How Food Works: The Facts Visually Explained by D.K. Publishing

How Food Works: The Facts Visually Explained Reviews

• 
  Scout Collins

  Gorgeous, but sometimes misleading/incorrect/false infographic-type book. 90% is informative, well designed and interesting to the reader. 10% touts questionable information as fact.
  
  Examples:
  
  Fluoride
  "Helps keep our bones and teeth strong. Lack of fluoride may lead to an increase in tooth decay." (35)
  >> Actually, a quick Google search reveals a Harvard Dental School study found a correlation between fluoride and osteosarcoma (bone cancer). Hmm. It's already questionable for teeth health. Don't think you should be advocating fluoride for bone health then.
  
  Dairy
  "Milk and lactose
  Humans are unique among mammals in continuing to consume milk after infancy, but our ability to cope... with the milk-sugar (lactose) opens up for us a delicious and nutritious world of dairy products." (84)
  >> Was this book sponsored by the dairy industry!? Huh?
  
  Alternative Diets
  "Underutilized foods
  In some cases, this may mean overcoming cultural norms about what things are considered acceptable to eat and what are viewed as disgusting--grubs, in many Western countries, for instance--or "cute," such as pet animals." (148)
  >> Really! Let's all eat our pets for dinner. Great idea! *Sarcasm*
  
  Cancer
  "Experts believe 1 in 10 cancer cases could be prevented by healthy diets." (218).
  >> Where did they get that from? Do these experts not realize the HUGE connection between diet and cancer?
  
  Babies and Children
  "9-12 months: Meat, fish and dairy should now form part of the diet" (222)
  "2-5 years:
  Fruit juice can be given with a meal, once a day
  Breakfast cereal is a good way to combine grains and dairy in a meal" (223)
  >> Fruit juice and cereal aren't healthy and should not be recommended for meals. They are chock full of sugar, among other bad things (glyphosate in the wheat, GMOs in the cereal, etc.)
  
  Genetically Modified Foods
  "Should GM foods be labelled?
  This is subject to fierce debate. Advocates say it gives consumers more control and choice, but critics argue that consumers are not sufficiently informed to make rational choices." (242)
  "Despite the flourishing culture of Anti-GM food opinion and activism, there are no well-supported or scientifically respectable large-scale studies to support claims that GM foods pose a risk to human health. The rational counterargument is that GM foods comprise a colossal public health experiment without informed consent and with unknown long-term outcomes. The spread of new, altered genes into wild populations also has unknown effects on the environment. Meanwhile, the food industry has moved on without waiting for the debate to settle--GM foods are commonplace in countries such as the US." (243)
  
  The GMO page really pissed me off. As a pro-labelling and skeptical of GMOs consumer, the book's stance was pro-GMO and pro-Not-Giving-Necessary-Facts-To-Make-An-Informed-Decision.
  
  Hard to read, but my comments:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  In conclusion, this book looks nice and is mostly correct. But it is often hypocritical, claiming "this side of the argument has no studies, facts or proof" but then claiming things that also have no studies, facts, or proof other than corporate crap.
  
  If you are wary of the pages I mentioned, and you realize you should think critically and be skeptical of this information, then I would recommend this book to you.
• 
  Mihai Mihalachi

  Suntem ceea ce mîncăm!
  
  Nu are rost să spun prea multe. Trebuie citită de toți. Informațiile sunt prezentate simplu și ilustrațiile ajută la memorare. Am învățat multe despre tipurile de alimente, banala apă și aportul ei, proteine, carbohidrați, vitamine, minerale, grăsimi, fibre, aditivi, gătit, mituri, diete, colesterol, băuturi, fraude alimentare dar și curiozități care te șochează. Mi-e foame. Mă duc să iau un măr verde.
  
  
• 
  Alison

  Another wonderful DK book, with loads of information, simple to understand facts and diagrams, and also looks more into food than just food, but also looking at the environmental impact, human impact, food trends, diets and nutritional health. Was impressed with the more environmental and healthy stance of the articles. A really good book for students to get their heads around the basic information of what makes food, food.
• 
  Olivia Victorius

  I love to understand about nutrition and about what we eat everyday. This book is the gun! It shows everything we need to know from a-z packed nicely in a book. Great for beginner who wants to understand about nutrition. Worth every penny.
• 
  Arshad Pooloo

  As with of books from this publisher, this one too contains well researched facts that are beautifully presented. This is the kind of information I believe should be accessible to everyone especially from a very young age. The book is filled with visual guides and loads of useful information that can benefit anyone who takes time to learn these stuffs about nutrition.
  
  The book is split into 6 parts namely:
  1. Food Fundamentals
  2. Storing and Cooking
  3. Types of Food
  4. Drinks
  5. Diets
  6. Food and Environment
  
  Some interesting things to learn from the very first chapter:
  1. The body needs to constantly build and maintain cells
  2. Carbohydrates, Water, Minerals, Protein, Fats and Vitamins are essential to the body
  3. Not everyone respond the same way to external hunger cues. This has to do with the hormone called leptin. Some people are less sensitive to this hormone which signals to the brain that we are full.
  4. Ghrelin is also known as the hunger hormone and rises in level inside our body when our stomach has been empty for long.
  5. Food on plane are fine. They taste bland because the air in the plane is dry thereby interfering with the ability of our taste and smell receptors to detect molecules.
  6. Unrefined starches such as whole grain and pulses are better than refined starches like white rice, cakes as they break down more slowly, releasing energy over time, keeping you feeling full for longer.
  7. The liver is extremely important and stores excess carbs as glycogen for later use.
  8. Protein are extremely versatile, On a molecular level, when protein are broken down, they are actually amino acids. They can combine into different blocks for different crucial activities in our body. They help with the build-up and maintenance of neurotransmitters, muscle, cell membrane, hormone and DNA.
  9. Fats are important to a healthy diet however Hydrogenated/Trans Fats have been linked to lots of health issues and we need to avoid those.
  10. Some vitamins Fat soluble that is they are not absorbed properly in the body unless consumed with some fats. Those are vitamins A, D, E and K
  11. Some vitamins dissolve in water (found mostly in fruits and vegetables). Those are vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12 and C
  12. The body needs minerals as well such as chloride, sodium, magnesium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and even sulphur to function properly. Some such as copper, fluoride, manganese, cobalt, Iodine, Zinc, Iron and Selenium are needed as well but in tiny amounts. Deficiency of these can cause various issues to the body including tiredness and nausea.
  13. Drinking water is good however there is such a thing as drinking too much water. One should not drink excess water at one go, this can cause swollen brain cells which manifest in the form of headaches, dizziness and confusion. In extreme cases, this can lead to death.
  
  
  I thoroughly enjoyed the book, it is mostly up to date with its information, presenting arguments from both sides on topics that are polarizing such as supplements. I also loved that when there are limited or conflicting evidences, unproven claims or when some research results came from mice exclusively, they presented it as such. I also enjoyed learning about the history of some products such as fizzy drinks, which were transported in vehicles that are required to have hazard waning symbols for highly corrosive materials, or that they first began as health tonics. Fun fact, cola drinks literally had cocaine in them until 1904.
  
  The most important chapter according to me is the one on Diet. To conclude, this is a book for anyone who cares enough about what goes inside their body.
• 
  Mei | bookswandering

  4.5/5
  hình ảnh minh họa quá đẹp, thông tin khá thú vị và đầy đủ, có mấy cái myths cũng được làm rõ, điểm trừ chắc là bị ngộp vì quá nhiều dữ liệu =))) nên mất tận mấy tháng mới đọc xong vì hơi nản ý =)) ai muốn tìm hiểu thêm về thực phẩm, ngành công nghiệp chế biến, các chế độ ăn thì quyển này khá bao quát và dễ vào nè
• 
  Akbar Madan

  
  ‎ The primary elements that man needs, such as food of all kinds, have important characteristics that through their knowledge, man can benefit from them and stay away from harmful ones. This book contains a detailed explanation about food in all its forms and forms and how to use it in the best way, as well as presenting the forms of modern agriculture through the use of technology. Scientific and genetics in improving healthy food resources.
• 
  HueLe

  (Rất) nhiều thông tin được diễn tả một cách sinh động, trong đó một số lượm lặt nho nhỏ để mình có thể áp dụng vào cuộc sống:
  - Chế độ ăn cân bằng khác nhau ở các quốc gia nhưng tóm lại: Cần ăn nhiều trái cây, rau củ quả và hạt (ăn đủ 5 màu: xanh, cam, đỏ, vàng, tím); Sữa nên uống lượng vừa phải; Nên sử dụng dầu oliu
  - Khi ăn đồ cay thì uống nước nóng không hết cay do chất gây cay không tan trong nước mà tan trong chất béo (VD: sữa)
  - Một số vitamin chỉ tan trong chất béo nên thường được uống trong bữa ăn như Vitamin E
  - Hạt chia rất nhiều chất xơ
  - Nên ăn quả bơ (được đánh giá là siêu thực phẩm)
  - Hạn chế ăn thực phẩm từ gia súc vì quá trình sản xuất để lại nhiều dấu vết C02, nên ăn hải sản, tuy nhiên không nên ăn hải sản lớn (ở đầu chuỗi thức ăn do hàm lượng kim loại nặng tích tụ cao)
  - Chế độ ăn của người dân Địa Trung Hải đến nay vẫn được đánh giá là lành mạnh nhất
• 
  Urbandale Library

  Everything one could ever want to understand food. This book is well organized with bite-sized (get it?) chunks of information. It is peppered with infographics, as well. Although this book is found in our juvenile area, adults will find lots of useful information from nutrition facts to storing and cooking and how environmental choices affect food. I couldn’t sit down and read this straight through but in bits and pieces, it was quite interesting and helped me grow my food knowledge.
  
  
• 
  Dachokie

  Effectively Simplifies Essential Information …
  
  This book was reviewed as part of Amazon's Vine program which included a free copy of the book.
  
  With all the “advice” we receive daily regarding the benefits of “healthy eating”, the more I realize how uninformed most of us are on what we really need in order to be healthy. Words like “organic” and “natural” sound safe enough, but are they really that beneficial or simply effective marketing tools? What about those nutrition boxes? Do most people understand what all that information actually means? Do fad diets work? Is fat really THAT bad? It is easy to simply accept what we’re told as being fact without question. HOW FOOD WORKS is a wonderful tool that actually breaks down the science of food and how the human body processes it.
  
  I confess that I am a big fan of DK’s effective presentation when analyzing a topic and own several books. HOW FOOD WORKS is a little different from the other books I own. Instead of the trademark coffee-table sized encyclopedia edition that is chock full of amazingly detailed photos, this book is smaller and provides animated graphics instead of actual photos. Nonetheless, the end result is the same … an engaging book that that is both entertaining and educational.
  
  What I like about this book is that it really simplifies almost every facet of human interaction with food. The information inside allows you to make more informed decisions and actually understand what all that gibberish on a nutrition label actually means. Broken down into six chapters (Food Fundamentals, Storing/Cooking, Food Types, Drinks, Diets, Food and Environment), HOW FOOD WORKS covers just about every issue you can imagine. Each chapter addresses a list of topics pertaining to the chapter’s subject matter. The entries are presented in a well-structured two-page “capsules” that are easy to digest (pun intended). The text, graphics, insets and charts within each “capsule” makes the information covered so easy to understand. This book is suitable for all ages and both adults and children will find it appealing/interesting.
  
  I would consider HOW FOOD WORKS a valuable asset for any household as the information it covers is important and applies to everyone. The format and size of this book make it a convenient resource without being cumbersome. The presentation is effective and actually makes learning the science of food entertaining.
  
• 
  Tuyet Lan

  Tiêu đề của sách có thể khiến nhiều người xem nhẹ, nhưng nội dung sách không chỉ về thực phẩm, mà cung cấp đầy đủ các kiến thức khác như: cơ chế tiêu hóa, chuyển hóa hấp thụ các chất trong cơ thể; tin đồn và sự thật của các siêu thực phẩm, chế độ ăn uống và luyện tập, các nguy cơ sức khỏe liên quan đến ăn uống; ngành công nghiệp thực phẩm, trách nhiệm sản xuất và tiêu thụ và bảo vệ môi trường...
  Điểm thu hút nhất của cuốn sách này là các thông tin được trình bày bằng các infographic rất sinh động, dễ theo dõi.
  Cuốn sách này sẽ bổ sung kiến thức rất tốt cho học sinh cấp 2 trong môn sinh học. Người lớn đọc cũng rất thú vị.
  
  Mục lục và vài chi tiết thú vị mình có ghi lại ở dây:
  
• 
  Cristian Cazan

  How a food works it’s a book that explains the basics of the nutrition on multiple plans ( what are the micro/macro nutrients, food categories, different types of diets spread across the world, etc. )
  This is a book from which I have learnt many things that I did not know about those topics, but it also contains some terms with which I’m not used and it’s hard to remeber all of them.
• 
  Patris

  You are what you EAT
  You are what you READ
• 
  Johnnysbookreviews

  Always fascinated with food and how it impacts us, so that's why I skimmed this book. The average sugar consumed per person per year is 140 lbs. That's absurd, which is why I tend to cut down as much sugar as I can. I do have a sweet tooth, so this feat is a little hard to do. 
  
  
  I got a ton of information in this book. Like Tools of Titans, I will com back to this book over and over again and will learn something new each time. This is how I remember a lot of information as I don't read books with a lot of facts and figures cover to cover. I read a couple sections as this helps me remember information from those books. 
  
  Powerful book. It also provided a section that scared me. In developed countries like U.S., we don't have a malnutrition problem since we have a ton of food. However, most humans might have a vitamin or mineral deficiency as fast food and microwave meals have been the norm. A normal diet with fruit and vegetables has to be the focus. Like what's in Blue Zones, the meat can't be the focus. The focus has to be vegetables, beans, fruit, and nuts. Protein or meat as a side dish and not the main dish. Dan Buetnner discovered this habit when he went to the Blue Zones in this world where these zones contain the oldest living people on Earth (talking 110 years old). Nutrition was the big thing I got from the book to focus on as it is hard to not stop by BK, Pizza Hut, or wherever else after work.
• 
  Book Grocer

  
  Purchase How Food Works here for just $15!
  
  This is a great book for anyone interested in nutrition, health, and food in general. Very informative, easy to understand and follow, with plenty of pictures, diagrams and graphics. A great reference book that is suitable for both adults and the younger generation.
  
  Alicia - The Book Grocer
• 
  Analie

  "Mushrooms are neither animal OR plant." That is just one of the fascinating little trivia facts in this book. The large, colorful pictures made learning nutrition fun, and there was just enough current science to engage my attention without going over my head. I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys food science or just wants to learn how to care for their body better and understand labels on food products.
• 
  MP

  Biết cuốn này lâu rồi nhưng chưa có dịp đọc.
  
  Hôm nay đi Nhã Nam tình cờ thấy em nó nên chộp liền.
  
  Sách có nhiều hình minh họa đẹp, full màu và giải thích khá chi tiết về chuyện ăn uống, tiêu hoá của chúng ta.
  
  Là 1 kẻ ngoại đạo, bản thân thấy sách viết tương đối dễ hiểu đối vs 1 cuốn cung cấp quá nhiều kiến thức mới và phức tạp.
  
  Ai quan tâm đến dinh dưỡng thì PHẢI ngó qua cuốn này.
• 
  Ruben Giró

  Molta informació, tota en infografies, molts detalls.
• 
  Kathryn

  I learned quite a bit about food processing and additives! Other than that, it’s a pretty basic book about nutrition with stunning illustrations.
• 
  Elena Ocenic

  This is by far the best nutrition book I've ever seen, not only because of the graphics. Even the most passionate healthy nutrition advocate in my family agrees.
• 
  Zainab Hameed

  One of the best books I've ever read
• 
  Keira

  Great recap of basic biology from back in high school and some new information.
• 
  Diana

  It is a good indroduction fot those who don't know much about how it works 👍🏻
• 
  Lulu

  
  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
• 
  Thang Pham

  Thức ăn là nhiên liệu của cuộc sống. Sách dễ hiểu, dễ nhớ, dễ thương.