In this fascinating, refreshingly clarifying book about food, food myths, and how sloppy science perpetuates misconceptions about food, a medical doctor on his way to a conference gets drawn into conversations that answer the following questions: Does vitamin C prevent the common cold? And if it works, why does it only work in Canadian soldiers, ultramarathon runners, and skiers? Was red meat really declared a carcinogen by the WHO? Does that mean I should become a vegetarian? And who decides what gets labeled as red meat and white meat? Is salt really not that bad for you and did a group of researchers really want to experiment on prisoners to prove the point? Does coffee cause cancer or heart attacks? Why did a California court say coffee needed a warning label? Is red wine really good for your heart, and what makes the French Paradox such a paradox? Why did the New England Journal of Medicine link eating chocolate with winning a Nobel Prize? Why were eggs once bad for you but now good for you again? Does that mean I don’t need to worry about cholesterol? Should I be taking vitamin D?
