Diet Cults

The Surprising Fallacy at the Core of Nutrition Fads and a Guide to Healthy Eating for the Rest of Us

By: Matt Fitzgerald

Narrated by: Stephen R. Thorne

From the national best-selling author of Racing Weight, Matt Fitzgerald exposes the irrationality, half-truths, and downright impossibility of a "single right way" to eat and reveals how to develop rational, healthy eating habits.

From "the Four-Hour Body" to "Atkins," there are diet cults to match seemingly any mood and personality type. Everywhere we turn, someone is preaching the "one true way" to eat for maximum health. Paleo Diet advocates tell us that all foods less than 12,000 years old are the enemy. Low-carb gurus demonize carbs, and then there are the low-fat prophets. But they agree on one thing: There is only one true way to eat for maximum health. The first clue that this is a fallacy is the sheer variety of diets advocated. Indeed, while all of these competing views claim to be backed by science, a good look at actual nutritional science suggests it is impossible to identify a single best way to eat. Fitzgerald advocates an agnostic, rational approach to eating habits based on one's own habits, lifestyle, and genetics and body type. Many professional athletes already practice this "Good Enough" diet, and now we can too—and ditch the brainwashing of these diet cults for good.

Download the accompanying reference guide.©2014 Matt Fitzgerald (P)2014 Blackstone Audiobooks

Not bad

I liked Matt's perspective, the takeaway being that "diets" are cult-like, and there is no perfect diet. Sensible, science based alternatives are proposed.

A bit less personal stuff would be good. His bias for "endurance athletes" like himself is annoying.

A good no nonsense approach

I really enjoyed learning a lot about how eating ideas got hold . Great no nonsense ideas at the end too

Myths and Mysteries Resolved

The book debunks several myths about food. It also reassures us that our choices are not all bad. Mr. Fitzgerald spends time explaining and exploring how our rules for food came about.

Interesting and Relevant

Simply the most interesting (content and presentation) book I’ve ever read/listened to. It really demystifies the entire diet cult and clarifies the common sense approach to eating. Thank you.

A nice perspective but ultimately contradictory

The author spends a lot of time debunking the particulars of different food trends and the dogma they entail, only to present his own version later. A pretty good read all in all. However, at times the authors biases became starkly obvious. He gives lip service to science. The parts on glutenfree eating wholing ignored the aspects of glyphosate toxicity. In the end however the authors point and intention is still a generally valid one. Also some nice factoids and trivia contained within.

Interesting topic but,,,

There were some very good points which does help one to not be so dogmatic about their approach to nutrition,,,

But the irony was while bashing all the cult like behaviors he offers his own cult like approach to eating of which the climax is honey is not a sweet 😎

A great overview of all the modern diet fads

Each chapter delves into one area of diet that have developed into cult like followings like paleo, veganism, superfoods and these stories alone are worth the book.

The author then proposes one tweak and build a diet that meets our own needs, pleasures, and constraints. The system proposed doesn’t seem all that simple as is presented. And can’t beat the simplicity of Michael Pollan’s guide “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

Worth reading but reinvents wheel

Overall, a good read. It makes well for a pretty comprehensive takedown of silly diets. However, it kind of falls apart at the seams towards the end of the book when the author tries to create his own program of nutrition. While it is rooted in science and mostly makes sense… I don’t see how it’s any easier than simply following some basic macro-nutrient guidelines, while weighing your food to establish precisely how many calories you are eating. I weigh every gram of everything I eat and track it in an app. It takes a few minutes throughout the day. I know precisely how much energy I consume, and how much energy I expend, at all times. While tracking my energy in and out, I simply watch to keep my macros within my desired percentage levels. I can’t understand how an arbitrary eating program is easier than simply using a scale and tracking some numbers. Nevertheless, the author’s guidelines, while somewhat vague, will certainly help the novice to nutrition, and I do admire the fact that aren’t exclusionary. For perspective, I regularly do high endurance rucks, and dabble in amateur bodybuilding and powerlifting.

Tells it like it is!

This book really puts in perspective all the diet books on the market! I enjoyed it very much!

Great Read

Fitzgerald knows his stuff and it makes complete sense for his reasoning behind all those diet cults and what not to do! Worth listening to for sure!