Food Isn’t Medicine: Challenge Nutrib*llocks & Escape the Diet Trap

by Joshua Wolrich

Losing weight is not your life's purpose.

Do carbs make you fat?
Could the keto diet cure mental health disorders?
Are eggs as bad for you as smoking?

No, no and absolutely not. It's all what Dr Joshua Wolrich defines as 'nutribollocks' and he is on a mission to set the record straight.

As an NHS doctor with personal experience of how damaging diets can be, he believes every one of us deserves to have a happy, healthy relationship with food and with our bodies. His message is clear: we need to fight weight stigma, call out the lies of diet culture and give ourselves permission to eat all foods.

Food Isn't Medicine wades through nutritional science (both good and bad) to demystify the common diet myths that many of us believe without questioning. If you have ever wondered whether you should stop eating sugar, try fasting, juicing or 'alkaline water', or struggled through diet after diet (none of which seem to work), this book will be a powerful wake-up call. Drawing on the latest research and delivered with a dose of humour, it not only liberates us from the destructive belief that weight defines health but also explains how to spot the misinformation we are bombarded with every day.

Dr Joshua Wolrich will empower you to escape the diet trap and call out the bad health advice for what it really is: complete nutribollocks.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Science, Nutrition, Audiobook, Food, Medicine

304 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2021

About the author

Dr Joshua Wolrich BSc (Hons) MBBS MRCS is an NHS surgical trainee and nutrition MSc student who is not only setting the record straight when it comes to people claiming food is medicine, but aggressively fighting weight stigma and encouraging his patients to have a healthy, happy relationship with their bodies and food. He follows a Health at Every Size® approach and you can find him using social media to campaign for healthcare to become weight-inclusive.

Reviews

[Kinga · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first heard of Dr Joshua Wolrich via Jameela Jamil’s podcast and his journey from a diet culture afficionado to its very outspoken critic caught my attention, so I splashed out on this hardcover.

“Food Isn’t Medicine” is a very straight forward book. It doesn’t tell you anything absolutely ground-breaking when it comes to nutrition. It’s the same old truths – eat more fruit and vegetables, eat more whole grain, cut down saturated fats. Almost everything is ok in moderation. And the truth is that’s all you truly need to know. No matter what the new fad diet tells you, or some sensational headline in a tabloid that blows out of proportion some dodgy study performed on five mice, if you stick to those old, tested rules, you will be fine. Wolrich debunks a lot of stuff I knew was nonsense (alkaline diet, BMI /though didn’t know the extent of this nonsense/), suspected might be dangerous nonsense (ketodiet), didn’t even know was a thing (carnivore diet). He does all of it with humour backed by solid science. It’s a difficult balance to strike between making your book accessible but not juvenile and he does it well. It’s not one of those books where you feel like you are stuck at some family function listening to your uncle’s cringe-worthy jokes.

We have convinced ourselves that food holds the key to everything - it can make us healthy, make us sick, cure everything from cancer to depression. And while a healthy diet is important, food isn’t medicine. Believing that food has more power than it does gives us a false sense of control but it’s time to let go. All these beliefs have made almost all of us show some signs of disordered eating.
This book’s strength is not in some cutting-edge nutritional science but in how persuasive and successful it is when it comes to repairing our relationship with food. I admit I was already on the path of giving less fucks about calories and kilograms, but I think I needed this one last push to officially unsubscribe from all those ‘Fit Healthy’ groups on Facebook, that masquerade as ‘healthy’ groups but still equate ‘healthy’ with ‘losing weight’.

I had always put off most things in my life "until I lose weight" and that was back when I didn’t even have any weight to lose (but my gymnastics coach said I was getting too chunky, when I was 10 and looked 8, instead of the preferred 6 year old look). But now I am the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life. But I’m also the happiest, and with definitely the healthiest eating habits, that have developed naturally the more I was letting go off all this nonsense.

The only weight I truly needed to lose was the weight of fat stigma, diet culture, calorie obsession. I’m not 100% there yet, but I’m definitely closer and feel much more relaxed around food. And can eat cake even on the days I didn't go for a 10k run beforehand.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not entirely unproblematic. Evidence based, so some useful information in here, and a helpful refreshing take that cuts through the oversaturated diet market- however the book felt a lot like your mate going “just eat the cookie”- but that might not actually be the best thing for me. The thing is, it was a really really short book at just over 200 pages. I get that it’s meant to be accessible, but it felt like he cherry picked studies and evidence to suit his “ignore the diet industry” narrative, thus cashing in on the current fads. Honestly, having done a lot of reading on diets, and nutrition, he missed out ALOT of research that would provide a balanced critique.
There are a lot of 5* reviews for this book and I think that reflects that everyone is tired of being told they’re overweight and unhealthy, but please read with a pinch of salt- the author is not as well read as he would have use believe and to use the point he himself has made- don’t just trust someone because they have “doctor” in front of their name

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much respect for Joshua Wolrich with this absolute gem of a book! The world needs to read this. Everyone who has ever tried a diet, started a diet, in the diet industry, ‘fitfluencers’ and pretty much every other breathing human on the planet NEEDS to read this.

