Modern science-based books about healthy foods

[angerona]

I'm looking for recommendations for a good book about what's considered good and bad in terms of foods these days. Is fat worse than refined carbs? Are breakfast cereals good for you because they have so many vitamins? Do the flavonoids and what not in chocolate come close to outweighing the fat of it? How much should one try to avoid fats --

Comments

[evsalia]

This book  changed my life 4 months ago. Could not recommend it enough. And if at the end it will convince you it has a lot of references where to go from there. Also I just finished this book and highly recommend it as well.

[evsalia]

The fist book is a lot of studies. The second is also quite a bit of studies, but also a lot of practical suggestions.

[angerona]

the 1st book is only one study though, isn't it?

[evsalia]

No, it's a lot more than one. If fact I would have problem trying to count. I have listened to several interviews with the author (the main one) where he was asked about the title. He said the title was his publisher's choice, not his. But for some reason all reviews are usually stuck this one study. I guess they have never read the book beyond the title.

Breakfast

[frolain]

My standard breakfast is chai and an apple. Sometimes I have granole or muslix from trader joes

Re: Breakfast

[angerona]

I don't like chai because I don't like spiced teas, but this is a more general question :). My usual breakfast tends to be "nothing," but now that I'm cooking breakfast for kids, I want to have several quick and healthy options for them.

Btw, it's been a long time since I've seen you, and we won't be able to get together for lunch, I guess, since I'm not working there anymore (wasn't sure if you knew that).

Re: Breakfast

[frolain]

Yeah, I did know. We actually moved offices too, but only a couple towns away.

Re: Breakfast

[angerona]

well, it depends on what towns and which way :).

[yelya]

There are sugar-less cereals, I don't know the names, though, but my parents have them. I think most of them are regular supermarket variety.
My scientific thinking says that the scientific theories on foods are bullshit. Just watch the portion sizes and eat the food that remembers where it came from.

[angerona]

I think sugar isn't the only problem with the breakfast cereals. There's also all those refined carbs.

Scientific thinking can be quite useful, if the idea is not just to lose weight, but to eat healthy: e.g. in feeding kids or husbands who aren't worried about losing weight :)

[yelya]

Are these the additives - refined carbs? Are you sure that they are in all cereals? What about some organic ones? I would be surprising to me if all cereals, w/o exception, had them.

I think these are pretty much the rules of eating healthy - good food, not too much.

[angerona]

I didn't say anything about "all" -- I was talking about conventional breakfast cereals.

To eat "good food, not too much" it would be helpful if one knew what constituted good food, and what -- not so much.

[ant_fugue]

the healthiest cereal-like breakfast is oatmeal - not the instant stuff from a packet, but the steel-cut oats from a tall cylindrical can that you slowly boil to perfection on a gas stove. I can't stand the stuff, but it's good for you.

I enjoy books by Michael Pollan, starting with The Omnivore's Dilemma.

[angerona]

I love oatmeal -- the steel cut kind the most of all. But my husband doesn't. He likes cereals. I'd be glad for him to eat them every day, but I suspect they aren't that good for him. So I wonder if there's a book out there to give us an idea of how good or bad such foods are for us really.

[girly_girl_]

+1 for Michael Pollan's books.

[alla_la]

Porridge for breakfast? Sugar can be added as much as you want. Or honey. Or maple syrup. 1,5 minute in microwave and time to cool down -- мелко смоленный, без добавок.
My kids love sandwiches with smoked salmon. There is some colour in almost all smoked salmons sold here in USA, but it's insignificant amount, i hope.
Eggs?
Breakfast should be full of protein and have some fiber beside carbs. So, Granola may be good. There are cereals that are just puffed rice or puffed millet, or puffed amaranth -- and you can add your own berries/nuts/sugar/honey/milk/whatever you want.

[angerona]

right now the choices we have for kids are:

-- oatmeal (most of the time it's the 'quick oats' kind, but with no sugar added; sometimes it's steel cut)

- buckwheat with milk

-- eggs and hot dogs.

They'd love the smoked salmon sandwiches, I'm sure. They also love cereals.

[alla_la]

Sound good to me!
Мои, кстати, совсем не понимают что такое гречка с молоком:))
Еще творог с добавками?
Мой диетолог ничего не имел против однообразной еды, если она хорошая и детям не надоедает.
Сосиски, конечно, -- спорная еда, но я своим даю.

[angerona]

forgot also about yougurt with fruits and farmer's cheese, if we have any at home. И сырники. Их мой старший согласен есть всегда.