nutrition books

nutrition books

Nutrition Books

By Brad Pilon, MS

When it comes to diet and nutrition books it feels like a new book comes out every single day. Each book has it’s own special take on how we should be eating and what we should be eating.

To help you cut through all the craziness and jumbled advice, here is my list of the top ten best nutrition books.

1. “The Biology of Human Starvation” – Dr. Ancel Keyes - Probably the seminal work on human nutrition.

These two books (Volume 1 and 2) are absolute must-reads for anyone who is giving nutrition advice. In fact, I don't think you should ever give any sort of nutrition advice without first having read both volumes of this book and analyze and scrutinize every word.

As with all nutrition books, it is not perfect, but I find the mistakes in some of Keyes assessments to be just as valuable as his correct assessments. Truly a must read.

2. (tie) “What to Eat” & “Food Politics” – Dr. Marion Nestle - If you want to truly understand the food industry, and the incredible adaptability of the human body then these two nutrition books are also must reads. Great background into the role government and lobby groups play in deciding what ends up on our dinner plates!

3. (tie) “Food Marketing” & “Why We Eat” - Dr. Brian Wansink - More must reads. If you are interested in why we eat, why we think we are hungry and the impact that marketing has on our diets, you must read these two books.

4. (tie) “Omnivores Dilemma” & “In Defense of Food” - Michael Pollan - People seem to read these two books in a way that always supports there existing view points. Regardless, they are both good reads. As with all books, they need to be analyzed, not just simply absorbed, but they are both valuable educational tools.

5. “How to Read a Paper” - Trisha Greenhalgh – Probably the hardest read of the top five, but If you are going to start 'reading' science papers and abstracts then you must know how to actually analyze a research paper.

The truth is analyzing a research paper can be a very difficult and time-consuming task. This nutrition book is an immense help in this regard and is an absolute must for people who blog about nutritional science. If I were running a graduate course in nutrition this and the Biology of Human Starvation would be the only two compulsory reads.

6. “Health Food Junkies” - Steven Bratman - Probably could have been in the top 5 if I didn’t think more people need to read Trisha Greenhalph's work. This nutrition book has an amazing viewpoint on the whole health craze that will probably make you think twice about following the latest fitness guru diet craze.

7. “The Obesity Myth” - Paul Campos - I disagree with most of this book, but it's important to know the opposite argument. If you want to read about the alternate view, that being overweight isn’t really treatable, or that being overweight isn’t necessarily unhealthy, then this is a very interesting (and challenging read).

8. “Good Calories Bad Calories” Gary Taubes - The first 1/3 of this book is an excellent review of how lobbyist groups help to set national nutrition recommendations. While definitely well written I found the rest of this nutrition book is very slanted towards low-carb diets, and rather heavy in rhetoric and speculation.

9. “The End of Overeating” – Dr. David A. Kessler. An excellent review of the psychology of overeating, pointing out the similarities between drug addiction and addiction to high fat, sugar and salty foods. Kessler presents a compelling argument that many people are in fact struggling with an addiction rather than some form of nutrition or lack of exercise problem.

10. “Eat Stop Eat” – Brad Pilon - Mostly this is just gratuitous self promotion, but it does fit in very well with this series of readings. If you are interested in the scientific research behind the use of intermittent fasting for weight loss then you should find this book to be both up to date and accurate. Of all the nutrition books on this list, Eat Stop Eat offers the simplest solution for weight loss.

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Brad Pilon is a nutrition professional with over eight years experience working in the nutritional supplement industry specializing in clinical research management and new product development. Brad has completed graduate studies in nutritional sciences specializing in the use of short term fasting for weight loss.

His trademarked book Eat Stop Eat has been featured on national television and helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat without sacrificing the foods they love. For more information on Eat Stop Eat,