N4L 028: "Food: What the Heck Should I Eat?"

Dr. Mark Hyman debunks food myths and answers the question, “What the heck should I eat?” As a functional medicine doctor, Hyman believes food is the best medicine. His practical guide to achieving optimal weight and lifelong health includes plenty of do’s and don’ts, always acknowledging what the experts have got right so far. Packed with solid research but also replete with sensible ideas, Hyman’s book Food is endorsed by dozens of high-profile experts, including scientists, politicians, journalists, and authors. Their accolades are well deserved. Hyman takes on controversies surrounding GMOs, hormones, antibiotics, chemicals, salt, and spices. He also speaks about why we need to choose organic foods and how to afford them. Readers will find dozens of recipes for detoxing and to help create new eating patterns for overall well-being. With decades of clinical experience, Hyman untangles conflicting research and opposing dietary philosophies. For example, should we eat wheat and other grains or avoid products with gluten? Is it important to get recommendations for dairy, or are many people lactose-intolerant? Specifically, he dives deep into categories that confuse most of us: meat; poultry, and eggs, dairy; fish and seafood; vegetables; fruit; fats and oils; beans; grains; nuts and seeds; sugar and sweeteners; and beverages. A bit tongue-in-cheek, Hyman recommends a “Pegan” diet. Based on his research and experience, Hyman has found this hybrid of Paleo and vegan diets has tremendous power to reduce inflammation and, therefore, eliminate many common illnesses. But beyond nutritional science, Hyman puts food in a larger context---how it affects our health, environment, economy, and social fabric. He even broaches touchy subjects such as how food is affecting our children’s capacity to learn and our youth’s fitness readiness for military service. Above all, Dr. Hyman advocates eating simple meals using real food prepared at home. Using his “eater’s guide,” millions who suffer unnecessarily from our current food system can find relief. BUY Food: What the Heck Should I Eat? Music Credit Sound Editing Credit