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The Truth About Food: What You Eat Can Change Your Life
"Pythagoras's influence on the ideas, and therefore on the destiny, of the human race was probably greater than that of any single man before or after him," wrote Arthur Koestler. Though most people know of him only for the famous Pythagorean Theorem (a2 +b2=c2), in fact the pillars of our scientific tradition-belief that the universe is rational, that there is unity to all things, and that numbers and mathematics are a powerful guide to truth about nature and the cosmos-hark back to the convictions of this legendary sixth-century B.C. scholar.
Born around 570 B.C. on the cultured Aegean island of Samos, Pythagoras (according to ancient tales) studied with the sage Thales nearby at Miletus, and with priests and scribes in Egypt and Babylon. Eventually he founded his own school at Croton in southern Italy, where he and his followers began to unravel the surprising deep truths concealed behind such ordinary tasks as tuning a lyre. While considering why some string lengths produced beautiful sounds and others discordant ones, they uncovered the ratios of musical harmony, and recognized that hidden behind the confusion and complexity of nature are patterns and orderly relationships. They had surprised the Creator at his drafting board and had glimpsed the mind of God! Some of them later would also find something darker in numbers and nature: irrationality, a revelation so unsettling and subversive that it may have contributed to the destruction of their brotherhood.
Kitty Ferguson brilliantly evokes the archaic world of Pythagoras, showing how ideas spread in antiquity, chronicling the influence he and his followers have had on so many extraordinary people in the history of Western thought and science, and bringing a poignant human saga to readers who are daily reminded that harmony and chaos can and do coexist.
Born around 570 B.C. on the cultured Aegean island of Samos, Pythagoras (according to ancient tales) studied with the sage Thales nearby at Miletus, and with priests and scribes in Egypt and Babylon. Eventually he founded his own school at Croton in southern Italy, where he and his followers began to unravel the surprising deep truths concealed behind such ordinary tasks as tuning a lyre. While considering why some string lengths produced beautiful sounds and others discordant ones, they uncovered the ratios of musical harmony, and recognized that hidden behind the confusion and complexity of nature are patterns and orderly relationships. They had surprised the Creator at his drafting board and had glimpsed the mind of God! Some of them later would also find something darker in numbers and nature: irrationality, a revelation so unsettling and subversive that it may have contributed to the destruction of their brotherhood.
Kitty Ferguson brilliantly evokes the archaic world of Pythagoras, showing how ideas spread in antiquity, chronicling the influence he and his followers have had on so many extraordinary people in the history of Western thought and science, and bringing a poignant human saga to readers who are daily reminded that harmony and chaos can and do coexist.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
10 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
About the author
Jill Fullerton-Smith
6 books1 followerJill Fullerton-Smith is an award-winning filmmaker who grew up in New Zealand. After ten years making science programmes for the BBC in London, including several episodes of Horizon, she now runs BBC Scotland’s speciality factual programming department. She conceived and produced the BBC’s landmark science series The Truth About Food. She lives in Glasgow and London.
The Truth About Food, published by Bloomsbury in January 2007, is a TV tie-in book which contains full-colour photographs, illustrations and stills from the series, and reveals the truth behind the food myths to help you change your life for the better.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
March 12, 2015
A basic work. It repeats what you already know when you have read a lot about food.
The research is on a very small scale and therefore does not say much. It irritated me that the last research conclusions were not made "because the book needed to be printed" before results came in.
If you are not familiar yet with terms like 'lycopene' and 'flavonoids', it could be a nice starter.
The research is on a very small scale and therefore does not say much. It irritated me that the last research conclusions were not made "because the book needed to be printed" before results came in.
If you are not familiar yet with terms like 'lycopene' and 'flavonoids', it could be a nice starter.
April 24, 2020
3.5 stars
I found this book overall interesting to read and accessible to beginners in the field. It is supposed to accompany a BBC documentary box set with the same title.
It is a good little collection of basic facts about nutrition and how the body works with the food we consume.
The book asks questions, which it entices you with, questions which you might have always wondered for yourself, such as:
- Why does your thin friend eat what she likes, yet never put on weight?
- Is red wine good or bad for you?
- Why does my child hate vegetables?
and many others.
It is divided in 6 topics (coresponding to the 6 episodes of the TV series) and each topic also has sub-divisions.
I found the information provided in the book interesting, and I enjoyed reading each experiment (what they call "science tests") at the end of each sub-division. The book has managed to strike a good enough balance between scientific facts, telling you about many scientific studies or about the history of human diet as well as presenting in a light-hearted and accessible way information and case studies that will spike your interest.
I did however feel that there were quite a few gaps that made the book relatively inconclusive and lacking in enough evidence and supporting data, and having the occasional misleading piece of information.
Disappointingly, many of the questions that you've been enticed with are left unanswered. Small experiments were sometimes conducted, while admiting that scientists have for years now been receiving data supporting two opposite opinions on a subject. While I understand that those experiments "bulked up" the TV series, they were never going to prove what scientist couldn't agree on with much bigger studies.
Other times the experiments included had a very small pool of participants or did not take into consideration other data that could have affected the final results. Thankfully, the author has mentioend a few times that they are aware those experiments are not conclusive.
Sometimes the experiments included were not even finished as "the results of the study were not ready by the time the book needed to be published"...
I was personally annoyed every time they recommended "low fat youghurt", as it has been proven long ago that low-fat youghurt are full of more sugar, which is later on transformed into fat by your body anyway. This made me question what other gaps there might be in the book.
That being said, there are some really useful and interest to read facts and case studied in the book. I learnt new facts. I would still recommend it for anyone who doesn't have deep understanding but wants to improve their knowledge about nutrition and the affects of different foods in the body.
I found this book overall interesting to read and accessible to beginners in the field. It is supposed to accompany a BBC documentary box set with the same title.
It is a good little collection of basic facts about nutrition and how the body works with the food we consume.
The book asks questions, which it entices you with, questions which you might have always wondered for yourself, such as:
- Why does your thin friend eat what she likes, yet never put on weight?
- Is red wine good or bad for you?
- Why does my child hate vegetables?
and many others.
It is divided in 6 topics (coresponding to the 6 episodes of the TV series) and each topic also has sub-divisions.
I found the information provided in the book interesting, and I enjoyed reading each experiment (what they call "science tests") at the end of each sub-division. The book has managed to strike a good enough balance between scientific facts, telling you about many scientific studies or about the history of human diet as well as presenting in a light-hearted and accessible way information and case studies that will spike your interest.
I did however feel that there were quite a few gaps that made the book relatively inconclusive and lacking in enough evidence and supporting data, and having the occasional misleading piece of information.
Disappointingly, many of the questions that you've been enticed with are left unanswered. Small experiments were sometimes conducted, while admiting that scientists have for years now been receiving data supporting two opposite opinions on a subject. While I understand that those experiments "bulked up" the TV series, they were never going to prove what scientist couldn't agree on with much bigger studies.
Other times the experiments included had a very small pool of participants or did not take into consideration other data that could have affected the final results. Thankfully, the author has mentioend a few times that they are aware those experiments are not conclusive.
Sometimes the experiments included were not even finished as "the results of the study were not ready by the time the book needed to be published"...
I was personally annoyed every time they recommended "low fat youghurt", as it has been proven long ago that low-fat youghurt are full of more sugar, which is later on transformed into fat by your body anyway. This made me question what other gaps there might be in the book.
That being said, there are some really useful and interest to read facts and case studied in the book. I learnt new facts. I would still recommend it for anyone who doesn't have deep understanding but wants to improve their knowledge about nutrition and the affects of different foods in the body.
September 9, 2021
I've read a couple of similar books on the subject, which either blind you with difficult science or are too lacking in information. For me, this one gets it just right.
November 24, 2023
4 sterren! Interessant, maar niet alles is even relevant. Ik wilde graag een basisboek over voeding, die mythen aanstipt en je vertelt wat goede ideeën zijn om te eten. Dat deed dit boek! Makkelijk leesbaar, jargon wordt uitgelegd, en ze testen elk hoofdstuk de theorie die ze uitleggen ook in de praktijk. Dus ondanks dat niet alles relevant was, was het toch leuk om te lezen.
April 17, 2020
Heel leesbaar en uiterst informatief.
September 23, 2009
This book is the reader's version of a 6-part TV special on, I believe, the Discovery Channel, each part of the volume reflecting the content of one of those 6 shows. In Jill Fullerton-Smith's words, the book (page 8) "reveals the real science of food using the latest research from leaders in the field of nutrition, alongside original and sometimes groundbreaking experiments that we carried out especially for the series."
The content of the book begins, appropriately enough, with a quick tour of the digestive system. Part I is termed "How to be healthy." Among other topics, it briefly notes the so-called "Evo" or "cave man diet." One nice feature of this book is the boxed material that pithily sums up major points. Page 26 points out the value of a "rainbow diet" (using fruits and vegetables of different colors, as laid out in a table), reducing saturated fat intake, choosing oils rich in monounsaturated fats, selecting unrefined grains, and watching salt intake. Commonly understood, of course, but still useful advice. Key food for the "evo diet": nuts, fruits and vegetables (as per the table just mentioned), and fish. Also important in diet is fiber. Page 39 summarizes top tips. Another representation from Part I is "detox" regimes, foods that help remove toxins from one's system (e.g., stay away from salt, sugar, red meat, soft drinks, etc. and make sure to eat nuts, fruits, and vegetables). Finally, broccoli as a wonder food.
Other parts to the book focus on "How to be slim," "How to feed the kids," "How to be sexy," "How to be the best," and "How to stay young and beautiful." Just a quick example of suggestions from other chapters. How to stay young and beautiful? Eat lots of fruits, berries, and vegetables to keep your brain young; moderate intake of red wine reduces the odds of heart disease; eating tomatoes (and their kin) can help keep skin "younger"; spinach actually appears to help eyesight.
The book concludes with a useful glossary of terms. The book is well written and provides lots of sensible advice. A lot of the suggestions are widely known already (e.g., the value of broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables), but the book packages such knowledge nicely and reports results of interesting mini-experiments that illustrate the points being made. Worthwhile for those interested in enhancing the quality of their diet.
The content of the book begins, appropriately enough, with a quick tour of the digestive system. Part I is termed "How to be healthy." Among other topics, it briefly notes the so-called "Evo" or "cave man diet." One nice feature of this book is the boxed material that pithily sums up major points. Page 26 points out the value of a "rainbow diet" (using fruits and vegetables of different colors, as laid out in a table), reducing saturated fat intake, choosing oils rich in monounsaturated fats, selecting unrefined grains, and watching salt intake. Commonly understood, of course, but still useful advice. Key food for the "evo diet": nuts, fruits and vegetables (as per the table just mentioned), and fish. Also important in diet is fiber. Page 39 summarizes top tips. Another representation from Part I is "detox" regimes, foods that help remove toxins from one's system (e.g., stay away from salt, sugar, red meat, soft drinks, etc. and make sure to eat nuts, fruits, and vegetables). Finally, broccoli as a wonder food.
Other parts to the book focus on "How to be slim," "How to feed the kids," "How to be sexy," "How to be the best," and "How to stay young and beautiful." Just a quick example of suggestions from other chapters. How to stay young and beautiful? Eat lots of fruits, berries, and vegetables to keep your brain young; moderate intake of red wine reduces the odds of heart disease; eating tomatoes (and their kin) can help keep skin "younger"; spinach actually appears to help eyesight.
The book concludes with a useful glossary of terms. The book is well written and provides lots of sensible advice. A lot of the suggestions are widely known already (e.g., the value of broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables), but the book packages such knowledge nicely and reports results of interesting mini-experiments that illustrate the points being made. Worthwhile for those interested in enhancing the quality of their diet.
January 25, 2010
I really enjoyed this book. It had great information but wasn't too sciencey, and had pretty photographs. It was put together and edited extremely well, and I learned a lot of interesting facts. The interesting facts made me want to pursue some of the information in a more detailed fashion somewhere else, but it was a good general overview of lots of food info.
I am becoming a little nuts about food. I am totally obsessed with nutrition. (If by "obsessed", you mean I read everything I can about it, eat good 90% of the time, then have brownies for breakfast on occasion.) I just look at everything differently lately! I walk up and down the grocery store aisles totally fascinated and concerned.
I recommend this book, even though some of their "scientific" research included experiments of 2 people...meaning they really lacked on sample size from time to time. Conclusions are thus inconclusive, but interesting nonetheless.
I am becoming a little nuts about food. I am totally obsessed with nutrition. (If by "obsessed", you mean I read everything I can about it, eat good 90% of the time, then have brownies for breakfast on occasion.) I just look at everything differently lately! I walk up and down the grocery store aisles totally fascinated and concerned.
I recommend this book, even though some of their "scientific" research included experiments of 2 people...meaning they really lacked on sample size from time to time. Conclusions are thus inconclusive, but interesting nonetheless.
June 15, 2012
Oh Boy! I don't want to waste my time or yours on this, but here are sample chapter headings: "How to be slim", "How to be sexy", "How to be the best", and "How to stay young and beautiful". I say "sample" but there are only 6 chapters. Here's a favorite quote, "Flirting is innate: it's in your genes." In short, not at all what I was expecting from this title.
One interesting piece was a study where they fed one person soup and another the exact soup ingredients but not made into soup (steamed vegetables and a glass of water). The MRI images show the soup meal in the stomach takes up more volume for longer (this is supposed to translate into feeling full longer).
I'm done reading about nutrition (unless you convince me otherwise with your reviews). Michael Pollan summed up what I keep reading beautifully..."Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much."
One interesting piece was a study where they fed one person soup and another the exact soup ingredients but not made into soup (steamed vegetables and a glass of water). The MRI images show the soup meal in the stomach takes up more volume for longer (this is supposed to translate into feeling full longer).
I'm done reading about nutrition (unless you convince me otherwise with your reviews). Michael Pollan summed up what I keep reading beautifully..."Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much."
