| Pharmacists need to understand nutrition. The Department of Health
has identified health promotion as a key role for pharmacists and a balanced
diet, which is fundamental to good health, underpins all the national service
frameworks. The typical British diet has many shortcomings and is difficult
to change but Dr Walsh sets out the evidence for healthy eating with a
clarity that makes the science both accessible and interesting.
Meat-eaters should not be deterred by the author’s commitment to
a vegan diet. This is not a tirade against eating animal products: the
case that heavy consumption of animal fats does more harm than good is
strongly made but the potential deficiencies of a vegan diet are also identified
and there is no anti-meat propaganda. Instead, the book adopts a positive
approach to sourcing a balance of dietary components from a wide range
of plant foods.
The succinct chapters cover diet and mortality, maintaining a healthy weight
and the need for variety. Fats are discussed in most detail — as
befits their importance as a calorie source and their impact on cardiovascular
risk — but sourcing key minerals and trace elements is also comprehensively
addressed. Myths are debunked (for example, it is easy to get enough protein
from plants alone) and there are clear explanations of popular scientific
concepts such as body mass index and glycaemic load.
Although the science is often at a level to engage the non-specialist,
the detail can sometimes be rich. This could be daunting but each chapter
is summarised in a few simple statements about applying the science to
daily life and there are examples of healthy recipes for staple foods.
Supporting references are listed separately on over 50 pages.
This book will be useful to anyone interested in promoting healthy eating,
whatever their dietary preference, and it is excellent value for money.
Steve Chaplin
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