Last Updated: July 20, 2024
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Mark Hyman’s work is new to me, but his messages and guidelines are familiar as they are consistent with the growing body of knowledge about healthy eating. Specifically, Hyman guides consumers to select food that benefits not only their personal health, but also the environment and the economic well-being of food industry laborers. Throughout the book, Hyman highlights the role big business and the government have played in our misconceptions about healthy eating and explains the current scientific evidence about the effects of the food we eat.
I learned several interesting facts while reading this book:
- First, agriculture accounts for ⅓ of greenhouse gasses. People often think about reducing pollution from factories and emissions from cars to address climate change, but being thoughtful about the way humans grow crops to feed themselves (and livestock) is also important.
- Speaking of feeding livestock, I didn’t know that grass-fed beef is more nutritious than chicken. For decades, Americans have mistakenly been told to stay away from the saturated fat in red meat because it’s unhealthy. However, scientific evidence shows that refined carbs, not saturated fat, are associated with heart disease.
- Hyman discussed how the dairy industry influenced politicians to include dairy in the USDA food guidelines and mislead the public into thinking that drinking milk builds strong bones. In fact, vitamin D, not calcium, strengthens bones and playing sports is better for building bones than drinking milk.
- Another point that shocked me is that counterfeit olive oil produces big money for criminal organizations in Italy. Just this week, the Italian government confiscated almost a million dollars in fake olive oil. Hyman recommends buying only domestic olive oil from California.
Food: What the heck should I eat? strikes a balance between light, interactive guidebook and detailed, non-fiction textbook. The majority of the chapters are organized by food group. Each one begins with a True/False quiz to test the reader’s knowledge about that food group. Then, Hyman details the science and history to explain why people should or shouldn’t eat particular foods. Hyman concludes each chapter with information about how to identify and where to buy healthy food choices, as well as lists of foods to eat and foods to avoid.
What the Heck to Eat on a Low Glutamate Diet
Hyman calls his healthy eating guidelines the Pegan diet – a cross between the Paleo and Vegan diets. See this chart for foods from the Pegan diet that are consistent with a low glutamate diet.
After reading Hyman’s nutrition guidebook, I do feel called to act. However, as a busy mom who needs to feed her family, I don’t think I can realistically follow all of Hyman’s suggestions at this point. Here are the lessons learned that I’ll try to apply to help my family eat healthier:
- When available, buy organic produce, as well as grass-fed beef and pasture-raised chicken.
- Switch from canola oil to avocado and coconut oil. (I already use EVOO.)
- Reduce added sugar.
- I already eat gluten free because of the connection between gluten and free glutamate. I’ll extend the gluten free diet to my family. (Which means I can go back to boiling just one pot of pasta.)
- The reason I read this book was because my dermatologist recommended eliminating or at least reducing dairy. It turns out that eliminating dairy may benefit other family members as well. So, we’ll try following a gluten free casein free diet as a family.
What the Heck to Cook on a Low Glutamate Diet
Hyman includes several recipes in the final section of the book. The following recipes are either already low glutamate or can become low glutamate with a simple substitution:
- Breakfast
- Savory buckwheat porridge (p 298-9)
- Grass-fed beef breakfast patties (p 301-2)
- Tropical chia porridge with kiwi and coconut (p 303)
- Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, herbs, and goat cheese (p 298) – replace tomato with roasted red pepper
- Zucchini–Swiss Chard Hash and fried eggs (p 299-300) – replace swiss chard with kale
- Pesto Frittata (p 300-1) – eliminate nutritional yeast
- Rich and Creamy Blueberry Smoothie (p 302-3) – replace baby spinach with baby kale
- Lunch
- Smoky egg salad (p 306-7)
- Grilled shrimp salad (p 306) – replace tomato with roasted red pepper
- Rainbow salad with healthy fats (p 309) – replace cherry tomatoes with diced red/orange/yellow bell pepper; eliminate olives
- Dinner
- Seared scallops with curried cauliflower (p 314-5)
- Piri Piri baked Tempeh with asparagus (p 313-4) – replace tempeh with firm, unflavored tofu
- Skillet tofu with broccoli and peppers (p 315-6) – replace broccoli with Brussels sprouts; replace tamari with 2 tbsp maple syrup + ½ tsp salt; use filtered water, not broth
- Herb-marinated chicken breasts (p 316-7) – replace fish sauce with 2 tbsp maple syrup + ½ tsp salt
- Grilled salmon with parsley-walnut butter (p 317-8) – for casein free diet, replace butter with ghee
- Sides and Snacks
- Southwestern guacamole (p 319)
- Coconut-cauliflower rice (p 320)
- Sweet Potato Dip (p 324-5)
- Spinach Falafels (p 323-4) – replace spinach with kale
- Desserts
- Warm Spiced Apple Slices (p 326)
- Blueberry Soft Serve (p 326-7)
- Raspberry-Lemon Ice Pops (p 329-30)
- Flourless Cashew Butter Cookies (p 330-1)
- Almond Butter Truffles (p 327-8) – for casein free diet, replace butter with ghee
- Fudgy Carob Brownies (p328-9) – for casein free diet, replace butter with ghee
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Spread (p 331) – for casein free diet, replace butter with ghee
While not all of these recipes will be welcomed by my kids, there are a few I’ll definitely try. For lunch, the egg salad and rainbow salad recipes are variations of entrees I already make. I might give Hyman’s versions a try for a change in flavor. For dinner, the tofu, chicken, and salmon recipes look appealing. Of course, my kids will be happy if I give several of the desserts a try.