Eat It To Beat It by David Zinczenko

“Eat It To Beat It” by David Zinczenko grabs your attention at the very beginning when he writes about our food containing plastic foam, human hair, duck feathers, desiccated abdomens of beetles, silicon dioxide, wood shavings and extract from the anal scent glands of beavers. Sort of makes you hungry, doesn’t it? If you are familiar with Zinczenko’s “Eat This Not That” books, this book will look familiar. It is similar, but different.

 

The book is divided into categories, and under each category the best and worst choices from popular brands are shown. Categories include breads, burgers, cheese, cookies, smoothies, pizza, pasta, rice, sauces, soups, steak, yogurt and so many more.

 

In each category, what to look for that makes the foods more healthy or less healthy is pointed out. In just about all cases, less is more. Avoid foods with lengthy lists of ingredients that you can’t pronounce. There is a helpful glossary of these additives in the back of the book.

 

While many brand name items and dishes are listed, obviously many more aren’t. So it does take some work on the readers part to read why the foods were listed as the best or worse, and then related that information to the selections you choose at the supermarket or your favorite restaurants. Personally, I don’t see myself carrying this book to the restaurant with me and ordering the “best” listed dish, but rather learning why things are good and bad and then making smarter choices based on that information.

 

I also think reading the book will make some people start reading food labels and restaurant nutrition facts more carefully, and understanding what much of the “misleading” things really mean. Do you know how many ways companies list sugar and salt?

 

This book has many colorful pictures, sidebars, and text, which makes it an easy and interesting read. Some of the pictures, and yes even some of the pictures of “bad” foods, might make you hungry, so read it after you have eaten. (But eat healthy before reading this, or you might not want to keep what you ate down.)

 

If you are interested in what’s in the foods you purchase at restaurants and your local supermarket, and want to make healthier choices, reading “Eat It To Beat It” by David Zinczenko is a great place to start. It is not that this book tells you what is healthiest, but it helps you make healthier choices.

 

Check out Eat It To Beat It at amazon: