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Death by Supermarket: The Fattening, Dumbing Down and Poisoning of America
Although Americans worship youth and beauty, we are aging rapidly. Death by Supermarket makes a compelling case that the epidemic of obesity and degenerative and neurological diseases in the US is the result of a new form of malnutrition. Since World War II, factory produced food, diets, and drugs have caused a new type of malnutrition that manifests in obesity, depression, lowered IQ, disease
- GenresHealthNonfictionFood
352 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 30, 2016
I feel like this woman is my nutrition soul sister. Everything I've believed or said over the past five years on this topic was laid out in this book. The writing isn't stellar and the editing was not well done, but the message is clear that we need to eat real food instead of the processed quasi-food that is causing so many problems today. What I'm really looking for is a solution to this problem, and while I have yet to find a book that really gets into that, this at least reaffirms the problems that I'm seeing with the American diet today.
July 26, 2013
I wanted to be impressed with this book but the author unfortunately made herself (and therefore her stances) seem unreliable. Here is an example of what I mean.
On page 91 of my copy, marked by note 127, is a quote from a physician asserting the following: "The myth that soy is a health food has led many parents to believe that soy milk is a complete and nourishing food not only for adults but for babies and children." I take no issue with the quote. Maybe soy is great for you, maybe it isn't. It could be bad for kids and babies. This physician feels it's not such a wonderful product.
The part that bothers me and seems deliberately inflammatory is the second half of the statement, in which Deville says that this quote was taken from a "newsletter that discusses the possible link between soy milk and the death of three-month-old Brooklyn twins."
So at this point, my eyes popped out of my head. What? Soy milk was involved in the death of some babies?! But why does Deville not explain further? And then my alarm settled a bit and I realized that she doesn't explain further because there is nothing to explain. If soy milk had been clearly fingered as a contributing cause of the death of these children, she'd have been more explicit. In fact, I looked it all up and it took 20 minutes but I did find that although the children drank soy milk prior to their deaths, there is no publicly declared explanation for their deaths.
But why did I, the reader, have to do research to get a full understanding of Deville's research? That's not how this is supposed to work. Oh well.
EDIT: I feel that I should add that I do not fundamentally disagree with Deville's assertions in general; I agree that factory foodstuffs are hugely problematic, etc, etc. I was rubbed the wrong way by her over-the-top rhetoric which surges forth every few pages and by her alarmist tendencies.
On page 91 of my copy, marked by note 127, is a quote from a physician asserting the following: "The myth that soy is a health food has led many parents to believe that soy milk is a complete and nourishing food not only for adults but for babies and children." I take no issue with the quote. Maybe soy is great for you, maybe it isn't. It could be bad for kids and babies. This physician feels it's not such a wonderful product.
The part that bothers me and seems deliberately inflammatory is the second half of the statement, in which Deville says that this quote was taken from a "newsletter that discusses the possible link between soy milk and the death of three-month-old Brooklyn twins."
So at this point, my eyes popped out of my head. What? Soy milk was involved in the death of some babies?! But why does Deville not explain further? And then my alarm settled a bit and I realized that she doesn't explain further because there is nothing to explain. If soy milk had been clearly fingered as a contributing cause of the death of these children, she'd have been more explicit. In fact, I looked it all up and it took 20 minutes but I did find that although the children drank soy milk prior to their deaths, there is no publicly declared explanation for their deaths.
But why did I, the reader, have to do research to get a full understanding of Deville's research? That's not how this is supposed to work. Oh well.
EDIT: I feel that I should add that I do not fundamentally disagree with Deville's assertions in general; I agree that factory foodstuffs are hugely problematic, etc, etc. I was rubbed the wrong way by her over-the-top rhetoric which surges forth every few pages and by her alarmist tendencies.
November 13, 2015
As a dietitian, I can appreciate what the author is trying to accomplish by writing this book. However, I also have a lot of criticisms about it.
For one thing - it is just not a well written book. Nothing flows together, even from one paragraph to another (it makes sense that each chapter is a different topic, but there is a ton of unrelated information in each chapter) and at times it is incredibly difficult to get through to her point due to the incredible overuse of parenthesis throughout the book.