There is so much diet stigma, deeply encapsulated myths and straight up nutrib*llocks (best word in the human language in my opinion). I think pretty much everyone has fallen prey to diet scams and influenced by those around us - well fear no more! With this book in hand you will have all within your arsenal, to swat all the harmful nutrib*llock rubbish away.

There’s also trigger warnings included by the author which is fab, and it’s written with so much respect, delicacy and sensitivity as well. It’s certainly not an on the pedestal account and derogatory to anyone who follows any type of lifestyle or diet. You don’t get a dressing down for being a victim of diet scams or for diets you follow but instead, replaces new foundations and builds you up in a friendly and informative way.

I love that Joshua explained a glossary of terms at the beginning to help further understanding with scientific terms and throughout he made sure all the information was disseminated perfectly for every kind of reader. It really is perfect for everyone. I’m a scientist and an ex powerlifter with a love for fitness - and with that, yes, I have fallen prey to so so many complicated weight and diet patterns. I was the girl diligently logging calories on my fitness pal and to that girl, I wish this book had been given to her! I’m so happy this book is out for so many people that need it. (For anyone that’s interested I did break out of these patterns and now practice an intuitive eating approach!)

I listened to the audiobook and it was narrated absolutely brilliantly. It made for very easy listening and it was so so entertaining and very enlightening.

He addresses nuance and privilege too, the HAES approach and all sorts of things I hadn’t encountered or heard of before even if I thought I had a fair amount of prior knowledge, there’s always more to learn and I learnt so much from this book.

I’ve been following Joshua for a while on Instagram and I know how much of a brilliant human he is and this book just further reinforces that. It was great to find out more about him too as well as the topic of the book and it was all fantastically balanced. Hearing about some of his encounters and exchanges (of which I occasionally encounter on Instagram) was brilliant. It’s also laugh out loud funny at times and I really do love a non fiction book with a bit of humour!

So I can’t seem to stop writing about this book and singing it’s praises (= long review sorry!)

In a nutshell - Fab, brill, perfect, illuminating, informative, very inclusive, greatly written (and narrated if you’re listening to the audiobook) and everyone and his dog should read it. Oh and I have also ordered and bought this book as a physical copy too as my bookshelf and life need it. If you come across this book - read it! You won’t regret it.

I was lucky enough to receive an audiobook copy with thanks to the author and publishers via NetGalley, in response for honest thoughts and review.

[Kate Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

**listened to audiobook**

Well, this book has certainly given me a lot of food for thought - pardon the pun!
Dr Joshua Wolrich looks at the 'fake-news' in the food, health and nutrition industry. It is pretty eye opening. A lot of things he mentions I have heard within the news or on social media. Dr Wolrich explains how damaging some of these claims are - very worrying. It's very easy to get sucked in to some of the food-fads, particularly when you don't know a lot yourself. I thought I could trust these claims, but obviously I can't. At the same time, I am now unsure about all of the things Dr Wolrich has said too. I just don't know what to believe and feel a baffled.
I enjoyed listening to this, but it left me feeling slightly uneasy. I need to do more research into these ideas me thinks! Despite confusing me at times, it certainly is very interesting and a good topic for debate and conversation!

[Edward MacDonald · Rating 2 out of 5]

First things first. As the author himself states, he is not a qualified doctor nor a qualified nutritionist. He's just a few years into his courses! Yet somehow thinks he knows more than everyone else. And, whatever science they've applied, is simply wrong.

That is the serious failing of science itself. There are simply no hard rules to follow when it comes to nutrition. There are many schools of thought. There are so many studies, going way back. There's endless contradiction due to many factors; such as who's funding the research, the scientists dependence upon grants, the limitation of the design of the studies, the latest funding fads, the latest political fads, etc.

Basically the above should suffice, but to add that Mr Wolrich adds nothing new, has no special insight to share, just more opinion and belief... and of course... using intuition to choose which foods are most suitable for you. Funny how instantly intuition is developed, and with such accuracy.

Mr Wolrich dismisses all other fully qualified Doctors who have written on nutrition, written on integrating diet into health, who have decided to look deeper for themselves, to study the studies, and share their own research and results with the public. I'm not saying that some have not come to erroneous conclusions (Dr. Akins for instance), but we can't throw the baby out with the bathwater... simply because the bathwater is dirty.