March 11, 2012
*Tasty bites of truth*
Fun, fascinating, and flashy, _The Truth About Food_ is a tasty read. Full of interesting food facts--including garlic's potential to replace Viagra, broccoli's cancer-fighting power, and tomato's sunscreen protection--this book provides some great tidbits for eating wisely. The book is nicely organized into six sections (How to Be Healthy, How to Be Slim, How to Feed the Kids, How to Be Sexy, How to be the Best, How to Stay Young and Beautiful), each of which effectively enhances the chapter's key content with overviews, tips, engaging pictures, accessible explanations of relevant scientific research findings, and bulleted summaries. An impressive hybrid of nutrition science and Discovery Channel captivation, _The Truth About Food_ is truly fun to eat up!
Fun, fascinating, and flashy, _The Truth About Food_ is a tasty read. Full of interesting food facts--including garlic's potential to replace Viagra, broccoli's cancer-fighting power, and tomato's sunscreen protection--this book provides some great tidbits for eating wisely. The book is nicely organized into six sections (How to Be Healthy, How to Be Slim, How to Feed the Kids, How to Be Sexy, How to be the Best, How to Stay Young and Beautiful), each of which effectively enhances the chapter's key content with overviews, tips, engaging pictures, accessible explanations of relevant scientific research findings, and bulleted summaries. An impressive hybrid of nutrition science and Discovery Channel captivation, _The Truth About Food_ is truly fun to eat up!
February 24, 2013
Some really interesting points backed up by evidence from previous studies.
I was slightly annoyed at the reference to the small scale studies carried out for the programme this book accompanies but their unreliability due to small sample size was also pointed out.
What I found more disappointing was that there were several studies, undetaken especially for this series, which were not completed or whose results were not available 'by the time this book went to print'. Why did it go to print then?
Having said that, I found this accessible and have taken some good tips from it; I'm going to up my intake of tomatoes and berries for a start.
I was slightly annoyed at the reference to the small scale studies carried out for the programme this book accompanies but their unreliability due to small sample size was also pointed out.
What I found more disappointing was that there were several studies, undetaken especially for this series, which were not completed or whose results were not available 'by the time this book went to print'. Why did it go to print then?
Having said that, I found this accessible and have taken some good tips from it; I'm going to up my intake of tomatoes and berries for a start.
August 12, 2016
Interesting read- they took some common food myths and did small experiments to see if they hold up. I was intrigued by the ones that did and surprised by a few of the ones that didn't! It was also fun to find out about where some of the myths come from- amazing how all it takes is a government program during the depression trying to steer people clear or convince them to partake of certain products and now it's considered "common knowledge" or household facts that those things are bad/good!
January 7, 2009
Based on the research that went into the special done on Discovery Health, this book talks about different ways food can change your life.
It discusses food you can eat to be healthy (reduce risk of cancer, particularly colon cancer, heart disease, control blood pressure and cholesterol), slim, feed your kids, be sexy and be your best.
It discusses food you can eat to be healthy (reduce risk of cancer, particularly colon cancer, heart disease, control blood pressure and cholesterol), slim, feed your kids, be sexy and be your best.
July 21, 2008
A great, simple, easy-to-read book that sums up a lot of information about food. This book is based on a Discovery series on the truth about food. Although I think some of the information was not based on large enough samples for the experiements, the concepts are focused.
This book would provide a good starting point for improving nutritional habits.
This book would provide a good starting point for improving nutritional habits.
June 4, 2009
I LOVED THIS BOOK so much that I actually copied a bunch of pages. Really goes into the in's and out's of food and what food can do for you. Tons of scientific studies on food myths, such as eating slower will make you eat less, and drinking water before a meal will make you feel fuller. Really awesome read.
October 27, 2010
This would have gotten a higher rating had he not had the balls to say Organic food is not really that much better for you. WTF? Yea, poison is GREAT for you. What a twit. There is some interesting info in here either debunking or explaining the truth behind superfoods, detoxing, and many other wide ranging subjects of interest.
February 23, 2011
This book fascinated me with all of the interesting studies done about food and the results. I also appreciated the summaries every so many pages with the most interesting food myths spelled out across a couple of pages. It help to break the monotony that can occur when reading non-fiction.
March 13, 2010
Easy read. Reads like a text book. I have learned so much about the power of good eats.
June 11, 2009
Nothing new.
Read
February 22, 2010Interesting
October 13, 2011
I just love this book. Well written, easy to read, my nutrition bible. Gorgeous photos and recipes to try.
July 27, 2014
Lots of interesting experiments along with Health advices. Glad I have read it!
April 8, 2016
Quite a basic introduction
May 7, 2008
Was a quick read and a some interesting facts.
Read
July 28, 2018loved it
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews