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BEYOND LABELS: A Doctor and a Farmer Conquer Food Confusion One Bite at a Time
Do you want to be healthy, happy and free? But find yourself stuck in your healing journey and want some guidance and encouragement? Perhaps you are overwhelmed by all of the conflicting diet advice. Maybe you don’t know where to start or who to trust. Or, maybe you just need a little motivation. You’re not alone. We’re constantly bombarded with ever-changing diet recommendations and the latest diet Paleo, Keto, Whole 30, Specific Carbohydrate Diet, and the list goes on. Eggs are bad one day and good the next. Kale is good for you today. Tomorrow it contains high levels of thallium and is toxic to your thyroid gland. How do you know what to put on your plate that will bring you toward greater health and wellness? In Beyond Labels, Joel Salatin, a farmer who is blazing the trail for regenerative farm practices, and Sina McCullough, a Ph.D. in Nutrition who actually understands unpronounceable carbon chains, bring you on a journey from generally unhealthy food and farming to an ultimately healing place. Through compelling discussions leavened with a dose of humor, they share practical and easily doable tips •What to eat •How to find it and prepare it •How to save money and time in the kitchen •How to stay true to your principles in our modern culture Whether you are just starting your health journey or you grow all of your own food, this book is designed to meet you where you are and motivate you to take the next step in your healing journey – ultimately bringing you closer to health, happiness, and freedom. “The ideas, evidence and takeaways from this book have the power to reshape America's declining health. This is the most-fascinating, inspirational, and flat out most useful book I've ever read. Joel and Sina have done what no other authors have managed to do. They've created a survival guide for the war on our gut microbiome.” -Andy Snyder, Founder of Manward Press
440 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 12, 2020
213 people are currently reading
629 people want to read
About the author
Sina McCullough
2 books14 followersI have a doctoral degree in Nutritional Science and a bachelor's degree in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, both from the University of California at Davis.
I taught Biochemistry and Bioenergetics at UC Davis. I was also the Director of Research and Development for a supplement company. Later, I became a consultant as well as a freelance writer for a family magazine.
Currently, I homeschool my two children and write when I'm inspired.
My goal is to ensure that my children are at least as free as I am today. Consequently, I fight to protect their God-given rights, including their right to life and opportunity. By helping to restore the integrity of our food, I help protect their long-term health and their freedom.
I taught Biochemistry and Bioenergetics at UC Davis. I was also the Director of Research and Development for a supplement company. Later, I became a consultant as well as a freelance writer for a family magazine.
Currently, I homeschool my two children and write when I'm inspired.
My goal is to ensure that my children are at least as free as I am today. Consequently, I fight to protect their God-given rights, including their right to life and opportunity. By helping to restore the integrity of our food, I help protect their long-term health and their freedom.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 31, 2021
There is so much conflicting information out there about what we should eat. Thousands of new diet books are published every year claiming they have "the solution" whether it's paleo, keto, whole30, Atkins, etc. With so much information out there how do you decide what to eat? That's where this unique book comes in - a collaboration between Polyface farmer and master of the unorthodox Joel Salatin and Dr. Sina McCullough, a Ph.D. in Nutrition who reversed her autoimmune disorder through diet. Written like a conversation between Joel and Sina, the book covers how to chart your own food path and the steps to take in order to get to optimum health. The first section covers creating your personalized roadmap to health. There are questions to help you create goals for both health and eating and a quiz designed to help you see where you currently are with food and where you'd like to be. The second section is the largest and gives 34 tips on how to shift from low to high quality processed food. The third section gives tips for shifting from high quality processed food to whole foods. The fourth section gives tips on shifting from whole foods to locally grown whole foods. The fifth section gives tips on going from locally grown food to growing your own food. At the end of the book in the Appendix Joel and Sina both give a brief biography and share how they met and decided to collaborate on this book.
I'm a HUGE Joel Salatin fan, so I'm always excited when he has a new book. This one is very different, but still very challenging and inspiring. I really like that they go from making better choices with processed food all the way to growing your own food. Having drastically changed my own diet about 10 years ago it is a process and I'm still not perfect or where I want to be. I really appreciate that they both understand that eating better is a process and they have so many great tips to help people improve with manageable steps. I also really liked the first section and want to go back and think more about what goals I want to work toward and things I could do better. This is honestly a book for ANYONE who wants to improve their eating, but might feel overwhelmed with all the choices/plans/ideas out there.
Some quotes I liked:
[on preservatives in food] "I saw one of the greatest demonstrations of this in California at a school farm...one of the first assignments for the students was to bring some food to class. Students brought Twizzlers, Oreo cookies, gummy worms, marshmallows and squeezable cheese. The teachers brought an orange, apple, lettuce and a green bean. The students put all their contributions in the worm box on one end and the teachers put theirs in the other end. The next week the students ran to the box, opened the lid, and found all their contributions sitting there untouched. The teachers' contributions, on the other hand, were completely gone. Digested. As the students puzzled over the phenomenon, the teachers made their point: 'why would you want to eat something worms won't even eat?' Wow! The point is, what drives life is death and decomposition. If it won't rot, it won't decay. If it won't rot, it won't digest." (p. 107-8)
"Back in 1985, Monsanto was manufacturing rBGH [recombinant bovine growth hormone]. They conducted experiments on cows across the United States by injecting them with rBGH - the first genetically engineered hormone in our food supply. Nobody knew what would happen. Yet, beginning in 1985, the FDA allowed Monsanto to sell the experimental milk (and meat) for human consumption with no restrictions while the rBGH drug was still in the experimental phase of development. Even worse, the FDA did not require those experimental products to be labeled. That means, for 8 years, she of us drank experimental milk and ate experimental meat without knowing it. And when the GAO [Government Accountability Office] called them out, the FDA stood behind their decision...'The FDA does not require the labeling of food products derived from animals involved in drug treatment trials...we [the GAO] believe the public should have the right to know which food products have been produced from animals being tested with investigational drugs. Consequently, we disagree with the FDA on this point.'" (p. 148)
[Things that came to light during litigation against Monsanto over Roundup cancer claims] "Monsanto wrote research papers in secret and then passed them off as written by scientists in academia. A Monsanto executive told other company officials that costs could be kept down by writing research papers themselves and then hiring academics to put their names on the papers....The U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services planned to conduct a scientific review of the safety of glyphosate. But senior EPA officials killed the review...Even though Monsanto adamantly claims that Roundup is safe for us to eat and does not cause cancer, Monsanto's lead toxicologist stated in her deposition that she 'cannot say that Roundup does not cause cancer' because 'we [Monsanto] have not done the carcinogenicity [cancer] studies with Roundup.'" (p. 167)
"How much glyphosate gets used, anyway? On soybeans alone, 120 million pounds. On corn alone, 95 million pounds. All other uses amount to about 60 million pounds. Add all those up and you have 275 million pounds...every year that's how much Roundup herbicide is dumped onto the U.S. That doesn't count use in any other country." (p. 168)
"I've decided the most prominent benchmark designating folks who 'get it' with food is leftovers...By definition, leftovers means that you did not eat single service portions. How much food today is sold in single service packaging?" (p. 191)
"When Teresa and I go to potlucks, she always brings at least two and often three dishes - more than anyone else. The reason is so I'll have something to eat. She puts it on the table with all the other dishes, but I make sure I know which ones are hers. Then when I go through the line I concentrate on her stuff." (p. 194) I do the SAME - especially with holiday meals.
"One of the most intriguing things to me, in this domestic culinary space, is that at the very time in history when we've never enjoyed so many labor-saving techno-gadgets, we've never been more reluctant to prepare our own food. As food prepared outside the home escalates north of 50 percent these days, our techno-glitzy kitchens sit idle, and that's a shame. Never in history has cooking been more efficient. Never before has from-scratch cooking been easier. And yet here we are buying highly processed foods and going out to eat routinely." (p. 263)
I'm a HUGE Joel Salatin fan, so I'm always excited when he has a new book. This one is very different, but still very challenging and inspiring. I really like that they go from making better choices with processed food all the way to growing your own food. Having drastically changed my own diet about 10 years ago it is a process and I'm still not perfect or where I want to be. I really appreciate that they both understand that eating better is a process and they have so many great tips to help people improve with manageable steps. I also really liked the first section and want to go back and think more about what goals I want to work toward and things I could do better. This is honestly a book for ANYONE who wants to improve their eating, but might feel overwhelmed with all the choices/plans/ideas out there.
Some quotes I liked:
[on preservatives in food] "I saw one of the greatest demonstrations of this in California at a school farm...one of the first assignments for the students was to bring some food to class. Students brought Twizzlers, Oreo cookies, gummy worms, marshmallows and squeezable cheese. The teachers brought an orange, apple, lettuce and a green bean. The students put all their contributions in the worm box on one end and the teachers put theirs in the other end. The next week the students ran to the box, opened the lid, and found all their contributions sitting there untouched. The teachers' contributions, on the other hand, were completely gone. Digested. As the students puzzled over the phenomenon, the teachers made their point: 'why would you want to eat something worms won't even eat?' Wow! The point is, what drives life is death and decomposition. If it won't rot, it won't decay. If it won't rot, it won't digest." (p. 107-8)
"Back in 1985, Monsanto was manufacturing rBGH [recombinant bovine growth hormone]. They conducted experiments on cows across the United States by injecting them with rBGH - the first genetically engineered hormone in our food supply. Nobody knew what would happen. Yet, beginning in 1985, the FDA allowed Monsanto to sell the experimental milk (and meat) for human consumption with no restrictions while the rBGH drug was still in the experimental phase of development. Even worse, the FDA did not require those experimental products to be labeled. That means, for 8 years, she of us drank experimental milk and ate experimental meat without knowing it. And when the GAO [Government Accountability Office] called them out, the FDA stood behind their decision...'The FDA does not require the labeling of food products derived from animals involved in drug treatment trials...we [the GAO] believe the public should have the right to know which food products have been produced from animals being tested with investigational drugs. Consequently, we disagree with the FDA on this point.'" (p. 148)
[Things that came to light during litigation against Monsanto over Roundup cancer claims] "Monsanto wrote research papers in secret and then passed them off as written by scientists in academia. A Monsanto executive told other company officials that costs could be kept down by writing research papers themselves and then hiring academics to put their names on the papers....The U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services planned to conduct a scientific review of the safety of glyphosate. But senior EPA officials killed the review...Even though Monsanto adamantly claims that Roundup is safe for us to eat and does not cause cancer, Monsanto's lead toxicologist stated in her deposition that she 'cannot say that Roundup does not cause cancer' because 'we [Monsanto] have not done the carcinogenicity [cancer] studies with Roundup.'" (p. 167)
"How much glyphosate gets used, anyway? On soybeans alone, 120 million pounds. On corn alone, 95 million pounds. All other uses amount to about 60 million pounds. Add all those up and you have 275 million pounds...every year that's how much Roundup herbicide is dumped onto the U.S. That doesn't count use in any other country." (p. 168)
"I've decided the most prominent benchmark designating folks who 'get it' with food is leftovers...By definition, leftovers means that you did not eat single service portions. How much food today is sold in single service packaging?" (p. 191)
"When Teresa and I go to potlucks, she always brings at least two and often three dishes - more than anyone else. The reason is so I'll have something to eat. She puts it on the table with all the other dishes, but I make sure I know which ones are hers. Then when I go through the line I concentrate on her stuff." (p. 194) I do the SAME - especially with holiday meals.
"One of the most intriguing things to me, in this domestic culinary space, is that at the very time in history when we've never enjoyed so many labor-saving techno-gadgets, we've never been more reluctant to prepare our own food. As food prepared outside the home escalates north of 50 percent these days, our techno-glitzy kitchens sit idle, and that's a shame. Never in history has cooking been more efficient. Never before has from-scratch cooking been easier. And yet here we are buying highly processed foods and going out to eat routinely." (p. 263)
February 14, 2021
Since being diagnosed with cancer two months ago, I have started a journey of health and well being. I am so grateful for modern medicine and what it is currently doing for my body but I also believe in personal responsibility and attacking my disease in an all around integrative approach. One of these areas, being nutrition.
This is unlike any other nutrition book. It completely takes what I thought I knew about food and turns it upside down. Mainly in the notion that it’s not the type of food you eat, but where it comes from; How it’s raised and processed.
Like many other areas, we blindly trust the government and its authority on issues. The way I originally thought my food to be made and regulated is far from reality. It’s no wonder our modern age is filled full of chronic, debilitating diseases!
It was an easy read. Written in conversation form between a nutritionist and a farmer, each section contains “practical bites” in which the reader can gain food independence and trust and work their way back to healing. I gained such respect from these two knowledgeable and passionate but down to earth authors. I can’t wait to read more of both of their research and experiences.
This book has forever changed how I will take care of myself and my family.
This is unlike any other nutrition book. It completely takes what I thought I knew about food and turns it upside down. Mainly in the notion that it’s not the type of food you eat, but where it comes from; How it’s raised and processed.
Like many other areas, we blindly trust the government and its authority on issues. The way I originally thought my food to be made and regulated is far from reality. It’s no wonder our modern age is filled full of chronic, debilitating diseases!
It was an easy read. Written in conversation form between a nutritionist and a farmer, each section contains “practical bites” in which the reader can gain food independence and trust and work their way back to healing. I gained such respect from these two knowledgeable and passionate but down to earth authors. I can’t wait to read more of both of their research and experiences.
This book has forever changed how I will take care of myself and my family.
February 5, 2022
This is a dangerous book. By that I mean you cannot simply read it and carry on making the same choices typical of the standard American diet. It is packed with eye-opening information, and presented in a way that makes progress actually doable.
There is excessive new-age lingo, but... easily glossed over.
There is excessive new-age lingo, but... easily glossed over.
November 23, 2024
1. Vote with your fork - spend money on food/companies that are moving in the right direction
2. Say No to antibiotics when eating out
3. Look for USDA Organic seal and the words “100 % Organic”
4. Switch to Organic Eggs, ones that are not disinfected with chemicals (ex. Chlorine)
5. Choose Organic chicken, ones that are not disinfected with chemicals (ex. Chlorine)
6. Choose 100% “Grass-Finished” organic beef
7. Eat only ingredients you can pronounce
8. Avoid Artificial and Natural Flavoring, Choose Preservative Free
9. Don’t worry about fat, avoid artificial sweeteners
10. Eat Real Salt
11. Online Shopping
1. Poly face
2. Thrive Market
3. Misfits Market
4. Imperfect Foods
12. Slow Cooker - Chuck Roast with Veggies (pg. 242)
13. Cook a Whole Chicken (pg. 253)
14. Make/Buy Sauerkraut or other fermented foods
15. Eat Prebiotic foods - onion, garlic, asparagus, celery, tiger nuts
16. Local farms
1. Localharvest.com
2. Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA)
3. Chicken - apppa.org - get pastured poultry (that is the words you need to look for)
4. Grass-finished beef - eatwild.com
5. Pastured Pork - eatwild.com
2. Say No to antibiotics when eating out
3. Look for USDA Organic seal and the words “100 % Organic”
4. Switch to Organic Eggs, ones that are not disinfected with chemicals (ex. Chlorine)
5. Choose Organic chicken, ones that are not disinfected with chemicals (ex. Chlorine)
6. Choose 100% “Grass-Finished” organic beef
7. Eat only ingredients you can pronounce
8. Avoid Artificial and Natural Flavoring, Choose Preservative Free
9. Don’t worry about fat, avoid artificial sweeteners
10. Eat Real Salt
11. Online Shopping
1. Poly face
2. Thrive Market
3. Misfits Market
4. Imperfect Foods
12. Slow Cooker - Chuck Roast with Veggies (pg. 242)
13. Cook a Whole Chicken (pg. 253)
14. Make/Buy Sauerkraut or other fermented foods
15. Eat Prebiotic foods - onion, garlic, asparagus, celery, tiger nuts
16. Local farms
1. Localharvest.com
2. Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA)
3. Chicken - apppa.org - get pastured poultry (that is the words you need to look for)
4. Grass-finished beef - eatwild.com
5. Pastured Pork - eatwild.com
April 27, 2024
Joel and Sina deliver practical, pragmatic, digestible bites for anyone looking to improve their relationship with their health. They advocate for ownership and autonomy in the realm of arguably the most important decision you can make — what you put on your plate.
Beyond Labels is a great place for beginners and seasoned eaters alike, reminding us all that only we have the power to change our health and happiness. And it doesn’t have to happen all at once! The duo encourage readers to use what resonates, take baby steps, and be mindful of our choices.
I appreciated the diverse perspectives from two people who believe deeply in fostering health and happiness not only in their own lives, but in the lives of everyone they reach.
Beyond Labels is a great place for beginners and seasoned eaters alike, reminding us all that only we have the power to change our health and happiness. And it doesn’t have to happen all at once! The duo encourage readers to use what resonates, take baby steps, and be mindful of our choices.
I appreciated the diverse perspectives from two people who believe deeply in fostering health and happiness not only in their own lives, but in the lives of everyone they reach.
May 27, 2021
My favorite parts were about farming and the benefits of raising animals the old fashioned way (both for the animals and our consumption).
The biggest negative for me was unsubstantiated claims like "Haven't you noticed that since we started eating processed foods, diseases like cancer and autoimmune diseases seem more common?" I guess but I'm sure we're better at diagnosing them too. Sounds tough to prove.
Overall it does exactly what it claims to do, define all labels in the supermarket and explain why they value certain designations more than others.
The biggest negative for me was unsubstantiated claims like "Haven't you noticed that since we started eating processed foods, diseases like cancer and autoimmune diseases seem more common?" I guess but I'm sure we're better at diagnosing them too. Sounds tough to prove.
Overall it does exactly what it claims to do, define all labels in the supermarket and explain why they value certain designations more than others.
November 12, 2022
100% a must read for any human who consumes food. So every human being! Written by the guru of regenerative farming, Joel Salatin, and a Phd Chemist turned nutritionalist after turning to food to correct an autoimmune disorder and discovering the HORRORS of processed food, additives and government corruption within the food industry. Bottom line: visit farms and farmers markets, read your labels and don’t eat ANYTHING you can’t pronounce. GREAT read!
July 22, 2025
I mainly read this because of Joel Salatin - I love his other books and his farming principles. Overall it was good and informative however Sina lost all credibility for me when she starts referring to milk from "grass-FINISHED cows". "Grass-finished" is a term that applies to beef cattle, not dairy cattle. 🤦♀️
There were several other sections where she goes off on a "but chemicals!" tangent without citing sources and with no real evidence backing up her statements.
Overall it was still a decent book but I feel that their point could have been driven home with more facts and less feelings.
There were several other sections where she goes off on a "but chemicals!" tangent without citing sources and with no real evidence backing up her statements.
Overall it was still a decent book but I feel that their point could have been driven home with more facts and less feelings.
July 23, 2020
I thought I knew about labels
I thought I had a good handle on labels until I read this book. I Friedlander quite a bit. I will be looking up the websites referenced and upping the quality of food that I buy. I really appreciate the information provided in this book. I recommend everyone read this book.
I thought I had a good handle on labels until I read this book. I Friedlander quite a bit. I will be looking up the websites referenced and upping the quality of food that I buy. I really appreciate the information provided in this book. I recommend everyone read this book.
January 14, 2023
This is a helpful step by step guide for gradually shifting your diet from processed foods to whole foods and beyond. There is so much to learn and so much information on this subject that it can be overwhelming. Joel and Sina did a great job of breaking it down into small "practical bites" and help you determine your own goals for your health and food. I highly recommend checking it out!
April 20, 2022
This is an amazing look at how two people turned their lives around both emotionally and physically by changing their lifestyle. They began eating 'clean' and doing everything they could to make like better for themselves. I'm inspired!
October 4, 2025
I loved it! Loved it! Loved it! Live beyond labels. There are so many implications here. It is philosophical, practical, and entertaining. I loved it even more than I thought I would - and I always love Joel’s books!
January 13, 2021
Everyone should read this book!
December 27, 2023
If you can ignore some weird parts, a game changer when it comes to food for us.
March 12, 2024
An excellent, eye-opening discussion!
March 30, 2025
Decent. Lots of good info mixed with lots of pseudo science
August 13, 2020
I was first turned on to Joel Salatin from his appearance in Food Inc produced by heavy weight Michael Pollan. I remember how I felt: "Man. That's one crazy farmer." You'll have to excuse my reaction as it was my first time seeing many, many things in that doc. But after watching it a few more times, I understood how Salatin was speaking not just indelible truths, but did so from depths of experience and knowledge. Since then, I have read Foks This Aint Normal , The Sheer Ecstasy of being a Lunatic Farmer, and of course we had to watch Fresh.
Beyond Labels is a synchronously co-written guide on how to choose what to eat. Sina McCullough lends a powerful voice not only with nutritional guidance, but also with personal testament of how food healed her and her family. The book is well organized and really starts with small, incremental changes that you can make right away. It moves progressively forward encompassing every step that you can make towards nutritional nirvana. This book feeds our soul.
Beyond Labels is a synchronously co-written guide on how to choose what to eat. Sina McCullough lends a powerful voice not only with nutritional guidance, but also with personal testament of how food healed her and her family. The book is well organized and really starts with small, incremental changes that you can make right away. It moves progressively forward encompassing every step that you can make towards nutritional nirvana. This book feeds our soul.
April 10, 2021
I must confess that I found out about this book from the Joe Rogan Podcast, and hoped to find practical advice about sustainability and growing your own good. Which is 40 pages out of 380, give or take.
The other pages certainly are useful, but they had no real benefit for me as someone not living in the US.
That last section could've been greatly expanded, though. In general I think that without the input of Sina McCullough the book would've been half as long but twice as good.
The other pages certainly are useful, but they had no real benefit for me as someone not living in the US.
That last section could've been greatly expanded, though. In general I think that without the input of Sina McCullough the book would've been half as long but twice as good.
Read
January 30, 2023Outstanding primer for the reader looking to simplify and improve her/his lifestyle and health post-pandemic hysteria. I've followed Joel for years, but this was my first encounter with Dr. McCullough. They are, indeed, a dynamic duo.
March 7, 2023
Couple weird chapters, but overall so helpful and eye opening.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews