Eating Well for Optimum Health: The Essential Guide to Food, Diet, and Nutrition »

In an era of plentiful, often radical diet books and scary health newsflashes, the natural, holistic approach of Dr. Andrew Weil provides an oasis of balance and common sense for readers interested in improving their health -- without the aid of bells and whistles.

From one of our most trusted authorities on health and alternative health care, a comprehensive and reassuring book about food, diet, and nutrition. Building on the scientific and philosophical underpinnings of his Spontaneous Healing -- the body's capacity to heal itself -- and presenting the kind of practical information that informed his enormous best-seller 8 Weeks to Optimum Health, Dr. Weil now provides us with a program for improving our well-being by making informed choices about how and what we eat. He explains the safest and most effective ways to lose weight; how diet can affect energy and sleep; how foods can exacerbate or minimize specific physical problems; how much fat to include in our diet; what nutrients are in which foods; and much, much more. He makes clear that an optimal diet will both supply the basic needs of the body and fortify the body's defenses and mechanisms of healing. And he provides easy-to-prepare recipes in which the food is as sensually satisfying as it is beneficial. Eating Well for Optimum Health stands to change -- for the better and the healthier -- our most fundamental ideas about eating.

Publishers Weekly

Now considered one of holistic medicine's most authoritative voices, Weil (Spontaneous Healing; 8 Weeks to Optimum Health) provides a common-sense approach to healthy eating. While much of this information can be found in other volumes, Weil illuminates the often confusing and conflicting ideas circulating about good nutrition, addressing specific health issues and offering nutritional guidance to help heal and prevent major illnesses. Of particular value is his examination of recent fads, such as low-carbohydrate, vegan and "Asian" diets, with an eye toward debunking the myths about them while highlighting their valuable aspects. Readers will appreciate the brief stories of individuals who have made big changes in their eating habits and solved chronic health problems, as well as recipes for foods that Weil feels will satisfy nutritional needs and the taste buds. Although not the first to link the rise of cancer, heart disease and obesity with the now-prevalent consumption of fast food and processed foods that contain a lot of sugar and few, if any, micronutrients, Weil's articulate plea to reflect on the consequences is convincing. Despite Weil's emphasis on a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, unprocessed foods and much less meat and dairy products than most Americans are used to, readers will notice a profoundly realistic observation of what changes they can readily incorporate into their busy lives. And they will be heartened to learn that they can eat nutritious foods and still get much pleasure from them. (Mar.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Chapter 1 - First Course

1. We Have to Eat to Live

2. Eating Is a Major Source of Pleasure

3. Food That Is Healthy and Food that Gives Pleasure Are Not Mutually Exclusive

4. Eating Is a Most Important Focus of Social Interaction

5. How We Eat Reflects and Defines Our Personal and Cultural Identity

6. How We Eat Is One Determinant of Health

7. Changing How We Eat Is One Strategy for Managing Disease and Restoring Health

Chapter 2 - The Macronutrients 1. Carbohydrates 2. Fats 3. Proteins

Chapter 3 - Carbohydrates Revisited: Staff of Life or Contributor to Illness

Chapter 4 - Fats Revisited

Chapter 5 - Proteins Revisited

Chapter 6 - The Optimum Diet

Chapter 7 - Food Preparation and Ingredients

Chapter 8 - Nutritional Medicine: Tailoring Diet to Medical Conditions

Chapter 9 - Recipes

Chapter 10 - Sources