I also got a completely condescending vibe throughout the book - to me, she seems like she feels completely superior to other individuals because of her lifestyle/food choices - it did not leave a good taste in my mouth (no pun intended) and it just made me dislike her. She also seems very extremist - very black and white about her points - as if there is no room for flexibility. Even though she is not a dietitian herself, I feel that people like this are why many dietitians and nutritionists get a reputation as the food police, trying to take away everything that you enjoy.
Like I said, I can appreciate the point she is trying to make - however, it is important to note that she has no credentials, and much of the information she put into the book is poorly explained - if explained at all. There were a lot of situations where more information would have been much more beneficial than silly anecdotes that she tells - and a lot of very vague information "If you make tuna salad with Bumble Bee tuna, you may be ingesting MSG as this product contains vegetable broth, which often contains MSG."
Overall, it was not worth the time I spent reading it, and there are plenty more books that organized and written in a much more effective way that still gets these points across.
For one thing - it is just not a well written book. Nothing flows together, even from one paragraph to another (it makes sense that each chapter is a different topic, but there is a ton of unrelated information in each chapter) and at times it is incredibly difficult to get through to her point due to the incredible overuse of parenthesis throughout the book.
I also got a completely condescending vibe throughout the book - to me, she seems like she feels completely superior to other individuals because of her lifestyle/food choices - it did not leave a good taste in my mouth (no pun intended) and it just made me dislike her. She also seems very extremist - very black and white about her points - as if there is no room for flexibility. Even though she is not a dietitian herself, I feel that people like this are why many dietitians and nutritionists get a reputation as the food police, trying to take away everything that you enjoy.
Like I said, I can appreciate the point she is trying to make - however, it is important to note that she has no credentials, and much of the information she put into the book is poorly explained - if explained at all. There were a lot of situations where more information would have been much more beneficial than silly anecdotes that she tells - and a lot of very vague information "If you make tuna salad with Bumble Bee tuna, you may be ingesting MSG as this product contains vegetable broth, which often contains MSG."
Overall, it was not worth the time I spent reading it, and there are plenty more books that organized and written in a much more effective way that still gets these points across.
September 6, 2011
I met Nancy at a book signing on Martha's Vineyard this summer and bought the book. I've read the first three chapters. I'm pretty well read in this subject and so far, she has done a great job of explaining the how and why of specific ingredients are added or used in processed foods (HFC), the manipulation of the average consumer by marketing ("whole grain", "light", etc), and the toxicity of the over exposure to ingredients that our body doesn't recognize. Just the chapter on MSG and its origins in manufactured food is worth the price of the book.
January 26, 2018
Do NOT read this
May 4, 2013
As far as food journalism/books about America's food industry goes, this was rock bottom. A huge piece of trash. I couldn't even finish it. The author is extremely unreliable, her biases blatant, and her information poorly supported and researched only at the most half-assed of levels. Here are some fun things you can look forward to if you read this book:
l. The author's weird hate-on for short people. She spends an awful lot of time in the book whining about how obsessed she is with the height of Americans. People in some European countries are now taller than the average American, and how terrible is that???!!111 We're doomed! She writes about the degradation of our nation saying things like, "We're now fatter, less healthy, stupider, and shorter." Uuumm, excuse me? One of these things doesn't fit. Difference in height is part of natural and healthy genetic variation. The irony of this is compiled when maybe 3 sentences after this she laments the fact that our culture is obsessed with beauty. (Right after she talks about how much short people suck and how being tall is so much more attractive/superior? Seriously?) Well, from one not-fat, pretty healthy, fairly intelligent, short guy to her: fuck off.
2. The author's weird obsession with her grandmother (?) Stella. Every other page you have to read some anecdote about how her relative Stella was the bestest, most healthiest person EVAR!!111 and she sets the perfect example that everyone should follow. This was bizarre and only serves to make the author look even more unreliable. Her whole philosophy in life seems to be, "Stella lived a healthy and long life, and she did *insert thing*, so that MUST mean it's healthy and everyone should do the same!!! Look how smart and ahead of the times she was!!!" If Stella had been a chain smoker instead, would the author have written a book about how everyone should pick up smoking because, look, it worked splendidly for old Stella?
3. Unnecessarily exoticising foreign cultures and presenting imbalanced, poorly researched information about them. I lived in Japan/ate a typical Japanese diet for several years, and every time I came across her wrongfully using Japan as an example and getting everything about them wrong, I wanted to throw this book across the room. It was obvious any time she used another culture to try to prop up her arguments, she looked no further than a wikipedia article or something and obviously had no real experience, information, or knowledge about these other countries. She also kept exoticising them, which is unappealing and offensive--nobody wants to read a book where her smarmy white privilege is oozing through every step of the way.
Don't waste your time with this book. If you haven't read any books about the subject, this is an awful place to start, as you'll end up misinformed and annoyed with her self-absorption and lack of professional writing. If you're already familiar with the subject, you won't find anything new here, and you'll have to suffer through her awful writing.
l. The author's weird hate-on for short people. She spends an awful lot of time in the book whining about how obsessed she is with the height of Americans. People in some European countries are now taller than the average American, and how terrible is that???!!111 We're doomed! She writes about the degradation of our nation saying things like, "We're now fatter, less healthy, stupider, and shorter." Uuumm, excuse me? One of these things doesn't fit. Difference in height is part of natural and healthy genetic variation. The irony of this is compiled when maybe 3 sentences after this she laments the fact that our culture is obsessed with beauty. (Right after she talks about how much short people suck and how being tall is so much more attractive/superior? Seriously?) Well, from one not-fat, pretty healthy, fairly intelligent, short guy to her: fuck off.
2. The author's weird obsession with her grandmother (?) Stella. Every other page you have to read some anecdote about how her relative Stella was the bestest, most healthiest person EVAR!!111 and she sets the perfect example that everyone should follow. This was bizarre and only serves to make the author look even more unreliable. Her whole philosophy in life seems to be, "Stella lived a healthy and long life, and she did *insert thing*, so that MUST mean it's healthy and everyone should do the same!!! Look how smart and ahead of the times she was!!!" If Stella had been a chain smoker instead, would the author have written a book about how everyone should pick up smoking because, look, it worked splendidly for old Stella?
3. Unnecessarily exoticising foreign cultures and presenting imbalanced, poorly researched information about them. I lived in Japan/ate a typical Japanese diet for several years, and every time I came across her wrongfully using Japan as an example and getting everything about them wrong, I wanted to throw this book across the room. It was obvious any time she used another culture to try to prop up her arguments, she looked no further than a wikipedia article or something and obviously had no real experience, information, or knowledge about these other countries. She also kept exoticising them, which is unappealing and offensive--nobody wants to read a book where her smarmy white privilege is oozing through every step of the way.
Don't waste your time with this book. If you haven't read any books about the subject, this is an awful place to start, as you'll end up misinformed and annoyed with her self-absorption and lack of professional writing. If you're already familiar with the subject, you won't find anything new here, and you'll have to suffer through her awful writing.
May 14, 2008
I enjoyed this book a lot. It taught me a lot about our food supply. So much of what she says makes so much sense. She is very alarmist in nature though, but I tend to be a much more relaxed person, so it didn't bother me so much. Be prepared- its kind of like that scene from the Matrix where Neo takes the red pill. Once you've read it, you can't get the images and information out of your head. You will change your eating habits. That being said, to be realistic, you have to be gradual. I didn't go crazy throwing food out or running through the grocery store screaming "Poison! Poison!"
The last chapter had quite a build-up for me, seeing as she finally addressed children. It was a big let-down. She basically derides parents for offering "kid-food" and companies for advertising to kids. She doesn't offer any real help for parents who are struggling with fighting against the cultural forces. She does admit that she doesn't have children, so maybe that is the reason.
Overall a good read, not difficult to understand, and VERY important to our culture at this time.
