Spoon-Fed: Why Almost Everything We’ve Been Told About Food is Wrong
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- Create Date：2021-10-20 00:52:05
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Tim Spector
- ISBN：1787332292
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Summary
In the course of research， Tim Spector has been shocked to discover how little scientific evidence there is for many of our most deep-rooted ideas about food。 Is salt really bad for you？ Is fish good for you？ What about coffee， red meat， or saturated fats？ Can pregnant women rely on their doctor’s advice about what to eat？ Does gluten-free food carry any health benefits at all？ Do doctors know anything about nutrition？
In twenty short， myth-busting chapters， Tim Spector reveals why almost everything we’ve been told about food is wrong。 He reveals the scandalous lack of good scientific evidence for many medical and government food recommendations， and how the food industry holds sway over these policies。 These are urgent issues that matter not just for our health as individuals but for the future of the planet。
Spoon-Fed forces us to question every diet plan， government recommendation， miracle cure or food label we encounter， and encourages us to rethink our whole relationship with food。
In twenty short， myth-busting chapters， Tim Spector reveals why almost everything we’ve been told about food is wrong。 He reveals the scandalous lack of good scientific evidence for many medical and government food recommendations， and how the food industry holds sway over these policies。 These are urgent issues that matter not just for our health as individuals but for the future of the planet。
Spoon-Fed forces us to question every diet plan， government recommendation， miracle cure or food label we encounter， and encourages us to rethink our whole relationship with food。
Reviews
George Russell-Stracey
，
All good to know stuff。 I feel like I will dip in and out of this whenever I need to contribute to a conversation。 Digestible， accessible and informative。 Puts your mind at a hell of a lot of ease。
Hilary
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Very interesting debunking of a number of food myths by Tim Spector of Zoe app fame。 Fascinating to find out more about the gut micro biome。 However I did find some of the messages he was trying to get across a little confusing - one minute he is telling us that calories are not a good measure and then he talks about some foods in terms of calories。 And I felt he was trying to do two things at once - talk about the importance of gut health and the environment， when the latter is not his area of Very interesting debunking of a number of food myths by Tim Spector of Zoe app fame。 Fascinating to find out more about the gut micro biome。 However I did find some of the messages he was trying to get across a little confusing - one minute he is telling us that calories are not a good measure and then he talks about some foods in terms of calories。 And I felt he was trying to do two things at once - talk about the importance of gut health and the environment， when the latter is not his area of scientific expertise。 Some good takeaway points， though， and it’s good not feel guilty about coffee and alcohol。 As the Delphic oracle said - μηδὲν ἄγαν - nothing in excess。 。。。more
Becca
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Mixed feelings about this book。It was good at challenging the status quo and encouraging critical thinking about society's understanding of food， particularly with regards to the influence of the food industry on research and governments。 I also appreciated the holistic approach to diet， covering everything from calories， to meat consumption， to vitamins， and more。 I found that it could be pretty hypocritical， though， since Spector criticised the sole use of lab animal or very small sample human Mixed feelings about this book。It was good at challenging the status quo and encouraging critical thinking about society's understanding of food， particularly with regards to the influence of the food industry on research and governments。 I also appreciated the holistic approach to diet， covering everything from calories， to meat consumption， to vitamins， and more。 I found that it could be pretty hypocritical， though， since Spector criticised the sole use of lab animal or very small sample human studies （which is good） but then would use the same type of studies to support his point。 The first half was also quite discouraging， mostly focusing on everything that is wrong with our food knowledge， though this did get better in the second half with most useful and practical advice being offered。 It was very US/UK based， which is understandable since we're probably the target audience。Overall， this was a pretty decent overview on the more recent developments in food research and a good encouragement to reflect upon your food beliefs with a critical eye。 。。。more
Perry
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This book resonates with me as I find myself consistently questioning research most of which seems to be subsidized by the group wanting a favorable result from the research。 It does a nice job blending time restricted feeding， whole food （mainly plants）， moderate alcohol consumption， and gut microbial health。 If you want to challenge some long held paradigms this might be what you are looking for。 If you want direct instructions for what you should do it probably want do a lot for you。
Dawn Payne
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Plain speaking， good adviceIn this book， as in The Diet Myth， Professor Spector succeeds in explaining， in plain and easy to understand language， all about the misinformation we are fed （excuse the pun） by the government， most health professionals and， overwhelmingly， by the food and drinks industry。 I am already following his advice and trying to spread the word， so please read this book and prepare to be enlightened！
Tom
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Concise， engrossing and opinion breaking。 Spoon-Fed offers up a completely alternate narrative to the mainstream consensus on food and nutrition。 An important light is cast on the pitfalls of modern science funded by food lobby groups with a vested interest in more consumption and less government intervention。 A truly life changing read which instills in the reader the importance of questioning the accepted science， marketing and myths。 Great emphasis by the author is put on making nutritional d Concise， engrossing and opinion breaking。 Spoon-Fed offers up a completely alternate narrative to the mainstream consensus on food and nutrition。 An important light is cast on the pitfalls of modern science funded by food lobby groups with a vested interest in more consumption and less government intervention。 A truly life changing read which instills in the reader the importance of questioning the accepted science， marketing and myths。 Great emphasis by the author is put on making nutritional decisions which best suit you as an individual rather than a one size fits all approach often advised by governments and the food industry which can often be outdated， inaccurate or inconclusive。 。。。more
Rui Jarimba
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A must-read for anyone interested in food， nutrition and healthy lifestyle。
Gregory
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Some good ideas there， but too many "incorrect" rhetoric - taking completely crazy extreme version of the "other point of view" for "comparioson"。 Some good ideas there， but too many "incorrect" rhetoric - taking completely crazy extreme version of the "other point of view" for "comparioson"。 。。。more
Sergey Morovshik
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Лучше прочитать， все что говорят и ты знал под сомнение） питаться надо разнообразно！ Микробиом важен。 Корпорации и маркетинг продадут все что угодно， хочешь питаться правильно？ Прийдется самому разбираться。
Rebecca
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The Jordan Peterson of Nutrition
Francisca Silva
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This is a fine book to get you thinking more critically about nutrition and what we are being told is “healthy”。 The author debunks a series of health myths and criticises the all-too politically powerful food industry。 I like the way it was structured - with each chapter tackling a different myth。 However， as someone with some basic scientific knowledge and who is really curious about this subject I was left wanting MORE。 The book felt simplistic and superficial。 I wish the author had delved de This is a fine book to get you thinking more critically about nutrition and what we are being told is “healthy”。 The author debunks a series of health myths and criticises the all-too politically powerful food industry。 I like the way it was structured - with each chapter tackling a different myth。 However， as someone with some basic scientific knowledge and who is really curious about this subject I was left wanting MORE。 The book felt simplistic and superficial。 I wish the author had delved deeper into certain topics and adopted less hyperbolic language。 Nonetheless， this remains an interesting and very accessible read to anybody curious about nutrition。 。。。more
Denis Vasilev
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Хороший противовес другим книгам о питании
Nita
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Somehow I didn't find this as readable as The Diet Myth， which I really loved。 There were a lot of studies mentioned。 I think the author wanted to reassure us but I came away thinking that the science is unclear and there's no obvious diet that we should follow， which was a bit anxiety-provoking。 I also felt the conclusions around the healthiness of meat-eating were ambiguous。 I was also a bit put off by the many references near the start to the company the author works with。 However， I have bee Somehow I didn't find this as readable as The Diet Myth， which I really loved。 There were a lot of studies mentioned。 I think the author wanted to reassure us but I came away thinking that the science is unclear and there's no obvious diet that we should follow， which was a bit anxiety-provoking。 I also felt the conclusions around the healthiness of meat-eating were ambiguous。 I was also a bit put off by the many references near the start to the company the author works with。 However， I have been inspired by this book to try reducing the amount of ultra-processed food I eat。 It will be interesting to see what effect， if any， it has on my weight， mental health and general wellbeing。 。。。more
Kris Demey
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Don’t overdo it。 That’s it。 That’s his entire message。 Is drinking alcohol bad？ Only if you drink too much。 Is red meatballs for you？ Only if you eat too much of it。 What about frozen food？ Not that bad。Fat？ Not harmful， in sizeable doses and stay away from transfats。 I feel like I already knew this。 Oh， and take care of your gut bacteria。
Candia L
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A little bit of （red） wine - and coffee - does you no harm， and possibly good。 Eat loads of fruit and vegetables and stay away from ultra-processed foods。 I’m not sure I learned anything vastly new in this book but found myself talking a LOT about it while reading it。 To the point I may have annoyed those around me。
R Davies
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One of those books that ought to be mandatory reading for everyone before they do their weekly shop。 Prof。 Tim Spector guides us through the research he has done into the evidence or lack thereof of food and it's benefits or negative consequences on our well-being。 This involves navigating all the bullshit that the food industry throw at us with their insidious and deceptive marketing strategies， such as the push to advance exercise as a solution to poor health， rather than poor diet。 it is eloq One of those books that ought to be mandatory reading for everyone before they do their weekly shop。 Prof。 Tim Spector guides us through the research he has done into the evidence or lack thereof of food and it's benefits or negative consequences on our well-being。 This involves navigating all the bullshit that the food industry throw at us with their insidious and deceptive marketing strategies， such as the push to advance exercise as a solution to poor health， rather than poor diet。 it is eloquent and engaging written， free from any specialist jargon， and divided into digestible bite-sized chapters that focus on one issue at a time， i。e。 fish， meat， veganism， fads， mental health， obeisity etc。 One of the central tenets that comes across from this， is not unsurprisingly his own research into the gut microbiome， where evidence seems to support that eating diversely and broadly to create a healthy gut can be one of the key markers of better health。 Another central tenet is to explode the myth of the average person when it comes to food。 We have our individual sensitivities and preferences and we'd be well advised often to simply just listen to our bodies and how they respond to our diet。 Experimenting with meal times， fasting， and substituting out foods will do more for us as an individual than trying to find some miracle silver bullet answer on the internet to weight loss or other health concerns， because we will be engaging in what is going in to our body and thinking about it。 In that respect it reminds me - to bring in a completely different subject here - of one of the useful tips acquired from trying to practice some mindfulness。 Trying to take time to consciously appreciate a meal instead of wolfing it down。 Whether its breakfast， lunch or dinner， being more acutely aware of how food tastes， what you like， and recognising what you're eating can perhaps help to focus the mind further next time you go for a shop。 All the chapters within them dissect prevailing myths and Spector examines how substantial the evidence is or -often- isn't in support of these received ideas that we've gradually subsumed through cultural osmosis and it is urgently fascinating。 For the lazy among you there is a pitstop appendix that summarises the conclusions from his research with a 12 point general tip on what's generally smart - for ourselves， and also the environment， but the book is very readable so do make your way through it all。 。。。more
Tom Leonhardt
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Easy read with a ton of details on studies。 I got a bit bored because each chapter is structured rather similarly。 Also， sometimes it would have been nice to get more info on the biological mechanisms rather than yet another study finding something or another。
Angela Wolff
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Inconsistent reliance on evidence
Katrina
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An excellent popular science book， which debunks commonly held beliefs around topics such as coffee and alcohol consumption， veganism， gluten intolerance。 One of the overarching messages of the book is that nutritional studies tend to be low quality and there is not 'one size fits all' approach to optimum nutrition。 The conclusions are sound and will encourage readers to adopt a more varied diet。 Having said that， occasionally the author is less than balanced in pursuing his agenda。 An example i An excellent popular science book， which debunks commonly held beliefs around topics such as coffee and alcohol consumption， veganism， gluten intolerance。 One of the overarching messages of the book is that nutritional studies tend to be low quality and there is not 'one size fits all' approach to optimum nutrition。 The conclusions are sound and will encourage readers to adopt a more varied diet。 Having said that， occasionally the author is less than balanced in pursuing his agenda。 An example is his argument that exercise alone will not help with weight loss， the majority of the exercise chapter pushes this agenda， only at the end mentioning that the other benefits of exercise on health are excellent。 In the chapter on artificial sweeteners， the author uses low quality studies to support his arguments。 And， since Tim Spector is the co-founder of Zoe， a company that specialises in analysing the gut microbiota， I wonder how unbiased his views are。 These failings aside， this is a well researched book， written in an accessible style， and everyone would benefit from reading it。 。。。more
Adrian Hon
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Spector is a good writer and decent at distilling studies into understandable prose， but there are more than a few issues here。 He’s inconsistent in his attitude toward observational studies - too weak in some cases， convincing in others - and too speculative when talking about things he personally doesn’t like （e。g。 MSG）。 There are so many “on the other hands” in many chapters that it’s hard to know what he’s actually recommending， except for the fact that he knows better than everyone else。 It Spector is a good writer and decent at distilling studies into understandable prose， but there are more than a few issues here。 He’s inconsistent in his attitude toward observational studies - too weak in some cases， convincing in others - and too speculative when talking about things he personally doesn’t like （e。g。 MSG）。 There are so many “on the other hands” in many chapters that it’s hard to know what he’s actually recommending， except for the fact that he knows better than everyone else。 It would’ve been helpful if Spector wrote about his personal philosophy toward health and risk， which obviously informs his approach， but he either isn’t aware that he has one （he definitely does！） or for whatever reason is reluctant to share it， maybe because it seems unscientific。Still - lots of interesting stuff。 。。。more
DRN Millar
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Tim puts the medical spin on the things we have all heard about various foods。 From burnt toast killing us slowly to highly processed food and sugar loaded soft drinks he reviews each area， gives the current political， media and or medical views and thoughts but leaves the choice on what to do next to you。
Vivien
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3。5
Julie
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A decent book， but no new information。 He Also argues against biases and industry lobbyists， yet he has his own hefty conflicts of interest to skew his opinion。
Tara Schaafsma
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Did not finish。 Not interested after first chapter。
Julie
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Tim Spector did a great job in debunking a lot of myths。 I personally think it's important that authors who share scientific data show both kinds of results of studies which gives a more complex than just saying don't drink bottled water。 For me it gave me a really good introduction into the problems of bottled water， meat and veganism， salt and supplements。 I also liked his focus on gut health and the lack of nutrition courses in med school！I personally want to reduce my intake of processed foo Tim Spector did a great job in debunking a lot of myths。 I personally think it's important that authors who share scientific data show both kinds of results of studies which gives a more complex than just saying don't drink bottled water。 For me it gave me a really good introduction into the problems of bottled water， meat and veganism， salt and supplements。 I also liked his focus on gut health and the lack of nutrition courses in med school！I personally want to reduce my intake of processed food and meat in the future and I also ordered a new glass water bottle because of this book。 I highly recommend it to everyone！ 。。。more
Abigail
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I agree with his overall premise that highly processed foods are bad and food companies are behind many terrible dietary advice so as to make more money， but some of his claims were very surface level and the so called science to back it up wasn't very strong。 Occasionally I found him contradictory too， so by the end of the book I didn't really feel I could trust everything he said。 I agree with his overall premise that highly processed foods are bad and food companies are behind many terrible dietary advice so as to make more money， but some of his claims were very surface level and the so called science to back it up wasn't very strong。 Occasionally I found him contradictory too， so by the end of the book I didn't really feel I could trust everything he said。 。。。more
Jaishree
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*3。5
Amanda Rogmark
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It isn't a bad book per say and it has a lot of interesting information regarding everyday myths we have grown up to believe。 However it gets a bit repetitive and the talk about your gut microbe （where tim in inverted in the Zoe company and offers tests） i feel is a bit of a plug in It isn't a bad book per say and it has a lot of interesting information regarding everyday myths we have grown up to believe。 However it gets a bit repetitive and the talk about your gut microbe （where tim in inverted in the Zoe company and offers tests） i feel is a bit of a plug in 。。。more
Ruhi Dang
，
While the essence of this book boils down to 'eat diverse foods， mostly vegetables'， there's a lot to learn from these pages。 I'm obsessed with clean eating and take pride in knowing deeply about every piece of food that enters my mouth and yet， this book was somewhat eye opening。 It offers amazing insight into food， health and the organizations that make money by feeding us chemicals。 Overall， it's written well （I'd rate it a 7/10） and the chapters are all bite-sized and easy to grasp。 While it While the essence of this book boils down to 'eat diverse foods， mostly vegetables'， there's a lot to learn from these pages。 I'm obsessed with clean eating and take pride in knowing deeply about every piece of food that enters my mouth and yet， this book was somewhat eye opening。 It offers amazing insight into food， health and the organizations that make money by feeding us chemicals。 Overall， it's written well （I'd rate it a 7/10） and the chapters are all bite-sized and easy to grasp。 While it reads like 12 blog posts stitched together， it doesn't take away the value of what's being said。 。。。more
Evelina Rimkute
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