinctions between unprocessed, processed, and ultra-processed foods. The distinctions are not sharp. For example, honey is highly processed--but by bees, not by humans. It is difficult to assign a level of processing. The number of ingredients in a food is not a good method for evaluating the level of processing, or the healthiness or safety of a food.
Zaidan does an excellent job of explaining the two meanings of the word "theory". There is a popular meaning, where any wild idea that someone thinks up as an explanation is called a "theory". And then there is the opposite meaning, used in science, where in order to be called a theory there must be a preponderance of observational evidence built up over a period of time.
Zaiden discusses whether e-cigarettes are "safer" than regular cigarettes. Proponents of e-cigarettes and vaping like to point out that they contain far fewer harmful ingredients. However, the number of harmful ingredients in a product is not correlated with a harmful effect. For example, a single chemical--like cyanide or formaldehyde--can be deadlier than lettuce, which has thousands of chemicals. So, instead of comparing the relative safety of e-cigarettes with regular cigarettes, they should be compared with the safety of breathing fresh air.
The book goes into detail about the efficiency of sunscreen--it is quite efficient--and its side effects. The book also discusses the gross mistakes made in the original study of the Mediterranean diet.
Quite a large part of the book is about science itself, and the multiple potholes that get in the way of good nutritional epidemiology. For example, there is an excellent discussion of the perils of statistical associations, commonly known as "p-hacking." Other potholes have to do with people's poor memory in observational studies, and confounding associations. Small increases or decreases in risk are not reliable, because of hundreds of associated variables.
The book concludes that ultra-processed foods have not yet been proven to be an important cause of obesity and diabetes. It may be a contributing factor, but it is not known yet. One cannot yet make a reliable quantitative risk assessment of eating ultra-processed foods. However, one might be wise to avoid ultra-processed foods; it's better to be safe than sorry.
The book discusses life expectancy, and what can be done to extend your life. Statistically, in order to extend your life expectancy by three years, you need to do all three of these things:
1) Lose 5 BMI units
2) Cut back from 20 to 10 cigarettes per day (but what if you are already not a smoker?)
3) Increase physical activity from 2 to 4 hours per week.
The book gives some generally applicable advice:
1) Ignore most news about food and health, with the exception of notices about contamination
2) Don't smoke.
3) Be physically active
4) Eat healthy
The book closes with a hilarious analysis of experiments where people outside of a hospital were given the first names of otherwise anonymous patients, and were asked to pray for them. Yes, praying actually helped. But it probably was not statistically significant. There may have been a small correlation between prayers and surgery outcomes--but what is the causal mechanism? Quite a fun analysis!
Nevertheless, the book covers a lot of fascinating topics; How bad are processed foods? Is coffee good or bad for you? Is sunscreen safe? I learned a lot; what follows in this review is a summary of some of the most gripping topics.
Dry foods and spices are almost devoid of water, so they are inhospitable to bacteria and spoilage. Honey is almost devoid of water (15%), so it also lasts a long time before spoiling. In fact, historically honey has been used as a preservative. The residual water in honey is attached to sugars, so it is not available to microbes.
There is considerable discussion of the distinctions between unprocessed, processed, and ultra-processed foods. The distinctions are not sharp. For example, honey is highly processed--but by bees, not by humans. It is difficult to assign a level of processing. The number of ingredients in a food is not a good method for evaluating the level of processing, or the healthiness or safety of a food.
Zaidan does an excellent job of explaining the two meanings of the word "theory". There is a popular meaning, where any wild idea that someone thinks up as an explanation is called a "theory". And then there is the opposite meaning, used in science, where in order to be called a theory there must be a preponderance of observational evidence built up over a period of time.
Zaiden discusses whether e-cigarettes are "safer" than regular cigarettes. Proponents of e-cigarettes and vaping like to point out that they contain far fewer harmful ingredients. However, the number of harmful ingredients in a product is not correlated with a harmful effect. For example, a single chemical--like cyanide or formaldehyde--can be deadlier than lettuce, which has thousands of chemicals. So, instead of comparing the relative safety of e-cigarettes with regular cigarettes, they should be compared with the safety of breathing fresh air.
The book goes into detail about the efficiency of sunscreen--it is quite efficient--and its side effects. The book also discusses the gross mistakes made in the original study of the Mediterranean diet.
Quite a large part of the book is about science itself, and the multiple potholes that get in the way of good nutritional epidemiology. For example, there is an excellent discussion of the perils of statistical associations, commonly known as "p-hacking." Other potholes have to do with people's poor memory in observational studies, and confounding associations. Small increases or decreases in risk are not reliable, because of hundreds of associated variables.
The book concludes that ultra-processed foods have not yet been proven to be an important cause of obesity and diabetes. It may be a contributing factor, but it is not known yet. One cannot yet make a reliable quantitative risk assessment of eating ultra-processed foods. However, one might be wise to avoid ultra-processed foods; it's better to be safe than sorry.
The book discusses life expectancy, and what can be done to extend your life. Statistically, in order to extend your life expectancy by three years, you need to do all three of these things:
1) Lose 5 BMI units
2) Cut back from 20 to 10 cigarettes per day (but what if you are already not a smoker?)
3) Increase physical activity from 2 to 4 hours per week.
The book gives some generally applicable advice:
1) Ignore most news about food and health, with the exception of notices about contamination
2) Don't smoke.
3) Be physically active
4) Eat healthy
The book closes with a hilarious analysis of experiments where people outside of a hospital were given the first names of otherwise anonymous patients, and were asked to pray for them. Yes, praying actually helped. But it probably was not statistically significant. There may have been a small correlation between prayers and surgery outcomes--but what is the causal mechanism? Quite a fun analysis!
November 12, 2021
The subtitle for this book should be "How Science Works" & this is the perfect topic since there are conflicting reports on what is good & bad for me. Often they're the same thing, such as coffee. How can this be? It's complicated, but Zaidan makes sense of it & explains the scientific process behind the headlines including what many of the numbers mean. He does so with a common sense approach in modern, common language that is often somewhat vulgar & comedic. It was refreshing & completely understandable.
Nutritional epidemiology or food science generates a lot of headlines & they're as accurate as most; that is to say 'not very'. Headlines are written to sell copy & expose us to advertisers, bloggers, & pundits who try to sell us more stuff, often snake oil. Fad diets abound & human studies are usually inherently flawed simply because controlling all factors by locking people up for decades isn't allowed. The numbers generated are given as absolutes when they should be a range & are stated for the greatest shock value. For example, a 14% difference in life expectancy probably equates to about a year in the average life span not a decade. How the heck does that work? Zaidan explains simply & clearly.
I found the arguments over the accuracy of studies of particular interest. As he says, it is a deep rabbit hole full of confusing twists & turns. He hits the high points of one & shows the beauty of the scientific method at the same time. He shows how it takes a number of studies to make one brick in the Bridge of Truth. This evens out the bumps formed by all the studies over the years that 'prove' coffee is good/bad for me. No, we still don't know. It's complicated. He's listed all of his sources on his web site here:
https://www.ingredientsthebook.com/so...
Very well narrated. While he often references the PDF, I didn't find in necessary, just nice occasionally. Highly recommended for all, especially if you're one of those people that gets excited by food headlines.
The table of contents probably isn't too helpful since it's tongue-in-cheek, but I'll include it anyway. If nothing else, it mentions some of the topics which might be of interest.
Table of Contents
PART I: WHY DOES THIS STUFF EVEN EXIST?
Chapter One: Processed Food Is Bad for You, Right?
Chapter Two: Plants Are Trying to Kill You
Chapter Three: Microbes Are Trying to Eat Your Food
PART II: HOW BAD IS BAD?
Chapter Four: The Smoking Gun, or What Certainty Looks Like
Chapter Five: Sunburnt to a Crisp, or What Less Certainty Looks Like
PART III: SHOULD YOU EAT THAT CHEETO OR NOT?
Chapter Six: Is Coffee the Elixir of Life or the Blood of the Devil?
Chapter Seven: Associations, or the Grapes of Math
Chapter Eight: What’s That Public Pool Smell Made Of?
Chapter Nine: You’re Late for a Very Important Date
Chapter Ten: So What Do I Do?
Epilogue
Appendix: Does Prayer Reduce the Risk of Death?
Nutritional epidemiology or food science generates a lot of headlines & they're as accurate as most; that is to say 'not very'. Headlines are written to sell copy & expose us to advertisers, bloggers, & pundits who try to sell us more stuff, often snake oil. Fad diets abound & human studies are usually inherently flawed simply because controlling all factors by locking people up for decades isn't allowed. The numbers generated are given as absolutes when they should be a range & are stated for the greatest shock value. For example, a 14% difference in life expectancy probably equates to about a year in the average life span not a decade. How the heck does that work? Zaidan explains simply & clearly.
I found the arguments over the accuracy of studies of particular interest. As he says, it is a deep rabbit hole full of confusing twists & turns. He hits the high points of one & shows the beauty of the scientific method at the same time. He shows how it takes a number of studies to make one brick in the Bridge of Truth. This evens out the bumps formed by all the studies over the years that 'prove' coffee is good/bad for me. No, we still don't know. It's complicated. He's listed all of his sources on his web site here:
https://www.ingredientsthebook.com/so...
Very well narrated. While he often references the PDF, I didn't find in necessary, just nice occasionally. Highly recommended for all, especially if you're one of those people that gets excited by food headlines.
The table of contents probably isn't too helpful since it's tongue-in-cheek, but I'll include it anyway. If nothing else, it mentions some of the topics which might be of interest.
Table of Contents
PART I: WHY DOES THIS STUFF EVEN EXIST?
Chapter One: Processed Food Is Bad for You, Right?
Chapter Two: Plants Are Trying to Kill You
Chapter Three: Microbes Are Trying to Eat Your Food
PART II: HOW BAD IS BAD?
Chapter Four: The Smoking Gun, or What Certainty Looks Like
Chapter Five: Sunburnt to a Crisp, or What Less Certainty Looks Like
PART III: SHOULD YOU EAT THAT CHEETO OR NOT?
Chapter Six: Is Coffee the Elixir of Life or the Blood of the Devil?
Chapter Seven: Associations, or the Grapes of Math
Chapter Eight: What’s That Public Pool Smell Made Of?
Chapter Nine: You’re Late for a Very Important Date
Chapter Ten: So What Do I Do?
Epilogue
Appendix: Does Prayer Reduce the Risk of Death?
June 7, 2024
This was a delightfully fun read. The author has a casual, satirical style about him that makes for a very entertaining read.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest focuses of the book was on quantifying healthy habits for a long life. Most of the information was quite fundamental, so there really was little groundbreaking information in this work. I learned very little.
Still I did enjoy the read, but I found myself skipping over sections that rehashed common knowledge.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest focuses of the book was on quantifying healthy habits for a long life. Most of the information was quite fundamental, so there really was little groundbreaking information in this work. I learned very little.
Still I did enjoy the read, but I found myself skipping over sections that rehashed common knowledge.
March 27, 2021
George Zaidan is a science communicator who has created National Geographic's web series 'Ingredients: The Stuff Inside Your Stuff.' This is his first book and it's chockfull of information, covering what's in everything from vaping to sunscreen to ultra-processed foods. It is written in a jokey style but with a firm footing in science and chemistry.
I came to this book looking for some concrete advice on what ingredients to avoid in processed foods to maintain good health. This really wasn't that kind of book. He spends a good deal of time discussing the pitfalls of test trials and health statistics, how the best advice today may be disputed tomorrow. The take away? No one really knows for sure how bad junk food is for humans.
Some encouraging findings:
"People who did 3.5 hours or more per week of 'moderate or vigorous physical activity' lived roughly eight years longer than those who did no exercise at all, but even as little as 0.1 to 0.9 hours per week gave you an expected survival boost of five years."
"If you compare people in the absolute worst groups in every lifestyle choice [those who are obese, drink, smoke, eat little in the way of fruits and veggies] to those in the absolute best [those who maintain a healthy weight, exercise and eat well], the life expectancy difference is about twenty years! And remember, that's at age fifty. So it's the difference between living to ninety-four or seventy-four."
However:
In a randomized control study, it was estimated that the cost of a 2,000 calorie diet "was about $15 for ultra-processed food vs $22 for minimally processed food. That's a difference of about $2500 per person per year. If you've got a family of four, that's ten grand a year. So for many Americans cutting out ultra-processed food is not a choice; it's a luxury."
BUT I did NOT see a study that analyzed how much could be saved in health care costs and medications if one maintains a healthy lifestyle and avoids eating ultra-processed foods. That would be interesting, useful data.
**Update: my daughter who is now a licensed health coach, sent me the following quote from her studies: "People with diagnosed diabetes incur average medical expenditures of $16,752 per year." So there you go.
I received an arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in 2020 in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, during the first stages of the pandemic lockdown last year, my reading stalled and I did not get this book read in a timely manner. Apologies to the author and publisher.
I came to this book looking for some concrete advice on what ingredients to avoid in processed foods to maintain good health. This really wasn't that kind of book. He spends a good deal of time discussing the pitfalls of test trials and health statistics, how the best advice today may be disputed tomorrow. The take away? No one really knows for sure how bad junk food is for humans.
Some encouraging findings:
"People who did 3.5 hours or more per week of 'moderate or vigorous physical activity' lived roughly eight years longer than those who did no exercise at all, but even as little as 0.1 to 0.9 hours per week gave you an expected survival boost of five years."
"If you compare people in the absolute worst groups in every lifestyle choice [those who are obese, drink, smoke, eat little in the way of fruits and veggies] to those in the absolute best [those who maintain a healthy weight, exercise and eat well], the life expectancy difference is about twenty years! And remember, that's at age fifty. So it's the difference between living to ninety-four or seventy-four."
However:
In a randomized control study, it was estimated that the cost of a 2,000 calorie diet "was about $15 for ultra-processed food vs $22 for minimally processed food. That's a difference of about $2500 per person per year. If you've got a family of four, that's ten grand a year. So for many Americans cutting out ultra-processed food is not a choice; it's a luxury."
BUT I did NOT see a study that analyzed how much could be saved in health care costs and medications if one maintains a healthy lifestyle and avoids eating ultra-processed foods. That would be interesting, useful data.
**Update: my daughter who is now a licensed health coach, sent me the following quote from her studies: "People with diagnosed diabetes incur average medical expenditures of $16,752 per year." So there you go.
I received an arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in 2020 in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, during the first stages of the pandemic lockdown last year, my reading stalled and I did not get this book read in a timely manner. Apologies to the author and publisher.
March 16, 2020
Unfortunately, this book was just not for me. It was a DNF, though I skimmed through most of it.
Zaidan spends most of his time trying to make science fun with humor. However, his attempts to make things funny started to feel relentless pretty early in the book. Since I was interested in the topic, I didn't need everything to be a joke to read it. Consequently, I tired of pretty quickly.
My overall takeaway on the book's message is that science regarding food is unreliable and studies have a lot of ways they can go wrong. This left me feeling that he really didn't have any conclusions, besides scientists make a lot of mistakes.
I think there are better choices in this category if you want to read about health and food related topics.
Zaidan spends most of his time trying to make science fun with humor. However, his attempts to make things funny started to feel relentless pretty early in the book. Since I was interested in the topic, I didn't need everything to be a joke to read it. Consequently, I tired of pretty quickly.
My overall takeaway on the book's message is that science regarding food is unreliable and studies have a lot of ways they can go wrong. This left me feeling that he really didn't have any conclusions, besides scientists make a lot of mistakes.
I think there are better choices in this category if you want to read about health and food related topics.
July 27, 2020
Not a book about the specific chemicals in your food. This is a book about how we know what foods are good or bad for you. This is a very accessible account that delves into how nutritional studies are done, the potential pitfalls that attend that research and how you should think about it. Well worth the read.
August 10, 2023
Genres: Nonfiction/Food/Health/Science
I liked this one and I was glad that the author narrated his own audio. He definitely has passion for the topic and some dry humor to go along with all the data. Now because I listened to the audio I wasn't privy to all the graphs but it still worked.
This was a light and quick read for my day. It is interesting though how researchers reach conclusions from the data that they collect. Is it causation or is it correlation? Or is it something all together different? Definitely food for thought. So 3.5 stars for this one.
I liked this one and I was glad that the author narrated his own audio. He definitely has passion for the topic and some dry humor to go along with all the data. Now because I listened to the audio I wasn't privy to all the graphs but it still worked.
This was a light and quick read for my day. It is interesting though how researchers reach conclusions from the data that they collect. Is it causation or is it correlation? Or is it something all together different? Definitely food for thought. So 3.5 stars for this one.