The last chapter had quite a build-up for me, seeing as she finally addressed children. It was a big let-down. She basically derides parents for offering "kid-food" and companies for advertising to kids. She doesn't offer any real help for parents who are struggling with fighting against the cultural forces. She does admit that she doesn't have children, so maybe that is the reason.
Overall a good read, not difficult to understand, and VERY important to our culture at this time.
February 1, 2012
While this book isn't the best-written tome I've ever come across, nor is it perfect, it deserves a 5-star rating for the information it does manage to impart about what we eat and how the food system in American is so corrupt.
Criticisms: should have developed argument about antidepressants further (I do not agree that they are placebos), the ending is abrupt and cloying and silly, and ultimately she-- like the people she writes about, is trying to make a buck-- so her work should be taken with a grain of salt.
However, the research she does fully flesh out is extremely important and does raise a lot of questions (and answers) about the health of Americans and why we see such a massive difference between physical and mental health in the USA compared to the rest of the world.
Criticisms: should have developed argument about antidepressants further (I do not agree that they are placebos), the ending is abrupt and cloying and silly, and ultimately she-- like the people she writes about, is trying to make a buck-- so her work should be taken with a grain of salt.
However, the research she does fully flesh out is extremely important and does raise a lot of questions (and answers) about the health of Americans and why we see such a massive difference between physical and mental health in the USA compared to the rest of the world.
May 15, 2008
I had high hopes for this one, but it was so poorly written it was ultimately a big disappointment. She confuses terms: calling aspartame and aspartate the same thing, describing lupus as an ulcerative skin disease, and makes really random transitions. She tells you a bunch of horrible stuff, then offers no way of dealing with that, other than being obsessive about the purity of your food, or growing all of your own food. I already knew that high fructose corn syrup, nutrasweet, and sugar are not great, and that non-organic meat and milk are full of a lot of scary chemicals and stuff--which are the 2 main points she hammers on. Blah.
July 8, 2012
I didn't love the author or her style of writing per say, but i definitely appreciated the points she brought up and the ideas of what are making American sick, obese and unhealthy. Reading this (and other books) has brought me to take action in my family's diet and hopefully help educate my children on what's healthy and unhealthy so they can make good choices for themselves. Knowledge is power!
August 27, 2009
According to the author, we're making ourselves sick and fat by eating processed foods and factory farmed meats and dairy products. She advises her readers to "forage new dietary paths by eating real food" while recognizing that "rejecting the socially acceptable industrialized food diet is challenging."
June 24, 2011
This book is amazing. I highly recommend it to anyone. She gives the truth about food, which is so incredulous that it would seem that she was making it up if it was not for all the evidence she provides.
I will read this book again and again and every time continue to make changes in my life. I might even buy a stack of them to hand out to friends.
I will read this book again and again and every time continue to make changes in my life. I might even buy a stack of them to hand out to friends.
July 31, 2011
Absolutely one book that everyone should read. It is an eyeopener about factory foods and the effects that it has on our body. You will never look at food the same way again, and you will be sickened at what these corporations are feeding us. We need real food and food that has been broken down by chemicals and then reassembled as Frekenstien food. A must read!
September 10, 2014
This was one of the worst books I've ever read about food. The author is hysterical and exaggerated throughout the entire book. She may have had good information but it was difficult to take her seriously.
I would have preferred she give facts and information rather than referencing Weeds characters missing carbs when discussing corn bread over drug deals.
I would have preferred she give facts and information rather than referencing Weeds characters missing carbs when discussing corn bread over drug deals.
July 12, 2010
This is a great book and I've only read the first few chapters. It is so eye opening and life changing.
October 10, 2009
a bit alarmist at times, but still some well explained info. I'm appreciating being able to read it along with other books on the same topic.
November 17, 2009
The best nutrition book ever. I HATE, HATE, HATE grocery manufactuers and this book pounds my thoughts and opinions of them home loud and clear.
June 20, 2010
Just finished this one on my trip overseas. Compelling, educational, solid and good information.
November 8, 2014
Heck this author scared me and I already eat clean foods. Wish she had taken more time instead of just throwing out statements without much follow up
October 1, 2009
Read this.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews