You Are What You Eat: The Plan That Will Change Your Life

by Gillian McKeith

From the author of Gillian McKeith’s Food Bible and Slim for Life
 
With over 2 million copies sold worldwide, Gillian McKeith’s You Are What You Eat is a national bestseller that has changed the way people think about food and nutrition. You Are What You Eat features real-life diet makeovers and case studies, easy to use lists and charts, and beautiful full color photographs. By encouraging you to eat more nutrient-dense, flavorful whole foods, You Are What You Eat will teach you how to stay healthy and satisfied.

You Are What You Eat also includes:

Gillian McKeith’s “Diet of Abundance” A 7-Day jumpstart plan The Food IQ Test Complete shopping guide and meal plan Healthy and delicious Mediterranean-inspired recipes
You Are What You Eat is a clear, no-nonsense nutritional guide to a healthier life.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Food, Nutrition, Cookbooks, Cooking, Diets

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Dr Gillian McKeith (PhD) is the internationally acclaimed nutritionist. She helps clientele from all walks of life using nutritional evaluation and food energetics. Gillian was the presenter of You Are What You Eat, the hit Celador primetime television programme for Channel Four in Britain.
McKeith is the author of the bestselling book based on the series, with over 1.7 million copies sold. She is also author of other books on diet.
In the UK,she presented 'Feel Fabulous Forever' for This Morning on ITV. And her US radio show, Healthline Across America had a loyal following. She has written for a number of publications, including health journals and popular consumer magazines.
Gillian graduated from the University of Edinburgh and received her Masters degree from the Ivy-League University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. After a severe bout of personal ill-health and recovery through nutritional medicine, she embarked upon a new path and changed her life. She then spent several years re-training for a Masters and Doctorate (PhD) in Holistic Nutrition from the American Holistic College of Nutrition (USA). She holds Certificates from the London School of Acupuncture and the Kailash Centre of Oriental Medicine. She is currently studying with The Australasian College of Health Sciences, USA. She is a postgraduate member of The Centre For Nutrition Education, England, and is a member of several health organisations in the UK and USA.
Raised in Scotland, Gillian now travels extensively giving lectures and seminars to packed audiences. Her lifelong mission is to share her information, improve people's lives and make the world a healthier place.

Reviews

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've owned this book for at least 10 years. I was about to refer it to a mother with young kids at home when I realized I never reviewed it.
I've bought and or read many new nutritional type books since -- but I 'still' like this book better than many of the newer books out today.

My suggestion for those purchasing the book... make sure to buy the Hard Copy.

Things I love about it:
.... I've used it - or referred to this book many-many-many-MANY times over the years.
NOTE: it's the 'only' book by THIS AUTHOR I'm a fan of. I'm not a fan of her cookbooks .

.....I love the books size- and gorgeous glossy colorful photos.

.....The entire layout of is a lovely - easy to use - design.

..... Dr. Gillian McKeith offers so much 'sound' useful advice -- in this little reference book
belongs in every Kitchen in the same way a refrigerator and stove does.

.....It's easy to read 'parts' of this book- it's doesn't need to be read cover-to-cover.
Read a section on "foods that boost your thinking power or mood". Read another
section on Deficiencies of the mineral magnesium. Or what to eat for breaking/splitting chipping nails, or tips for shifting the flab...and foods to eat that de-stress... etc etc.

.....There are cleanses - superfoods- veggies - fruits - raw foods - fresh while foods related to healing and body and maintaining great health -- with very simple suggestions.

Not overwhelming--but rather a top inspirational healthy lifestyle book for everyone. --- without coming from being righteous.

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have owned this book for a long long time. It holds a wealth of information and a great deal of it is information that will help you get to grips with your body and how and what you eat!

Longer review to come!

[Leah Craig · Rating 1 out of 5]

No, no, definitely not. I picked up quite a judgy, self-righteous tone off the bat, but I finally realized this was not the book for me when she referred to one of her former clients as a "pub-crawling greaser." Sorry Gillian, you can keep your sense of superiority and I'll go hang out with the much more kind and relatable Gina Homolka.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

First, who told Gillian it was ok to print in light pink letters on saturated hot pink pages? I get that color is fantastic, and eye catching, but this is retina-burning. Makes it an unpleasant read.

I heard of Gillian from her BBC show "you are what you eat." I decided to pick up this book from the library, mainly to see if a few foods featured on her show had recipes in here.

A lot of what is in this book is kind of obvious. Fruit, veggies, and organic are good for you, yes, we all know this. Some is interesting to consider, and then there's the rest.

I appreciate her use of conventional chinese medicine (ie - the tongue diagnosis) and her pro-organic healthy style, but I think she's taken good ideas and gone over board. A few things in her book are in contradiction to what I've been told by my dietitian. Fine, different ideas are out there.

Gillian has a very all-or-nothing attitude that I find a bit hard to work with. Hold on to your pants, I'm going to eat chocolate. I don't need to eat *all* the chocolate. But there's no little bit with her. There will be no chocolate, no alcohol, no caffeine, no red meat, no fat, no refined sugars, no flour, no, no no and NO. That's not so realistic in my world. I'm going to have dinner at friends house, and no I will not be asking to use their blender to juice my celery and cucumber stick. I'm going to work events and restaurants, and they may not be organic and raw foods. I'll deal. And you know what? I'll live. Again, I know first hand that when I eat well I feel good. (again, obvious) but life happens.

And Gillian? I know PLENTY of people that eat your anti-christ diet and have strong interest in sex! So calm down on the sex drive already!

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was pretty useless. The information was mostly either really basic ("Eat the good fats and throw out the bad. Good fats can be found in avocados, pumpkin seeds. . . Bad fats are saturated fats, as found in red meats and butter. They are very hard to digest, clog your arteries and led to illness and weight problems."), or it was very specific ("If you have small pimply bumps on the arm, take the following supplements daily: beta-carotene 15mg, B complex 50 g, and EFA 500 mcg."). She also advises food combining (not eating certain foods in the same meal as others, or taking care to have meals include foods from certain categories together), which, I gather from other sources, there is no scientific support for.

Many of the pictures in the book are lovely close-ups of food, but there are also many pictures of the author in various food-related settings. I suppose that's necessary to feed the ego of someone who wrote a book like this after having her own TV show. (She does not address healthy ways to feed the ego.)

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a 3.5, but it gets the nudge upward because I can think of a handful of people I'm going to recommend it to immediately.

It was informative, light reading, and I am happy to have read it, but I had a few problems:

1) There is very little to back up the claims made. Would have been a much more boring book with that info, but when making claims as large as some of those that are included, I like sources to be more clearly cited.

2) Whoever came up with the design of the actual book ought to be shot. There are a handful of pages that are nearly unreadable due to the lack of contract between page and font color.

I've already:

- ordered a number of supplements
- been drinking superfood fairly regularly
- been drinking more herbal teas
- ordered a skin brush
- ordered a sprout kit.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books on nutrition I have read in a long time. I found it on a road trip in a truck stop store. Gillian's expertise about foods chemistry, digestion and what to eat together is very helpful. Her knowledge of vitamins, minerals and herbs to help various conditions is also very good. This was not only an interesting read, but it will serve as a good reference book.

[Leya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this 4.5
The author really sets out the case of why 'You are what you eat' . A very interesting read, she looks at the entire body and how when even the smallest part of the body eg nail is unhealth it is an indication of sum deficiancy in ones diet.
I really gained alot from the book regarding food combination and its effect on digestion, when to drink water so as not to flood digestion. It was also good to be reminded why we need to take suppliments as our diets are insuffienct to supply all the vitamins, minierals that the body needs.

My only gripe with the book is she advocates for eating almost on a constant basis, breakfast, snack, lunch, then snack, supper then snack. She did not delve much into the implication of what constant eating has on our hormones ie insulin and how we can end up being insulin resistance which can lead to weight gain. We need some periods of fast. Our bodies where not meant to be constantly focused only on the digestive process. What about autophagy?
This aspect of health is not looked at.

Otherwise this was a good read, will definatly be referring back to certain sections of the book.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I skimmed this book, I did not read the whole thing. I requested it from the library because I liked the title and am generally interested in improving and varying my diet. It's quite a bit about macrobiotics--surprise!

There is some interesting symptom/remedy information. It seems a bit drastic for most people to do everything recommended here. One interesting and easy-to-implement tip was chewing all your food well. "Your stomach doesn't have teeth." Well . . . yes! I like being reminded about all the healthy and natural things I could eat.

Also interesting were the real life examples of people's diets that show how you can eat relatively few things yet be overweight. The author says eat more healthy things. I like being told to eat more! Pass the apples!

[Ziñeebe Benbouchaib · Rating 5 out of 5]

الكتاب بالنسبة لي كان طبقا معرفيا لذيذا فالتهمته دفعة واحدة دون توقف، أستطيع أن أقول بأن نظام اكلي تغير جذريا بعد أن قرأته. حتى الترجمة كانت في المستوى وطريقة تنظيم فقرات الكتاب كانت عاملا آخر جعلني انكب عليه ولا أنسى ألوانه الجميلة والروسومات التوضيحية التي تشجع القارء أيضا.
لو كنت أستطيع أن أكتب الكتاب كله لفعلت لأن النصائح والحقائق التي به يجب أن يعلمها كل شخص يعاني مع نظامه الغذائي.
وكخلاصة؛ فإن للطعام قوة و تأثير على أجسادنا وحالتنا المزاجية وسلوكياتنا وأيضا مستويات الطاقة والرغبة فى التفكير، وعادات النوم والصحة بشكل عام، وبالتالي فالاهتمام بنضامنا الغذائي ومعرفة الأطعمة الجيدة لجسمنا والمضرة له من النقاط الأساسية التي يجب أن يركز عليها أي شخص يريد تغيير نمط حياته إلى الأفضل.

[Sonja · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read the intro to this book-it scares me-i love to eat-and well i'm sure she's going to tell me a majority of what I love to eat is sooo bad for me!!!! i want to be healthier i really do but i dont want to give up food or exercise 1/2 my life away.....ha.

finished this book and feeling really inspired to make parts of it into my daily life.
tried the sweet potato shephards pie-a little bland will try w/ some more seasoning and maybe no pepers. :)

[Abeer Alamri]

وانت تقرا الكتاب تحس انك مجرم في حق نفسك :( تقريبا 99% من عاداتنا الغذائيه خطأ، اعجبني فيها حركة في يوم نقدر نتخلص من السموم عن طريق تناول اكلات معينه وكلها خضار وفواكه، حلو للي يحبون الاكلات الصحيه وكمان ماتشجع ان الواحد يتبع حميات عشان ينحف لا بس يغير عاداته الغذائيه ويسوي رياضه وبعدها بيرتاح ^^

[Casey May · Rating 5 out of 5]

nice simple nutrition

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the way this book was printed and presented. It's very colorful and glossy, and it's divided into really small segments, so you can easily pick it up and read a few pages and complete a whole topic. It covers interesting things such as looking at physical problems and figuring out what you may be deficient on -- for instance cracks on the fingertips or tongue. It's right up my alley to use the nutrients in foods to heal and to eliminate the bad things to help fix health problems. What's not up my alley is eating crap, not exercising and then seeking out medicines to mask problems. This book focuses on improving health through wholesome foods, but it's not intimidating. It's informative and simple. She offers a simple 1-day cleanse that involves a lot of fluids -- water and tea and fresh veggie and fruit juice -- along with green smoothies, miso soup and fresh veggies. Most "cleanses" are long and intimidating. This one seems so much more doable. The book offers a few recipe ideas in the back and some examples of eating for a week. It's not entirely opposed to any entire food group -- something I'm always interested in knowing before purchasing a nutrition/diet book. It pushes raw veggies first and foremost and some animal proteins if carefully chosen. It urges going light on wheat but definitely eating whole grains -- millet, quinoa, etc.

[Becky Davison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up in an airport on a whim...I didn't realize it was connected to the television program that I had caught once or twice.


This book is laid out really well, in short topics, graphics, or lists making the information really easy to (dare I say) digest. I have been reading a lot about food lately and while I know better than to believe everything I read, I feel that this book is full of useful lessons for someone looking to really understand what to fuel the body with. I won't be incorporating every lesson this book has to offer, I have certainly taken away some advice that I plan to turn into healthy eating habits.

This is not a diet plan or a limiting food guide....it's more of a wake up call on what we are actually putting into our bodies, some thing I feel like many of us feel we are too busy to do. (Although it does offer a 7 day meal plan with recipes to support)

I've insisted that we have a copy of this book for our staff lunch room! Money & time well spent!

[Stirling · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rubbish - a needless complicated plan that she insists is simple. Tons of assertions without providing any evidence except the occasional anecdote. And totally shaming language throughout. There is one quiz where the scores are divided into 5 sections. If you score 51-100 pts, your section is titled "You are a big mess. You are not okay" - and its not even the worst score you can get. 101-151 pts is "You flunk big time!" Dr. Gillian - you flunk big time.
Update: Just found this online:
"One of those angry nerds took her down this week. A regular from my website badscience.net - I can barely contain my pride - took McKeith to the Advertising Standards Authority, complaining about her using the title "doctor" on the basis of a qualification gained by correspondence course from a non-accredited American college."

Ms Gillian - you flunk big time!

[Vesna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an inspiring book for healthy eating with lovely photos, don't agree with all of the suggested tips

[Martha Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Like any book, you have to take all the advice in it with a grain of salt. Know what works best for you. Take the good and leave the rest. I do not agree with a lot of the book. But there are some interesting things in it. For example she advocates taking a lot of herbal supplements and drinking smoothies daily for detox cleanses. Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn explained (on his webpage) that fruit smoothies don't stay in the mouth long enough to get coated with digestive enzymes. So it is better to eat whole fruit rather than blend it up. Page 40,44, and 45 were interesting, but other than that there was not much new information for me to glean.

[adri patamoma · Rating 5 out of 5]

este livro é lindo! todo colorido, com fotos maravilhosas, dá gosto de ler! sou muito fã do programa de tv da gillian, e fiquei ainda mais fã dela depois de ler este livro de apologia à alimentação saudável! adorei, e pretendo reler este livro sempre, pra me inspirar e me manter 'na linha'. super recomendo!

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I'm not ready to do everything this book suggests, there are some great tips. I'm starting with chewing my food throughly!

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is so full of crap I couldn't get it out of my house and back to the library quick enough.

[Ruth · Rating 1 out of 5]

c2004: obsessed with colons

[Lesley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is just common sense stuff, eat your veggies, no processed foods etc. Though pretty to look at but I didn't learn anything new.

[Deborah J Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

My version was published in 2004. Absolutely loved the TV series and thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

[Evonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lists, recipes, ideas, simple solutions, basic explanations. A good review of what many of us already know, but in a really useful format.

[Noura44 · Rating 3 out of 5]

basic information
i liked the part of superfood

[Kerry Bonham · Rating 1 out of 5]

If this was a work of fiction, it would've got 5 stars for entertainment. However, for factual content, this was very poor.

[RF Bradford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I lost my vitamin bible book so bought this as a replacement. Was not dissapointed.
The basic premise is to think of our bodies as a biological machine, that has nutritional requirements to function at its best. You could say we know that already but what is great about Gillian's book is the detail and focus on key areas that she goes into.
It covers good and bad foods, body self analysis and guidance on what foods can help fight specific conditions - including addictions and weight.
Confess am not disciplined enough to properly follow what she comes out with but have no doubt, if I ever decided to be, my body would look amazing.
Whether you have just an interest in understanding more about nutrition or a specific condition you would like to find some nutritional help with, I would highly recommend this book.

[Gnanakumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book on eating the right foods for healthy life and wellbeing
Contrary to most diet plan recommendations, the author advised eating more, not less: eating the good and right foods, and proper food combining. The author calls it the "Diet of Abundance" by outlining the Top 100 Foods to eat in everyday life. However, not every food listed would be available in every part of the world. It was wonderful to know the different types of herbal teas available with their benefits. Food Intelligence Quotient Test (FIT-IQ) comprising 20 questions will help one to assess and score their current healthy level of good eating habits. I hope this book serves as a definitive guide and future reference for one and all.

[Lenka Kosmatová · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would say the book is just average. I love the title, and personal story, but the advice is nothing extra or special. Eat little carbs, a lot of proteins, veggies and fruits. I like that she involves a bit fo work with energies - like messaging the kidneys and a bit more spiritual side.
However, I think a lot of information is just wrong - like drink smoothies often. Smoothies are proven to not be as beneficial for the digestion and body in general.

The book in general is very easy to read, I would say it's a great one if you just starting with nutrition, but I would not say it's a book to read more times.