What to Eat; The Ten Things You Really Need to Know to Eat Well and Be Healthy, By Dr. Luise Light.

Is it any surprise to learn that American consumers are being conned by the USDA? Dr. Luise Light's book, What to Eat; The Ten Things You Really Need to Know to Eat Well and Be Healthy, reads like a detective novel, exposing scathing secrets of corporate and government malfeasance. During her career as the nutrition director for the USDA, Light witnessed the blatantly cozy relationships that existed between the USDA and the food and agricultural lobbies and lobbyists. Not only did she witness the cover-up of an important study linking diet with major chronic diseases, she also witnessed dangerous changes that were made to the 1992 US Food Pyramid Guide to satisfy corporate interests rather than to protect the public's health. In fact, she warned the USDA that those very changes would cause an epidemic of obesity and diabetes, a warning that looks more like prophesy, today.

In her new book, Light explains the connection between nutrition and many of the life-threatening chronic diseases prevalent today. No longer held back from exposing the truth, she describes the numerous illnesses that are connected to what she calls, "nutritional malaise," including memory loss, loss of balance, depression, sadness, anxiety, pessimism, "road rage", low energy, "mind freeze", eye strain, generalized aches and pains, migraines, abdominal discomfort, frequent colds and flu and massive weight gain. According to Light, these are all indications of "biochemical chaos" that can be corrected with good nutrition. To prevent your symptoms from progressing into devastating chronic conditions such as, heart disease, obesity, gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, osteoporosis, asthma, arthritis etc…, she recommends eating a balanced diet, based on real food.

Although her book gives a detailed, easy to grasp account of the problems inherent in the American food system (pesticides, GMO's, acrylamide, MSG, processed foods etc...), she also manages to focus on straightforward and realistic solutions-from what to stock in your larder, to a week's worth of menus, meals and recipes, and practical tips on eating on the road and dining out.

Even though the book tackles a very serious subject, Light manages to imbue it with humor, pointing out the irony of conventional medical approaches. "Don't worry about your diet; we have a pill for that!" Light's book offers practical advice not placebos to cut through the confusion about what's good to eat.

For seventy years, the USDA has stood by the theme that "All food is good food". As more and more "chemicalized" foods line our supermarkets shelves, it is less and less true. Light's book is a very fresh and reasoned account of why this concept is flawed and why we need to go back to the basics, choosing whole nutritious foods instead of synthetic designer food products that are designed to sit on a shelf for seven years.

This book will give you chills but also give you hope that you can eat better, feel better and finally, get straight talk about nutrition.