After losing his mother to breast cancer, physician Gaynor (Nurture Nature, Nurture Health) dedicated his life to researching oncology and ecogenetics. The culmination of his work is this worthwhile guide to harnessing the power hidden in food to subvert a “genetic predisposition for disease." In the first chapter, Gaynor lays out healthy eating's general principles, which rest on the “Rule of One Thirds": “that you [should] consumer roughly one-third of your calories from... fats, carbs, and proteins." The following chapters each explore one of the major health concerns shared by Americans: obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and aging. Gaynor's ideas about nutrition vary from being as basic as “an apple a day" to being as complex as the substitution of coconut oil for butter and sugar. Additional guidance comes in the book's second part via a questionnaire, meal plans, and recipes. One issue unaccounted for is finance: it's not explained how low-income earners are to afford the often pricey healthy eating options given here. Nonetheless, Gaynor's informative tome is worth reading if for no other reason than its potential to make you—in singer Thom Yorke's words—“fitter healthier happier more productive." Agent: Lynn Nesbit, Janklow & Nesbit. (Apr.)
Reviewed on: 02/09/2015 Release date: 04/21/2015 Genre: Nonfiction
