Yet, taken as a whole, this is one of the clearest and most accessible short nutrition books I have read: refreshingly open-minded, deeply informative and free of faddish diet rules. Spector’s recommendations include subsidies for vegetables and restrictions on the voracious lobbying of the food industry. He would approve of the new restrictions on junk food marketing on TV before 9pm. I especially appreciated how Tim Spector criticises the food industry's sinister tactics in marketing certain foods as healthy that are actually full of sugar and additives. Of course, it's ultimately up to the individual to manage their food choices, but there are so many underhand tactics that big food companies use to confuse the general public and it's nice to see someone calling out their bullshit. Weight loss is one of the things exercise doesn’t help with and for most of us we have to eat less and choose our foods better to match our metabolism and gut microbes The amount of sugar salt and fat in ultra-processed foods was originally there to help it keep fresh longer. There are stealth junk foods, like sweet fruit yoghurts, biscuits like Oreos and digestives, and many juice drinks (not fruit juices). Freezing (immediately after preparation) is a good way of preserving nutrients, e.g. for fruit. Pregnancy; Western guidelines recommend limiting caffeine to 200mg per day which is equivalent to one cup of regular coffee, 2 instant coffees and double the amount of tea

Many of the health benefits of veganism is probably due to eating a greater volume and variety of plants, especially fibre.One journalist tested herself using several different store or online allergy tests and ended up with a long list of “dangerous” foods, but with no agreement at all between tests This book is Tim Spector's personal attempt to bring us all out of our own traditions and out-dated beliefs and into the clear light of dietary advice in the year 2020. His writing is simple, accessible and interesting. He chooses direct and widely held beliefs as the focus of each chapter and lays out various arguments and evidence to challenge these beliefs. I had a huge number of my own beliefs challenged and I loved how clear he was in some of his writing.

The ingredient list on gluten-free foods is often much longer with many added chemicals that together could be having unknown effects on our body and microbes Easy to digest, the bite-sized 'bloggy' chapters have come under fair criticism, though I found that condensing useful. Tim Spector’s kitchen fridge is swarming with life: kefir grains, sourdough mother, homemade kimchi and kombucha. Then there’s the vegetables: as varied and colourful as possible.Veganism per se is not necessarily healthy. Most of the benefit is probably just through eating a greater variety of plants of fibre which can still be achieved by people eating small amounts of meat and dairy Tim Spector's book comes in the Ben Goldacre tradition of skewering commonly-held but scientifically unproven claims - in this case in the world of food advice and diets. Right off the bat I will state categorically that everyone ought to read this book. It offers a powerful and often accurate challenge to a whole host of misinformation we are (ahem) fed by the food industry, governments and academics. Unless you have a medically confirmed diagnosis of coeliac disease or a rare wheat allergy, avoiding gluten is likely “on average” to do you more harm than good Neither GPs nor hospital doctors are obliged to keep up to date with any changes in diet or nutrition advice as part of their continuing education- not even diabetes doctors Thirst is an extremely well-balanced and effective signaling system that we should listen to - no evidence to suggest forcing ourselves to drink more water is beneficial

It's this sort of evangelical approach that detracts from any clear science-based message that Spector is trying to convey. It feels like he has selectively used research data to support his views, which is a criticism he levels at the food industry. For any reader with a degree of scientific literacy, this will come as a disappointment.The book’s main argument is that to find the best way of eating we need to ignore much of what we are told. Spector’s myths include the idea that fish is always a healthy option and the dogma that “sugar-free foods and drinks are a safe way to lose weight”. Spoon-Fed is a worthy successor to Spector’s earlier bestselling book, The Diet Myth, which focused on the powerful role that the microbes in our guts play in determining our health. This new book is broader, but he manages to distil a huge amount of research into a clear and practical summary that leaves you with knowledge that will actually help you decide what to add to your next grocery shop. He convincingly argues that coffee and salt are healthier for most people than general opinion decrees, while vitamin pills and the vast majority of commercial yoghurts are less so. He is in favour of vegetables – as diverse a range of them as possible – but does not rate vegan sausage rolls as any healthier than the meat equivalent. The greatest obstacle when it comes to getting accurate information about food has been the food industry Eat more chia seeds, walnuts, flaxseeds and algae which are plant sources with plenty of essential omega-3 fatty acids Instead, the book suffered from covering a huge range of topics not very well, dipping into just enough science to lose your concentration, but not enough to properly explain things - before coming to a hastily drawn conclusion in each chapter where the author finally makes up his mind what he was trying to say all along. Gratingly, 'the food industry' is constantly referred to in the plural, as are countless individual companies - and just in general, the writing style does not flow.