Book Review: “Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy” by Walter C. Willett and Patrick J. Skerrett 📖

This is a highly recommended read for anyone interested in a science-based approach to nutrition.

Key Takeaways

  • Deep: The book explores the complex field of nutrition in depth, offering a nuanced perspective and effectively debunking common misconceptions.

  • Balanced: It provides transparent, evidence-based guidance, giving a fair and objective review of the research on various dietary choices.

  • Practical: All the advice is actionable and easy to implement, making it a useful guide for everyday life.

At its core, the book’s message is built around the Healthy Eating Pyramid. Unlike many other guides, its foundation is daily exercise and weight control, highlighting these as the essential cornerstones of good health.

Structure and Content

Co-authored by Walter Willett, a world-renowned Harvard professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition, and Patrick Skerrett, a former editor at Harvard Health Publications, the book follows a logical and accessible structure. It begins by examining current dietary guidelines, explaining their shortcomings, and highlighting the insufficiency of government policies, particularly those from the USDA.

A major strength of the book is its excellent overview of nutritional research and different study types. This helps the reader understand the inherent difficulty in drawing definitive conclusions about specific dietary recommendations. It emphasizes the crucial link between healthy living, nutrition, and weight, objectively reviewing various diets and underscoring the fact that there is no “silver bullet.”

A key conclusion is that any diet should be aligned with an individual’s personal lifestyle. The authors encourage readers to experiment with different dietary solutions and focus on making consistently healthier choices. This stands in contrast to systems that demand drastic, unsustainable changes, which often lead to weight regain. The book also gives special attention to the role of physical activity, explaining the vicious cycle where obesity can lead to reduced activity, lower muscle mass, and a slower metabolism.

The book’s chapter on major diets, such as Low-Carb and The Zone, is particularly satisfying. It evaluates them in a balanced way, presenting the scientific evidence for each without bias.

Subsequent chapters dive into the main nutrients, clearly distinguishing between healthy and unhealthy types.

  • Fats: The authors explain the major types of dietary fats and provide evidence-based guidance to favor vegetable-based oils as the primary fat source. They effectively debunk the popular myth that all fats are bad, explaining their critical role as a key nutritional source and a major energy provider. A special focus is given to cholesterol, distinguishing between HDL and LDL cholesterol and challenging the singular focus on total cholesterol.

  • Carbohydrates: The book draws a crucial distinction between carbohydrates that cause a rapid spike in blood sugar and those that have a smoother impact. Readers will learn why processed foods should be avoided, as their quick absorption of nutrients can lead to dangerous blood sugar spikes. The topic of insulin resistance is also discussed, highlighting the heightened risk for individuals with higher body fat levels. The authors suggest that, in this context, a low-carb diet can be a good starting point, though they present both its pros and cons.

  • Proteins: The book provides a detailed evaluation of proteins, distinguishing between healthy sources (nuts, legumes, fish, poultry) and those that should be limited (red and processed meats).

  • Fruits, Vegetables, and More: The book continues with practical advice on topics like vegetables, fruits, and drinks. For example, it offers the simple yet effective tip of eating a multicolored variety of vegetables.

The book is filled with practical guides and evidence-based advice, culminating in a collection of 77 recipes and a sample weekly menu. It is impossible to provide a comprehensive review of its rich content, which is why we highly recommend you get your own copy.

Conclusion

This review offers only a glimpse into the depth and practicality of this book. We highly recommend it to anyone seeking to take control of their health through sound, scientifically-backed nutritional knowledge.

Resources

The Nutrition Source

Link to the book’s page