Mr Wolrich talks of burning books; “Burn them all”. As I said above, why throw baby away, it's just the water that's dirty. Anyone who talks of burning books, especially "them all", is a danger and not just unto themselves. We've all seen where that mentality leads; with religions, with politics, with whatever form of organization. Dialogue moves us forward Mr Wolrich, not monologue.

That's what struck me early into Mr Wolrich's book, the twisted logic, and the authors sense of self righteousness. It reads more like he's starting a cult than giving unbiased, objective, and wholesome information.

Mr Wolrich did answer my question as to why a fully qualified Doctor cannot understand "nutritional science” though. As “biological science and nutritional science are different”, “it's a very different skill”. Oh, that clears everything up. And there I was, thinking scientific training is scientific training. You know like a trained musician can play any tune by following the score... maybe I was wrong... but then again.

The book title itself is a bit misleading, as is the way he exaggerates the use of the "food is medicine" cliché. "We eat food, not nutrients". Somewhat of a mixed message there as we eat for for the nutrients. “Oranges do not cure cancer”, he boldly states. I've never ever in over 50 years read an author state that. Although I have read up on the research into High Dose IV Vit-C and cancer. Perhaps that is another one of his confusions. Like his claim that aspartame is safe “even drinking 1,900 cans per day”. If you drunk that much water, you'd be soon be dead!

Basically the guy likes playing with words and attempting to convince others he's onto showing new. What he's written has been written, only so much more clearly and with greater understanding.

[Eva Pleska · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just can't agree with "healthy at any size". I doubt you can be more than 20 stones and healthy...

Please don't target me with fatphobia claims. I was more than 2 stones heavier in the past and I did not feel healthy (I was nowhere near 20 stones though).

Also denying that food can have major impact on our health seems bizarre. How would you explain shamanism in parts of the world where modern medicine is not available. Saying that societies WITH modern medicine live longer will not solve the argument. Of course they bloody do because modern medicine works and IT IS effective but food and especially plants and herbs definitely can have major impact on our health and wellbeing!!!

Author claims that there are many books on fad diets and theories which are published only to generate profit... Well, well, well... thats exactly what I think has happened here. This book is quite boring actually. 😴
Nar. Not for me!

BTW English is not my first language as you probably can tell.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Food Isn't Medicine' is great additional reading to 'What We don't Talk about When We Talk About Fat' and although it doesn't explicitly mention 'fatphobia' it does talk about how it functions in medicine . This book is densely packed with debunking various food myths and fad diets. The prevalence of falsehoods about keto, for example, are so prominent currently that a whole chapter is dedicated to addressing them. I really wish baby me could have read this book as someone with multiple chronic illnesses who was regularly recommended diet as a solution by various doctors, sometimes even specialists. This, poverty and the medication I was previously on led me to have disordered eating for all of my 20s. In the end it turns out that diet was not the solution but pain management and having infusions every 2 months was. Reading 'Food Isn't Medicine' earlier would have saved me much distress and self blame. Whilst this is a book full of scientific discussion, it is also full of deeply personal anecdotes and Wolrich's own past. I particularly valued the inclusion of the latter as I found his childhood story deeply moving. The only downside I can find in this book is that it's so packed full of facts I struggled to retain much of it after completion, inadvertently revealing why so many fall for 'nutribollocks': the simpler a theory is, the more accessible it is.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was diagnosed with ME/CFS many people in my life offered me unsolicited advice about how eating certain foods would cure it - everything from juice cleanses to the Atkins diet to going vegan. Wolrich challenges this insidious idea that certain food and diets can cure illnesses as well as the idea that weight is the most important determinant of health.

I have to admit that I've gotten confused in the last few years about whether food trends like cooking everything in coconut oil, keto diets, superfoods etc are actually healthy or if its all just fake news. Wolrich does a great job of systematically debunking all of these as well as low carb and high fat diets, foods that cure cancer, and much more of what he calls 'nutribollocks'.

However turning a more critical eye, I couldn't help thinking about how Wolrich spends the book criticising other doctors for publishing nutrition books with cherry picked, unreliable evidence, but how do I know that he's not just doing the same thing, just because this one is telling me what I want to hear? 🤔 It made me wish I was better at understanding how to read research studies better!

