Dietary-Supplements Books

Mary Frost goes into soil depletion, pestiside and fungiside contamination and toxicity, pasturization, processed foods, fatty acids, vitamins, the FDA, and the importance of whole food supplements. Her book has an edge to it, but is well deserved and well needed. I agree with her that the public needs to wake up and smell the MTBE in our coffee. Good for her. I love this book and will recommend it to all of the people in my life, patients and students alike.

Well Written with Intelligence and Compassion
5 Stars All the Way!

Mary Frost doesn't waste time with meaningless filler or techno-babble. Going Back to the Basics of Human Health is packed with insightful knowledge about how the human body is designed to process the food we eat... and what that food is supposed to contain... in a short, easy to read layout.

She compares today's foods with those that were available in the 1940's and 50's... citing that fruits and vegetables of today contain only a fraction of the nutrients that were available in the same foods only a few decades ago.

Mary Frost uses layman terminology to describe an otherwise difficult relationship between our health and our food. For example, in a mere 4 paragraphs, she is able to debunk the myth of "good and bad" cholesterol and define the role cholesterol "actually" plays in our bodies... all in a manner that is completely understandable. She continues the debunking adventure by thoroughly explaining why low protein / high carbohydrate diets can't maintain optimum health and how they can actually lead to numerous problems when used over long periods of time.

The book is short enough to read in one night, but packed with enough information that you'll want to read it again and again. I highly recommend Going Back to the Basics of Human Health by Mary Frost.

As a practicing chiropractor and nutritionist for 20 years, I commonly find the majority of people confused about nutriton and diet. In an age where media and news provides false information, that's not surprising.

People are walking time bombs! The majority of the public has no idea of what nutrition really should be, nor do they have any control over their eating habits.

With the incidence of obesity and diabetes soaring in our population, I predict that in less than five years, we'll have one of the sickest populations, if not the sickest, on this planet.

Mary Frost unravels the untruths, the half-truths and the hidden politics behind our sick society and arms you with facts that will change your thinking on what you put into your mouth.

If you'd like a real basic book on nutrition that's easy to read and has TRUTHFUL information, this is it. Now in it's fifth printing, it's a book that you can't afford to miss.

Get it today so that you don't become a statistic!

You can tell from reading this book that Mary Frost has no scientific background and no understanding of biochemistry or nutritional science. The science in this book is at the same level as whomever is spreading the urban myth of canola oil causing cows, sheep, and pigs to go blind and then attack people. Avoid being sucked in by this fake science. Mind you, finding good general nutrition books is difficult and I sympathize with those that are looking for straight facts on nutrition. A good place to start may be Walter Willett's "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy."

This book held a lot of valuable information. I think that everyone should read a book similar to this. The book discusses suggested pre, during, and post work-out nutrition. However, I felt the book could have been condensed into about 40 pages. The authors repeated themselves a lot and there were many sections I could skip over in the book. It seemed like they finished a book that was too short for their liking so they just added the same information they already presented into different sections.

New sports nutrition books seem to show up every week, so it is easy to be skeptical of each new one. But Ivy and Portman have put together one terrific book that unites nutrition and performance with sound (but not overwhelming) science giving very practical advice on the use of nutrition to improve exercise performance. Put both this and their companion book, Nutrient Timing, on the bookshelf and forget all those other books. No matter if you are a lifter or a runner, these will be all you need.

There are many books about sports nutrition, but very few that focus specifically on nutrition during exercise. In fact, to my knowledge there were none until this one came along. The Performance Zone, written by exercise physiologist John Ivy, Ph.D., and biochemist Robert Portman, Ph.D., fills a major informational void by providing athletes in all sports with detailed guidelines for fueling their bodies during training and competition.

The authors define "the performance zone" as a time interval that begins 30 minutes before exercise and ends 15 minutes after exercise. "Science clearly shows that the right combination of fluid and nutrients consumed within the Performance Zone will help you improve your athletic performance far more than the latest high-tech equipment or training device," they write. Ivy and Portman poured through hundreds of published research studies to determine exactly what and how much athletes should consume within this time period and on what kind of schedule.

Before they get to the practical recommendations, which make up the bulk of the book, the authors provide some interesting background on what happens inside the body during exercise and how "nutritional intervention" can help athletes prepare their body for activity, achieve optimal performance during the workout or competition, and recover quickly and thoroughly afterward.

Not surprisingly, Ivy and Portman conclude that a well-formulated sports drink is far superior to water or any other "natural" food or drink for use immediately before and during exercise. In Chapter 6, they attack the myth that all sports drinks are the same, pointing to significant differences in the formulations of various popular brands and explaining what they feel - based on the available science - is the ideal formulation.

The most useful part of The Performance Zone, Chapter 6 also shows how a simple calculation can show athletes exactly how much sports drink to consume based on their individual weight and activity. Endurance athletes in particular will find this calculation helpful, I believe. Triathletes and other endurance athletes are always struggling to find the right balance of fluid and carbohydrate intake. Ivy and Portman make the simple point - which, amazingly, I had never before read or heard anywhere else - that water loss and carbohydrate burning almost always occur in a fixed proportion during exercise: about 4.5 ounces per 100 calories. Nuggets like this really take the guesswork out of creating the proper fueling schedule.

The subject of post-exercise nutrition receives a similar treatment. The authors weigh the advantages and disadvantages of various recovery nutrition strategies ranging from "real food" to powdered drink mixes. Another simple formula allows athletes to calculate exactly how much water, carbohydrate, and protein they should consume within the post-exercise segment of the performance zone.

Nutritional needs and challenges and fueling opportunities vary from sport to sport. Understanding this fact, Ivy and Portman include a chapter in which a cavalcade of well-known professional athletes and coaches provide tips specific to each of a dozen sports. Among the contributors are mountain biking world champion Alison Dunlap and running coach Jeff Galloway. Parents and coaches of young athletes will probably get a lot out of this chapter. The final chapter, which discusses the drawbacks and dangers of a wide range of nutritional supplements and performance enhancing drugs, should be required reading for this audience, and for young athletes themselves.

All in all, The Performance Zone is an excellent resource with great practical value for athletes in all sports. As the authors point out in the book's first chapter, most athletes simply are not doing what the latest science suggests they out to be doing in terms of fueling their bodies before, during, and immediately following exercise. The Performance Zone promises to correct this problem one athlete at a time.

Although this book contains good information, it is tinted by the fact that one of the authors, Robert Portman, sells sports nutrition products. As a result, the impression is that the goal of this book is to prove that Mr. Portman's products are the best. Maybe they are but then, it would be more credible if the book was written by independent researchers.

Noni juice and products have been on the market for awhile with distributing companies touting its efficacy for health issues. However I had not found any directives on how much to take until now. The information for taking the juice, i.e., how much and when is much appreciated. The reason I gave three stars is that I think the book is overpriced for the size of it. It really seems that the case study information was thrown in to flush out the book so that it is larger for the price. The key information providing suggested dosages and when to take it is on a few pages at the back of the book. Two dollars less in the cost would be about right at today's book prices for what is virtually a pamphlet.

I got this for my mother-in-law who is now 89. She swears by it. Said it made her "regular".

This book is an A-Z listing of Dr. Cooper's recommendations for vitamins, minerals, specific foods, supplemental foods, disease conditions, and related items. For each item, Cooper gives the following: Basic Nutritional Therapy, Extra Scientific Information, Special Food Sources, Therapy Recommendations, and Cross-References to related entries.

The information is presented in an easy to understand format. A table of context gives the page numbers for each entry. However, it is hard to find items by flipping though the pages as the publisher did not put identifying markers at the top of each page, like the item or letter covered on the page. So one has to keep turning pages to where the next entry begins to find out where in the alphabet you are. And flipping back and forth to the table of contents is tedious.

But these format problems aside, the information presented is rather good. Cooper provides sound recommendations on each of the items. And the scientific research given enables the reader to decide for yourself if Cooper's recommendations are correct. In fact, this research is so helpful that I cite some of it in my book "Creationist Diet: Nutrition and God-given Foods According to the Bible." I also have referred back to Cooper's book many times for personal information.

For instance, I have multiple allergies. And I have read in several "natural healing" sources that licorice is good for allergies. But I am glad I read Cooper's entry on licorice before trying it. He cites evidence that taking licorice for prolonged periods in the amounts I've seen recommended can raise one's blood pressure. As a result, Cooper recommends, "that everyone stay away from it" (p.273). And I think I will head this advice. I don't need high blood pressure on top of my allergies!

An interesting guide to mind-altering or mind-enhancing substances from the legal, such as vitamin C or rosemary to the illegal, such as marijuana or LSD. The entries vary in length; some are very short (a few sentences) and some are pages long. The author gives AKAs, effects, precautions and dosages, but not for every entry. This book is not as detailed and complete as a Herbal PDR, but still an interesting book fun to browse and written in layman's language.

Very good book. Dr Murphree explains well what the medical community will not explain if they are not up-to-date with science.

This book by Mr. Howard is most helpfull and imformative on not only health foods but the industry itself.
His style of writing and his knowledge of self testing methods are unique and unmatched in health care today. Bravo, Mike

I am a Sport and Exercise scientist, who has designed a range of supplements. I was attracted to this book because one of the executive authors is Ira Wolinski. Wolinski was involved in researh, which showed that 170mg/kg bodyweight of L-Ornathine increased growth hormone levels.

( I later found out this was impractical, as it causes stomach upsets- I thought that possibly OKG might do the same thing, but with a lower dose. However I found out from the book that a trial showed it was inefective at raising GH at a 10g dose.)

I am glad I bought this book. It is crammed full of useful referenced material. Although it is expensive, it serves as an excellent research tool. Each chapter focuses on a particular supplement, written by experts in the field, with an overal summary and recommendation section, written by the executive authors. I would not recommend the book to those who are looking to find "magical" miracle supplements. This book is written, not to promote the use of supplements, but to give you detailed facts concerning a selection of supplements. (This may dissapoint those who are easily impressed with wild manufacturer's claims). I would have given the book 5 stars, had it not been for the high price (this is not a huge book)-
but I guess that is par for the course in regard to scientific publications. It is also the most recent publication of its type (contains more recent research. I will be mainly using the book to describe the mechanisms of action, by which the supplements and associated pathways work (this is very extensive)


I myself have compiled a large amount of research concerning supplements which have been proven to have ergogenic effects. Much of this research goes beyond this book. I am qute happy to provide help to anyone who is researching the efficacy of supplements. You can email me at: bfinesilver@yahoo.com

I bought this for a gift.It seems like a comprehensive book. I hope they like it.

I love the size loaded with usable information to share with others. I keep it in my purse for now, until I've shared it with those who may benefit(which is everyone I know!)