Truly Amazing!
I own both of the previous Eat This Not That books (Thousands of Simple Food Swaps, For Kids!), so when I noticed this one was about to come out I decided to skip it. What more could it offer than what was already covered in the other two?
Then, tonight, I went shopping for food with my teenage daughter at Target. We spotted this in the little book section and, at her urging, picked it up and glanced through it.
What a great book! So helpful! So useful! Yes, if it keeps my husband healthy and my daughter enthused about nutrition, it gets my vote as best nonfiction book of 2008. I read about every day, and no book in the past year has struck me as a Must Buy as much as this one.
The reason? It's ENTIRELY focused on foods sold at supermarkets -- every item on every page is something readily accessible to you. And since every item is captioned with its relevant nutritional information, you get the benefit, in essence, of having read every tiny ingredients list on every item at your grocery store, all of it right in front of you in a little book that will fit in a decent-sized purse. By comparison, the earlier titles had less detailed grocery sections, as well as lots of stuff about fast food chains and table-service franchise restaurants, material that is useful only if you frequent those particular places.
In this book, every page has valuable content for anyone who shops at a supermarket -- so much, in fact, it's tough to determine just what to highlight in this review. Every time I flip through the book I come across useful, surprising information. For example, right now I'll randomly open it a few times and learn why....
1) Fruit Loops are better for you than Apple Cinnamon Cheerios...
2) Regular Cheerios is a better choice than Smart Start...
3) Regular Quick 1 minute Quaker Oats is healthier than Quaker's Simple Harvest Multigrain hot cereal...
4) Dole pineapple cups are more nutritious than Dole mixed fruit cups...
5) Del Monte pear halves beat Del Monte sliced pears...
I could go on forever.
By the way, not all the pages are side-by-side product comparisons. One spread, titled "The Meat Matrix," compares the nutritional value of a variety of meats, everything from pork to ostrich. Another, titled "The Perfect Refrigerator," displays a perfectly stocked healthy fridge. My daughter was especially interested in a spread titled "The Snack Matrix," which shows which combination of snack items (fruit, peanut butter, cottage cheese) mix well together for both nutrition and taste. Another section discusses how to store fresh fruits and produce and explains why fresh food is better for you.Read full review