[Sarah Clement · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great run down on most of the most popular nutrition myths that people believe or people try to sell us. I used to believe in quite a lot of nonsense when I was young and struggling with eating disorders, but since then I have read a lot on the topic of nutrition that is evidence based, and follow the right people. Dr Wolrich is one of those people, as are people like Martin Macdonald, Ben Carpenter, and Pixie Turner. If you read around this topic enough within the evidence based nutrition sphere - whether online or in books - then none of this information will be new to you. None of it was new to me. However, I found it engaging and incredible easy to digest in the way it was written, and I wish I had bought it in hard copy rather than the kindle version so I could loan it to people. I would venture to guess that most people believe one or more of the myths in this book, based on the things I hear so many people in my life and online say, so it’s well worth a read. A one stop shop for helping you to not only think more critically about nutrition information you have heard, as well as a first step in repairing your relationship with food if it is not in the best place. And though I wish it were true that food is medicine, Wolrich will show you why it isn’t, even if nourishing yourself well can support good health (but not always...and that’s also not the same thing as medicine).

[Annelies Gerits · Rating 4 out of 5]

Het voelt als lichtjes schaamrood op de wangen om boeken als deze op Goodreads te zetten.
Bij deze wil ik toch even meedelen dat dit wel echt een heel heel fijn boek is. Het legt zoveel nuance en weerlegging in alle strengheid die er heerst rond wat te eten of net wat niet. Daarnaast worden alle argumenten tot stigmatisering rond gewicht in de doofpot gestoken. Terecht.
Dankje, Josh.

[Bourdonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fantastic!

As a GP I hear nutribollocks all the time, from colleagues, fysiotherapists, dietitians, medical specialists, patients, and of course I have believed and spread some of it myself. This, however, will end now ;-) . While it is entirely possible to eat oneself sick, it is impossible to eat oneself healthy. (this quote isn't from the book but from a Belgian epidemiologist Luc Bonneux). Food isn't medicine, indeed!

Some nuances I do want to include are:
* You are not a mouse; of course you aren't, but as dr. Wolrich very well knows we can't perform RCTs on humans all the time because of ethical problems. Sometimes trials with rodents and retrospective studies in humans are the best we have. We have to be careful drawing conclusions (!) sure, but we can't cast aside all study results (including some of the research dr. Wolrich cites to prove his own points) because they were "only" found in mice.
* Dieting encourages disordered eating. Yes it does! On the other hand, some people's eating habits are disordered in the first place. Not only binging, anorexia of bulimia but also simply eating way too much, is disordered eating, and moderation can be a step in the right direction in those cases.
* Intuitive eating; it can be incredibly helpful in healing from eating disorders, dr. Wolrich convinced me of that. But, as dr. Wolrich himself tells us in the chapter on how hard it is to lose weight, our bodies are evolved to want and retain as much calories as possible. In western world surroundings this means we are constantly triggered by our bodies to eat too much (because who knows when there will be no food left! We need to stack up the fat). I keep having trouble with the advice to *everyone* (not only those who are recovering from an unhealthy relationship with food, because, as said, it me be necessary for them) to give oneself permission to eat all foods, all the time, as much as you want, even past the point of fullness. This can also set the tone for disordered eating behaviour. There is nothing inherently wrong in teaching yourself moderation if you were never taught that as a child.

That said, this book was enjoyable from beginning to end and I loved 99,9% of it. Will definitely use the information in my daily practice! Thank you dr. Wolrich!

[Madli Allikas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kiire, lihtne, tabav ja kindlasti äratab üles sellest info üleküllusesse uppuvast meediast, kus kõik kõike teavad ja iga toiduaine mürgine on. Võimalus soovi korral tohutult lisa lugeda.

[Viv JM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accessible and readable book which takes apart many claims made by fanatics of particular diets - or "nutribollocks" as the author terms it. He emphasises that socio-economic factors play a huge part in body size and health. He also briefly introduces the principles of intuitive eating and gives recommendations for further reading. Overall, a useful book for anyone who has believed what they have read online and is terrified of food!

[Wout · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een zeer interessant boek dat al mijn collega-artsen wel eens zouden mogen lezen, alsook iedereen die gezondheid belangrijk vindt (ik hoop dus iedereen).

De belangrijkste conclusies die hier genomen worden zijn de volgende: lichaamsgewicht is geen goede merker voor algemene gezondheid, voedsel mag je niet op dezelfde manier beschouwen als medicijnen, en op dieet gaan om af te vallen is onzin.

Heel wat zaken die in dit boek vermeld en uitgelegd worden wist ik al omdat deze in mijn opleiding aan bod kwamen. Er is een gezonde wetenschappelijke basis aanwezig en voldoende wetenschappelijke referenties om dit alles te staven. Enerzijds een welgekomen opfrissing, anderzijds voor mij een bevestiging dat de grote lijnen wel degelijk onderbouwd zijn.

Het is ook leuk om nog eens bevestigd te zien dat "op dieet gaan om liefst zo snel mogelijk af te vallen" iets zinloos is, gelijk welk (populair) dieet hiervoor gevolgd wordt. De meeste diëten zijn toch niet vol te houden en gewicht komt er dubbel en dik terug bij. Dat het ketodieet en (in mindere mate) intermittent fasting nonsens zijn had ik al wel door, maar het doet me plezier dat ik nu ook weet wat het precies inhoudt en wat er allemaal juist fout mee is.

Wat ik echter het meest interessant vind en wat mij ook het meest heeft getriggerd vooraf, is de claim dat er geen causaal verband is tussen een hoog lichaamsgewicht en gezondheid/ziektes/overlevingskansen. Hadden we in de opleiding geneeskunde niet geleerd dat overgewicht en zeker obesitas mede verantwoordelijk zijn voor zowat alle gezondheidsproblemen die je je maar kan inbeelden, van hart- en vaatziekten over artrose en diabetes type 2 tot kanker? Dit boek tracht een meer genuanceerd beeld te geven, al blijft het hierbij zeker niet vrij van cherry picking.

Volgens verschillende grote studies geeft een BMI van 27 (overgewicht!) blijkbaar de laagste sterftekans. Stuk voor stuk tracht de auteur nadien de veronderstelde oorzakelijke link tussen zwaarlijvigheid en de meeste van de bovengenoemde ziekten te weerleggen. Dat doet hij niet slecht, al heb ik het gevoel dat hij lichaamsgewicht soms te ostentatief uit de wind probeert te zetten om zijn punt te bewijzen. Om een voorbeeld te geven: diabetes type 2 wordt door een grote waaier aan factoren in de hand gewerkt en gewicht is daar volgens Wolrich géén van. Hij stelt - terecht! - dat vooral visceraal vet (rond de organen) insulineresistentie en dus diabetes veroorzaakt, en concludeert daaruit - iets minder terecht - dat gewicht of BMI (hoewel inderdaad een oubollige merker) op zich dus niets betekent in dit opzicht. Toch herinnert snel opzoekingswerk mij eraan dat obesitas wel degelijk een duidelijk hoger risico op type 2 diabetes geeft (uiteraard, want met toenemende BMI zal ook de massa visceraal vet toenemen!). Je kan je inderdaad wel afvragen hoe onafhankelijk gewicht/BMI is als risicofator, en het is onmogelijk om voor alle bijhorende factoren te corrigeren in wetenschappelijke studies. Toch ben ik niet meteen van plan om BMI helemaal bij het oud vuil te zetten, al zal ik het wel minder gaan gebruiken.

In elk geval, Wolrich probeert het verband tussen gewicht en diabetes vervolgens (dit doet hij trouwens ook bij de link met kanker) toe te schrijven aan de negatieve effecten van gewichtsstigma en body shaming en de stress en discriminatie die hieruit volgen. Zeer belangrijke thema's, maar een beetje kort door de bocht voorgesteld als je het mij vraagt.

Toch snap ik waarom Wolrich dit doet. Zijn doel is om de steeds groeiende groep van beïnvloedbare mensen weg te houden van agressief gemarkete en nutteloze afslankdiëten en om hun relatie met voeding gezond te houden en zo ook eetstoornissen te voorkomen. Eveneens tracht hij om het stigma op lichaamsgewicht weg te werken, waarvoor hulde. Hij legt trouwens haarfijn uit dat gewicht niet zomaar een lifestyle-keuze maar een multifactorieel gegeven waarbij genetica en socio-economische factoren een belangrijke rol spelen. Iets waarvan ik heel blij ben dat ik er nog eens op gewezen word, en waarvan ik weet dat veel collega-artsen het maar al te graag negeren om over te gaan op fat shaming en blaming.

De conclusie van dit beknopte werk is dat we met zijn allen moeten proberen om meer intuïtief te gaan eten en zowel honger- als verzadigingssignalen (opnieuw) moeten leren herkennen en respecteren. Hoe dit precies moet, wordt niet in detail uitgelegd. Wel wordt er op het einde nog eens meegegeven waar we beter wel op letten: beweeg veel, eet veel groenten en fruit en voldoende vezels, en beperk de inname van bewerkt en rood vlees en vooral van verzadigde vetten (de echte schuldige inzake hart- en vaatziekten!). Deze zaken zijn belangrijker voor je gezondheid dan je gewicht. Een boodschap die ik met plezier wat meer aan mijn patiënten ga doorgeven.

[Oz Asher · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a bit hesitant at first in reviewing this book because it wasn't precise on the exact consumption each one of the foods or nutrients should be consumed or not, so it might be that some of my claims actually coincide with his. Either way I hope my review would be seen as a form of antithesis so it could better serve for us in the synthesis...

That said, some of the topics were dealt too shortly and simply, where ultimately the author tried to convince his readers that if these same "nutribollocks" (the term he uses for misconceptions about nutrition) couldn't suffice as "medicines" then ultimately it means that actual medicine, i.e. drugs, shouldn't be replaced by other forms of treatment for treating diseases.
But saying that "food isn't medicine", even if true in the fact that is normally not used in curing most diseases in their formation, would be to dismiss the fact that a life-long sustaining of stable diet (which of course not universal to everyone), while also having enough good quality sleep, adequate physical excrecise, healthy social relationships and livelihood are good determinations of preventing diseases in the first place, and providing the individual a better coping mechanism while already being sick.

That is not to say that the book was not beneficial to me, of course. I bought the book in order to learn about nutrition, and I received precisely what I was looking for. I did took some notes and learned new information, for instance - that keto diet is not likely to induce weight loss or that vegetarian diets are generally healthier than carnivorism due to the latter's correlation to low consumption of vegetables and fruits and high rates of smoking and alcohol consumptions (indeed, it is probably best to combine the two extremes), and I believe that the clarification of the other nutribollocks will most certainly serve, and already did, as valuable to others as well.

Wolrich mentions rightly, that not all people have the time and money to care for themselves, nor always have the mental or physical capacity to treat their genetical or environmental misfortunes. Even though it is true, all he does in this book is to treat the symptoms and not the cause of the problem, much like medications do. Instead of freeing the reader from the chains of being treated by doctors, Wolrich tries to calm the low-self-esteem who blame themselves for being sick and weak.
He says something like "it's not your fault! And it is our purpose, us the doctors, to care for you!" Instead of discussing the methods in order for him to be able to care for himself, both in terms of diet and lifestyle (which he only covered shortly at the last chapter).
Instead of leaving the "fault" of someone from negativity, either society or himself, the author idly keeps the notion of fault repressed and "frees" it from the reader.

Besides me having a problem with its psychology, scientifically, as mentioned - medicines are normally used chiefly in treating symptoms. But more than that - the author ignores the side effects of most medicines and their low probability in curing diseases completely only by themselves.
Where evolution is not involved in the thinking of the origin of diseases and our bodies' adaptations to it, medicines may even sometimes have the reverse effect from our initial goal (try reading 'why we get sick?' by Randolph Nesse and George Williams, if you are interested).
The case is mostly problematic in psychiatry, where for example some psychiatric drugs may have symptoms that are severe as the disease itself, like suicidal feelings as a symptom for some antidepressants (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...)...
I'm not saying that the "perfect" diet for someone, whatever that is, can alone cure or prevent any disease and particularly not any form of mental illness, nor am I claiming against all kinds of therapeutic drugs in all cases. I'm not a doctor nor an expert in any field and it's less related to my review. What I'm saying is that putting too much trust on medical advice and medications might be harmful in the same way as putting too much trust on the "gurus" from social media he is constantly criticizing and their nutribollock.
Take for example WHO's statement that: "Millions of patients are harmed each year due to unsafe health care worldwide resulting in 2.6 million deaths annually in low-and middle-income countries alone. Most of these deaths are avoidable." (https://www.who.int/news/item/13-09-2...). We should look over ourselves more, and not keep all the burden into someone else's hands.

Some of his claims are also a bit self-contradicting and misleading. For example, in his response to the claim that "vegetable oils are toxic" the author shortly replies in saying that some of the components of vegetable oils are omega 6 and omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are proved to be beneficial in brain and heart health, and mentions the positive health effects of canola oil and fish oil (not even a vegetable oil), that both contain these fats.
He forgot his own earlier writings, in which he stated that we should talk about foods and not nutrients, while unsaturated fats and specifically polyunsaturated fats are highly inclined to oxidation while heated, and also that vegetable oils contain a small amount of tran fats (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23744... , https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... ). Polyunsaturated fats and especially the essential ones (those that our body cannot create by itself - omega 3 and 6) are widely accepted as healthy in moderate amounts, especially if we consume them with antioxidants, but vegetable oils might be problematic in larger quantities, and since that they are very abundant in almost all food products in the industrial world - I fear it is very easy to get too much of them.
He is treating these subjects as "not controversial in the scientific community" although unlike his claims that saturated fats are undoubtedly harmful for heart health, some studies did not reach the same conclusion, or even have the reverse effects in some studies (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... , https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... , https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20071... ).

Anyway, whether he is correct scientifically, my main critique would be directed to his mentality and psychology - in which he treated the matters narrowly where the topics didn't get the detailed and elaborated explanations they deserve.
It seems like Wolrich picture himself as a savor for those who blame themselves on their difficulty on following their diets, leading them for self blaming and feeling of guilt. Instead of transforming the notion of fault into self responsibility and discipline, in a state where the reader is not bothered with blaming; it doesn't seem to me like it encourages one to live beyond accusing.

[Jenn L · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that everyone should read.

Dr Joshua Wolrich breaks down and debunks inaccurate yet well-publicised ideas on nutrition and health; it's an eye-opening insight into an incredibly flawed industry.

[I received a copy of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review]

[Christina Helen Birch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I kind of want to recommend this book to EVERYONE I know. I feel like it (or something similar) should be compulsory reading for anyone who... eats food. But before reading I think it's helpful to have some understanding of what this book is and is not:

It's not a diet book or a guide to how to eat healthy. Along the way, it does give some really excellent pointers about healthy eating (healthy both for your mind and for your body) and I'm already implementing some of those. But that's NOT what this book primarily is.

Instead, this book is a great primer on sorting out the fact from the fiction when it comes to food, nutrition, and health. I consider myself to be generally pretty good at recognising the difference between science and pseudo-science. But when it comes to food there is an enormous multitude of misinformation out there that at first glance sounds like fact. I had NO idea where to start with sorting out what to believe and what to discard, and this book was the perfect starting place for that.

A lot of the "good advice" in "Food Isn't Medicine" is common-sense knowledge, and there were entire chapters (like the one on food and cancer) where I felt like I wasn't learning anything new. But then a lot of the myths debunked in the book are considered common-sense knowledge too, and I previously believed some them and am grateful to learn better.

I've always been scared to think too much about how I eat because I know what a slippery slope that can be into the mental health quagmire of thinking your body is not good enough. (I have multiple chronic health issues which complicate my relationship with my body already, I absolutely do not need to add moralising its size, shape, or weight to the list thankyouverymuch.)

Now, after reading this book, I feel excited to joyfully add nutritious and balanced foods to what I eat without getting bogged down in self-doubt.

[MargeryK · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great, short read that takes a balanced view of food, weight and risks of illnesses in relation to diet.

The takeaways (get it!) is to eat more fruit and veg, more fibre in terms of legumes and beans, include dairy and oily fish and to eat less red and cured meats. And to eat a variety and without guilt.

[Nawal Phillips · Rating 1 out of 5]

Firstly, the pretense behind the book was good, however, it lacked substance and depth in many places. There were a lot of hypocritical statements such as 'most people writing books about fad diets are trying to sell you their book' (much like this author).

All the information in this book can be found on Google. Nothing new, just common sense.
- Food doesn't cure cancer
- Eat more vegetables
- Limit processed meats
- Eat everything in moderation

There was a whole chapter dedicated to the keto diet, talking about how bad it is for you with no solid studies to back it up. The only data presented was the author reading out instagram DMs from people who had a negative experience.

Sure, diet culture sucks and the author touches on privladge eating - but I'm not sure taking advice from a junior doctor studying nutrition is the best idea.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is written more like an angry letter. The author always comes back to building a healthy relationship with food and eating unconditionally. I was expecting more in-depth analysis and discussion, not him showing Instagram DMs to prove why the keto diet doesn’t work.

He says doctors shouldn’t advise on areas they aren’t an expert in then proceeds to discuss how food effects diabetes and cancer. Also, at the time of writing, he even says he’s still a student.

There are some good paragraphs in this book but the information is so surface level that I actually think it does more harm than good. I also found it really annoying that he wouldn’t use the words obese or obesity and had them printed as ob*se and ob*sity.

[Jason · Rating 1 out of 5]

Single worst audible credit I’ve ever spent. Not sure if he has a medical doctor’s degree or a degree in hypocrisy with the amount of half truths and half baked narratives used in this. He either hit his head and sustained cognitive impairment one day, saw a hole in the market to capitalise on or is being blackmailed to have the audacity to put something as internally inconsistent as this out there.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish I could have read this book 10years ago and saved myself so much confusion and misery surrounding food. Reassuring and easy to engage with even though it includes SCIENCE

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book loses a star because he’s just a bit annoying

[Kelly (kellyreadingbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had a really tumultuous relationship with food since I was a teenager. I suffered with really bad acne and incredibly heavy and painful periods that put me in the ER with no answers. I started attempting to eat "raw" vegan in a house that was BBQ heavy. I beat myself up because my parents couldn't afford to eat the way I thought would "cure" me. I also became obsessed with weight loss since I had always been a heavy kid. When "raw" lifestyle was out of bounds I asked for Snackwell 100 calorie packs, light yogurt, weight control oatmeal packets, etc. I went on our treadmill for an hour every day and went on the Special K diet. I counted my steps and went to dance class. I got commended for losing so much weight. Which left me more confused as I felt like what I was eating wasn't "healthy", but it was portioned for me and marketed at me to lose weight. Enter my early 20s where I started getting digestive issues like vomiting, diarrhea, frequent loose stool, shivers, heartburn, stomach cramps. I went and saw an allergist that identified over 20 foods I was allergic to in a panel. I continued to restrict. I did Low FODMAP, Carnivore, Paleo, vegan, WFPB, just to fall off the wagons over and over when I still had symptoms and I was maxed out on "willpower". After supplements, countless prescriptions that made me worse or not better, colonoscopy, gallbladder removal surgery, etc. I was just left diagnosed with IBS. I've also been trying to repair my relationship with food after realizing I was suffering with Orthorexia. It's not been easy at all. I've blamed MYSELF for so long. My weight and my health was simply because I have never been able to crack the code of eating perfectly for my own body's needs. That I was a failure. I am still struggling. I don't have answers honestly. But books like this help ease the burden, because I am left feeling like no one truly has the answers per lack of research coming up with true answers. This leaves me in more of a neutral state. Being neutral is hard. We all want to be in this constant state of moving towards something BETTER- our bodies are better, our minds need to be better, we need to be evolving into the next version of ourselves and if we don't, that's on us. I am now working on neutrality. Body neutrality, food neutrality/food freedom. This book explains much of the fear mongering out there in Wellness culture. And while *some* of it could be potentially correct (like maybe, 10%... because it can't be the alkaline water crazies lol), I'm left knowing that we all just have this one life and just do the best we absolutely can without driving ourselves up a wall during the one precious life we are given. Because in the end, it's truly not that serious- that's what I tell myself anyway.
Sorry for the tangent- just read this book if you blame yourself for your health or if you feel like you're tired of diet culture noise.

[Bekah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Food Isn't Medicine is absolutely fascinating! As someone who has struggled with their weight for quite some time now I have heard the majority of the 'nutribollocks' (fake food info) that Joshua Wolrich covers, explains, and totally debunks in this book. It was so interesting to find out where some of the info has come from and how people came to the conclusions that they did about different foods / food groups. He manages to cover a wide range of popular diets such as keto and intermittent fasting along with lifestyle choices like veganism. And I felt like this information was really helpful. It's hard when you struggle with your weight and your food to know what is right and what is wrong in a world full of 'experts' all trying to give you their advice. With so many competing and contradictory ideas being banded about it's nice to have someone explain it all in an unbiased neutral way. Also of particular interest were the parts about how different foods do / do not affect our health. I mean, some of the health claims that people / businesses make are just down right dangerous!
The whole message of the book for me is that when we start trying to treat food as more than just food it can lead to disordered eating in any of it's various forms. We need to go back to basics and see food for what it really is. I loved Joshua's anecdotes of his own periods of disordered eating and the 'fixes' he tried and how he came to learn how to overcome them.
I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by the author himself and he did a fab job. He was really engaging and interesting to listen to. This is definitely a book I want to listen to again and would also be great to go back over specific chapters to keep me on the right path whenever 'nutribollocks' is trying to creep into my brain.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for an honest opinion.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I came across this book, I was hoping for a quick easy fix to the emotional eating habits I tend to fall back on. You know, read the book and be instantly cured etc.
Well “Food isn’t medicine” isn’t that of course but it’s a lot more Instead.
Both the tone and main theme of the book i-are represented well by the opening chapter . In it, we learn about how a difference of opinion on whether food is medicine lead to Justin Bieber telling the author to f*ck off on social media.
There are also amusing moments throughout the following chapters. Favourite moment: The Great Beyonce Apple Fail.

The fact that the author draws on his personal experience with disordered eating meant the book was relatable and engaging rather than yet another doctor wagging their finger and giving us a shaming lecture.

The book concentrates on enlightening the reader about the fallacies in the “nutrib*llocks” nutrition fake news we are often fed by the media and those in the diet industry.
The book is informative and thought provoking. The narration by the author is engaging and entertaining. At certain points, I found the medical terminology and wealth of research is a little overwhelming but overall it’s easily accessible to someone with no prior knowledge and will be great to refer back to later.

I finished listening to the audiobook feeling upbeat about what I could achieve on a personal level.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and Penguin Random House UK for the opportunity to review this audiobook in exchange for an honest opinion .

[Anna Chu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, big thank you for this book. I really dislike the harmful narrative that’s created in media and by ‘health’ gurus about food along with general fat-shaming.

This is exactly what I didn’t find in Hooked by Michael Moss who was waving conspiracy around soda companies and saying that anyone who doesn’t eat freshly cooked fish and plant based is doing it wrong.

[Tara Criscuolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important and valuable book. However, I wish it was much more dense and comprehensive. I want more info, more studies and more nuance. Also, I found the periodic illustrations to somewhat invalidate the seriousness/legitimacy of the data/message. Plus every person illustrated was straight-sized (there was no body diversity pictured)!

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fantastic debunker of many Doctors food myths. Would highly recommend, and is an easy read.

[Shruthi Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that the world needs most today.