Selling hundreds of thousands of copies in both the UK and US, Food isn’t Medicine is, as the author himself defines it, a bible of debunked 'nutribollocks'. It spans from what's been trending on Instagram, such as that intermittent fasting, ketogenic or raw vegan diets can cure cancer, or that sugar is as addictive as cocaine, to what's being spread by radical vegans and their polar opposites - the former claiming that eating eggs is as bad as smoking, and the latter that carnivorous diets cures depression and mental health disorders. Dr Wolrich not only dispells the increasingly prevalent myth that lifestyle changes can be substitutes for medication, but also gets to grips with the rationale behind global indicators of health such as BMI. The list goes on.
Despite being an easy-to-follow guide to nutrition that is snappy, somewhat cynical, yet backed up by a number of peer-reviewed studies, it should by no means substitute personalised health advice. That being said, in the era of the open, infinite data-mine that is the internet, where dissemination of opinions as facts accelerates misinformation and confusion around health, vaccines and nutrition, this book serves as a fantastic place to start.
Has it ever crossed your mind that selling a personal health recipe as a one-size-fits-all poses a threat to the vulnerable people seeking help in alternative treatments? Has your friend embarked on another fasting or clean eating program? Or maybe, you feel tempted to join them? If you hesitated when answering any of these questions, this book will most likely help you look at health from a new, holistic and multidimensional perspective.
