Death by Food Pyramid, by Denise Minger

[Projectile Vomit]

Greetings folks. Just wanted to let people know that Denise Minger, former raw food enthusiast and founder of the Raw Food SOS website and blog, just released a book entitled Death By Food Pyramid. I finished reading it a couple days ago (it was officially released on January 1, 2014 and I had a copy on pre-order so received it around January 5), and found it quite wonderful. Denise goes into depth on the shenanigans and dogmatism behind modern cholesterol and fat phobias, and offers a fantastic overview of Weston A. Price's work and an exquisite analysis of modern diets that show good health results (Paleo Diet, Mediterranean Diet, Whole Food Vegan Diet) and what is likely responsible for their success. I recommend it without reserve!

I also had a chance to be on a webcast with Denise last week, so got to ask her quite a few questions. She's such a fun person, and so sharp! She said when she first left her raw vegan (fruitarian) days behind her and started incorporating animal foods into her diet again, she had crazy and intense cravings for raw liver. She's huge on the idea of nose-to-tail eating.

[TylerDurden]

I am not sure  we should be too keen on such types. There was that fool, Daniel Vitalis, who was of a similiar diet-genre, and at first would boast of eating some raw animal foods here and there,  and then he ended up talking nonsense about how raw was not necessary and that cooking didn't really harm us if done in certain ways. Basically, such people are anti-raw and pro-cooked palaeo more or less.

[Bacchal]

Such types that have a nuanced, non-dogmatic viewpoint on nutrition? I'm about half way through this book, and while it's no raw paleo tome, she does encourage the inclusion of raw animal products, and even delves into the effects of high-temperature cooking and its byproducts. Her own diet consists mainly of raw foods. Whether you're a dietary Besserwisser or a total novice foundering in a sea of conflicting advice, this is a worthy read. The history of the politics of the food pyramid and its Cult of Officialdom is alone worth it. There is also an in-depth look at Ancel Keys and his diet-heart hypothesis, as well as his rival, John Yudkin, sugar-skeptic and author of Pure, White, and Deadly. It may be the most level-headed exposure to nutrition ever for someone beat over the head with the food pyramid and anti-fat propaganda their whole life (as most of us Americans have been).

[Projectile Vomit]

I had hoped to have this up months ago, but better late than never. Just uploaded a review of Denise Minger's book to my website, you can read it here: Death By Food Pyramid. Great book!