November 13, 2021
I'm shelving this as both "Science" and "Humor" because it really is a very fun book to read. The title is a bit off. It isn't a book about the chemical properties of various food and ointment ingredients. It is more about how we should think about news reports of studies of the effects of various diets (with diversions into other topics like smoking and sunscreens).
Key points: proving anything about the effect of diet on health is very hard. Most diet studies are flawed, often very much so. Some things can be said for certain, like "don't smoke" and "don't eat lots of cyanide". Others are less certain but maybe true, like "trans fats should probably be avoided". Most headlines like "blueberries will make you live longer" or "processed foods will kill you" are epic exaggerations.
Key points: proving anything about the effect of diet on health is very hard. Most diet studies are flawed, often very much so. Some things can be said for certain, like "don't smoke" and "don't eat lots of cyanide". Others are less certain but maybe true, like "trans fats should probably be avoided". Most headlines like "blueberries will make you live longer" or "processed foods will kill you" are epic exaggerations.
September 5, 2020
OMG. If you have ever read a headline like “ Coffee causes Cancer” and thought you had to stop drinking coffee, You MUST read this book.
It is a lot of science and takes a little time and effort to get into, but the author is hilarious as he explains the science of stats and studies and process of foods we consume.
I will never hear a statistical headline again without putting on the asshole hat. Best book I have ever seen on the statistic front. A must read even if you are not a scientist.
It is a lot of science and takes a little time and effort to get into, but the author is hilarious as he explains the science of stats and studies and process of foods we consume.
I will never hear a statistical headline again without putting on the asshole hat. Best book I have ever seen on the statistic front. A must read even if you are not a scientist.
March 5, 2020
Zaidan offers a funny and engaging deep dive into the world of ingredients: what makes up the things we eat and use every day, and how should we feel about that? I never thought I would ever utter this sentence, but: his deep dive into "processed foods" (and what that means) completely changed how I considered the topic.
All in all, a great read for you or the nerd in your life.
All in all, a great read for you or the nerd in your life.
August 19, 2020
This is absolutely the best book about chemistry I’ve ever read! Ingredients: The Strange Chemistry of What We Put in Us and on Us, written by George Zaidan clearly summarizes an enormous amount of dietary research. He uses logical analogies and explanations and simple graphics to help translate complicated concepts for the rest of us. And, it’s funny. I laughed out loud many times (and probably snorted once or twice).
If you enjoy reading science, nutrition and humor, this is a great choice!
If you enjoy reading science, nutrition and humor, this is a great choice!
June 16, 2023
DNF
Got exactly halfway through this book; couldn’t summon the will to get through the other half. The voice/writing style is aggressively millennial. Couldn’t take another hogwarts house-chemistry comparison.
Not a terrible book, but it didn’t meet expectations. I was not the intended audience.
Learned two new words:
Quotidian (adj)
-happening every day
Surströmming (noun)
-a type of pickled herring that is popular in Swedish cuisine
Also learned about how aphids eat. Which is cool enough but also I feel like I should’ve been able to take away more after reading half the book.
Got exactly halfway through this book; couldn’t summon the will to get through the other half. The voice/writing style is aggressively millennial. Couldn’t take another hogwarts house-chemistry comparison.
Not a terrible book, but it didn’t meet expectations. I was not the intended audience.
Learned two new words:
Quotidian (adj)
-happening every day
Surströmming (noun)
-a type of pickled herring that is popular in Swedish cuisine
Also learned about how aphids eat. Which is cool enough but also I feel like I should’ve been able to take away more after reading half the book.
August 18, 2024
2.5⭐️ - too much science
April 10, 2024
I loved the perspective of this book! I learned a lot about the scientific method-even as someone who thought I knew a fair amount already- sunscreen, coffee, vaping, processed foods, and more. There were some cumbersome words and numbers, but overall I really liked the book! I think it’s so easy to be incredibly swayed by headlines, especially when it pertains to our health. This author shone the light on research “potholes” that may skew results or interpretations, with a helpful perspective of how we should take fast news with a grain of salt. Good read!
January 31, 2022
Probably the most frustrating book I've read in a year. Maybe I just wasn't the intended audience. This book had an interesting premise but then jumped all over the place. One minute it's an insightful commentary on how we interact with ingredients then then next is a discussion on how scientists manipulate data to get the results they want. Loads of random stories that don't really contribute to the thesis in a meaningful way. The author talks to the reader like they're an idiot with over simplified explanations for general knowledge concepts (ex. photosynthesis) and he does so in the most obnoxious way. Commentary on death at the end was random and unnecessary. I probably shouldn't have finished this and practiced enjoying the content I consumed but I just kept thinking it'd get better. It didn't.
September 15, 2020
The more that I read this book the more annoyed I got. I understand the point that the author is trying to make about ultra processed foods and death. He obviously has a bias to one side of the science. The problem is that ultra processed foods cause greater morbidity whether or not they increase mortality. These foods are addictive and cause obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses. I feel that leaving morbidity out of the equation will give people the wrong idea and give them license to eat ultra processed foods. The other thing is there are people who subsist on these foods not only consume them as 10% of their diets. We understand the implications. Finally he shouldn’t be making fun of Michael Pollan who has done so much good in his writing about food.
August 23, 2020
INGREDIENTS by MIT chemistry graduate George Zaidan is a real pop-science book... because it's based on a real, academic understanding of journals and how science works. Indeed, unlike most "scientific journalism" books, he actually combs the deep scientific literature to discover the deep truths about how dangerous processed foods really are to humans.
In true skeptical fashion, Zaidan looks at the epidemiological evidence. And presents readers with an accurate vernacular roadmap to understanding how researchers understand and utilize statistical data... including the often nefarious p-hacking which allows researchers to erroneously report findings based on little more than happenstance as "statistically significant."
What's best is that, true to his MIT background, Zaidan is weird... but in a funny way. More like Doc Brown from BACK TO THE FUTURE than the guy you don't want to sit next to on the plane. This breathes life into the chemistry-heavy material, which could be dry AF in lesser hands. In fact, I laughed out loud several times while reading... a feat few writers have managed.
I have one serious issue, though. He takes a side-swipe at Michael Pollan's dictum against eating refined foods and to fill up on whole foods: "Eat food, mostly plants, and not too much." Zaidan claims this is pontificating when the reason Pollan coined that phrase was THE EXACT SAME REASON Zaidan comes to the decision that processed foods are bad: because health and nutrition are too complex, and that vitamins from fresh foods are bound up in complex packages of phytonutrients, carbohydrates, and proteins that work holistically.
Four-stars. I was considering giving it five for the madcap joy of the often crusty jokes. In fact, I was often thinking Zaidan was the mutant offspring of National Lampoon and PBS's series Nova. But on careful consideration, it fell just short of that hallowed range IMHO.
In true skeptical fashion, Zaidan looks at the epidemiological evidence. And presents readers with an accurate vernacular roadmap to understanding how researchers understand and utilize statistical data... including the often nefarious p-hacking which allows researchers to erroneously report findings based on little more than happenstance as "statistically significant."
What's best is that, true to his MIT background, Zaidan is weird... but in a funny way. More like Doc Brown from BACK TO THE FUTURE than the guy you don't want to sit next to on the plane. This breathes life into the chemistry-heavy material, which could be dry AF in lesser hands. In fact, I laughed out loud several times while reading... a feat few writers have managed.
I have one serious issue, though. He takes a side-swipe at Michael Pollan's dictum against eating refined foods and to fill up on whole foods: "Eat food, mostly plants, and not too much." Zaidan claims this is pontificating when the reason Pollan coined that phrase was THE EXACT SAME REASON Zaidan comes to the decision that processed foods are bad: because health and nutrition are too complex, and that vitamins from fresh foods are bound up in complex packages of phytonutrients, carbohydrates, and proteins that work holistically.
Four-stars. I was considering giving it five for the madcap joy of the often crusty jokes. In fact, I was often thinking Zaidan was the mutant offspring of National Lampoon and PBS's series Nova. But on careful consideration, it fell just short of that hallowed range IMHO.
November 1, 2020
Here are a few things that you need to know about this book before you pick it up and start to read:
1) Based on the title, you'd think this would be about various processed foods and products, the ingredients they contain, and the effect those have on our bodies. You would be wrong.
2) The book starts with Zaidan asking the question, "Do ultra-processed foods shorten our life?" From there, he traces how scientific research works. Zaidan explains how to set up good (and bad) studies. He goes deep into the pitfalls that can make a scientific study inaccurate. He shows how even well-intentioned scientists can be derailed by a poorly designed and/or executed study. He also shows how headlines that seem significant ("X increases chances of death by 10%") may not be so in context.
3) By the end of the book, Zaidan gets to an answer. But if you're looking for justification for gorging on cheetos or being a vegan, you're going to be dissatisfied.
4) Zaidan tries WAY too hard to be funny. He is really good about explaining scientific concepts in terms a layperson can understand, and he uses humor to mostly good ends in this regard. But there are times where he really stretches to makes a joke and/or the joke is unnecessary in the first place.
If you are interested in learning how scientific studies work, then this is a really good, accessible book.
1) Based on the title, you'd think this would be about various processed foods and products, the ingredients they contain, and the effect those have on our bodies. You would be wrong.
2) The book starts with Zaidan asking the question, "Do ultra-processed foods shorten our life?" From there, he traces how scientific research works. Zaidan explains how to set up good (and bad) studies. He goes deep into the pitfalls that can make a scientific study inaccurate. He shows how even well-intentioned scientists can be derailed by a poorly designed and/or executed study. He also shows how headlines that seem significant ("X increases chances of death by 10%") may not be so in context.
3) By the end of the book, Zaidan gets to an answer. But if you're looking for justification for gorging on cheetos or being a vegan, you're going to be dissatisfied.
4) Zaidan tries WAY too hard to be funny. He is really good about explaining scientific concepts in terms a layperson can understand, and he uses humor to mostly good ends in this regard. But there are times where he really stretches to makes a joke and/or the joke is unnecessary in the first place.
If you are interested in learning how scientific studies work, then this is a really good, accessible book.
August 11, 2021
I love a good nonfiction science book, particularly when it is easily digested and entertaining. George Zaidan does a really good job of inserting humor into an evidence based look at what we eat and whether or not science truly knows if it is bad for us and just how hard it is to know if it is. Zaidan starts with simply looking at how science based studies and evidence are used and abused to tell us what we should and should not put in our bodies and just how hard it is to tell. All studies on consumption are flawed in one way or another even when the best of intentions are put forth and Zaidan is marvelous in his explaining each of these flaws, how they are best avoided, and why its near impossible to perfectly study human beings and how what they eat affects them. This book was very interesting and I truly learned a lot, but didn't at all feel like I was reading a textbook. It was well organized and I could have read a dozen more chapters on this topic, it's just far more nuanced that you would ever think and will definitely make you second guess the next time you hear a news story about how eating or drinking something will lead to a certain percentage chance of living a longer or shorter life.
January 6, 2022
This is science as narrated by your high-energy "hip uncle," which is a little bit exhausting. Full disclosure: I was really only interested in the food science in this book, so the chapters on smoking, sunscreen, and animal facts got pretty boring for me (especially when there were molecular diagrams). If you're also just interested in food you could probably skip chapters 2-5.
In the food chapters, Zaidan tries to answer the question "Will processed food kill you?" by diving into the science of nutritional epidemiology and picking it apart. In the process, he picks apart science in general and tries to explain what makes a piece of scientific literature worth caring about. This was my favorite part of the book, to the point that I took a photo of his list of "7 potholes on the road to a legit and causal association" and I'll keep it in mind when I read future studies. Ultimately though, Zaidan doesn't really answer his own question beyond saying "maybe yes, but only a little."
The moral of the story is basically "take all science with a grain of salt, and make your own decisions." If you don't plan to read scientific studies regularly and already live by that moral, you probably don't need to read "Ingredients."
In the food chapters, Zaidan tries to answer the question "Will processed food kill you?" by diving into the science of nutritional epidemiology and picking it apart. In the process, he picks apart science in general and tries to explain what makes a piece of scientific literature worth caring about. This was my favorite part of the book, to the point that I took a photo of his list of "7 potholes on the road to a legit and causal association" and I'll keep it in mind when I read future studies. Ultimately though, Zaidan doesn't really answer his own question beyond saying "maybe yes, but only a little."
The moral of the story is basically "take all science with a grain of salt, and make your own decisions." If you don't plan to read scientific studies regularly and already live by that moral, you probably don't need to read "Ingredients."
July 8, 2024
The first half was really interesting and inspirational. I even had to mark a couple passages that were either well-written or had cool facts. This is one of my favorite genres— at least the sciency bits. Once the topic turned to statistics I was out. I even skipped a few passages because not even Zaidan’s comic writing could make it interesting.
It was really annoying that he refused to use scientific notation. He explained so many other concepts, why not that one? I don’t want to compare 0.0000000005 and 0.0000005, I want to compare 5^-10 and 5^-7.
Finally, the audience for the book is already very niche, and Zaidan narrows it even more by swearing too much and attempting to use slang.
It was really annoying that he refused to use scientific notation. He explained so many other concepts, why not that one? I don’t want to compare 0.0000000005 and 0.0000005, I want to compare 5^-10 and 5^-7.
Finally, the audience for the book is already very niche, and Zaidan narrows it even more by swearing too much and attempting to use slang.
January 12, 2023
This is Sci Comm at its finest. I learned so much from the book! I am a Food Scientist and studied biochemistry, and Even with my science background I was surprised how much I learned from this book. I especially love the analogy of potholes on the road, where each pothole is a different problem challenge on the road to publishing meaningful, trustworthy scientific findings. I found this book very accessible, relatable,and humorous. I highly recommend this book for scientists and non-scientists alike.
April 11, 2020
Pretty entertaining. I didn’t really learn anything new here but that’s because I’ve read The Angry Chef and Bad Science and this covers similar ground although is more chemistry-focused. It’s quite funny, a convo between a chemist and an anti-chemical hippie was my favorite. Some of the science did lose me a bit, and I’m not sure if that’s because my brain just shuts down at chemistry or I couldn’t get interested in it and just preferred his analysis of the data.
Worth reading if you’re not already familiar with how trials work, all the ways data can go wrong or be misinterpreted, and if you think all chemicals = bad and anything natural = good.
Worth reading if you’re not already familiar with how trials work, all the ways data can go wrong or be misinterpreted, and if you think all chemicals = bad and anything natural = good.
May 22, 2024
Meh. 2.5 stars, rounded up. Some parts were interesting. Other parts overly tedious. The author used a lot of humor to make all the scientific stuff palatable, but sometimes it fell flat and he was just plain annoying.
There was a lot of stuff in the book that I didn’t previously know, but I don’t really see how the information has anything other than entertainment value. Probably the most interesting part for me was the government regulations on smoking (if that tells you anything).
There was a lot of stuff in the book that I didn’t previously know, but I don’t really see how the information has anything other than entertainment value. Probably the most interesting part for me was the government regulations on smoking (if that tells you anything).
April 30, 2020
4.5 on the blog because, oof... some of his humor is off the charts cheesy and ended up being annoying.
This book is brilliant!
Gwyneth Paltrow: Natural things are good for you.
Me after reading this book: Cyanide is natural.
I will be doing an in-depth review of this title on my blog and will add the link when it's published.
I was approved for an eARC, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
This book is brilliant!
Gwyneth Paltrow: Natural things are good for you.
Me after reading this book: Cyanide is natural.
I will be doing an in-depth review of this title on my blog and will add the link when it's published.
I was approved for an eARC, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
June 10, 2020
Great science book and not just because I love chemistry. Loved reading vivid descriptions of how cyanide kills and formaldyhde emblams. Important insight for how to interpret study results and why so many of them conflict with each. Spoiler alert: even though it's really hard to tease out individual effects from various lifestyle choices the total end result on life span is smaller than you might think. With the exception of smoking. Don't smoke. Funny writing as well.
June 25, 2020
This book is an absolute delight! Zaidan brings some science to what we eat and other products that demystifies a lot of discussions. The book looks at things like ultra-processed foods and its potentisl health effects (yes they do reduce life expectancy but not by a significant amount), sunscreen (most people have no idea about SPF and don't use the product appropriately) and vaping. In each section he simplifies the science but in an engaging way. Hint- the evidence on smoking is in. - for many other choices - not so much.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the book for me was he extended discussions about the problems with research - from outright fraud and mathematical and methodological errors. Good research is tough to do. He has a good discussion about the fights (based on differences in methodology and other issues) on diet studies.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the book for me was he extended discussions about the problems with research - from outright fraud and mathematical and methodological errors. Good research is tough to do. He has a good discussion about the fights (based on differences in methodology and other issues) on diet studies.
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