Strong Women Eat Well Review

Miriam Nelson achieved deserved fame when her original book, Strong Women Stay Young was published in 1997. It detailed Dr. Nelson's pioneering studies at Tufts University, in which elderly, frail women regained energy, balance and strength through lifting weights. Dr. Nelson's research also showed that a strength-training regimen could help women lose weight and prevent osteoporosis, as explained in two more books called Strong Women Stay Slim and Strong Women, Strong Bones.

Now Dr. Nelson has published a general nutrition guide called Strong Women Eat Well. (It has nothing to do with strength-training—the words "Strong Women" are just a publishing device to tie the book into her previous successes.) Her basic message is "that optimal health and pleasure in eating are best achieved through a varied diet of mostly whole foods" and that "eating larger quantities of nutritionally deficient food is not the way to go." It's mainstream nutrition advice, but of course still useful, since most Americans don't yet follow these basic truths.

A few sections of Strong Women Eat Well are especially good. In her chapter on grains, Nelson nails the question of whether low-carb or high-carb diets are better with one sentence: "The main paradox in the controversy over grain is that refined grains can actually cause the same diseases that whole grains help to prevent." She goes on to explain the vast differences in how the body uses refined and whole grains, with a good explanation of the Glycemic Index and a summary of the important nutrients in unrefined grains. The section on soy is also good, detailing the huge increase in nutritional research on soy since 1994 and throwing in some fun facts about Henry Ford who was (who knew?) a soy fanatic. I also enjoyed some of the information in "What's in Your Food?" a discussion of environmental issues with our food supply, and appreciated Nelson's eclectic list of Resources at the back of the book.

Unfortunately, Nelson's book is seriously marred by errors and inconsistencies. I can imagine that this talented but busy woman was asked by her publisher to crank out yet another book in the "Strong Women" series—but was too consumed by three young kids, important research and appearances on Oprah and Good Morning America to do it justice. The facts and the basic message are here, but we're left with a scattered, incohesive book that would have been better with a few more rounds of careful editing.

A few of many examples (to help Dr. Nelson edit the next edition!):

• The table on p. 105 lists protein and caloric values for 4 oz. of chicken, lamb and pork, but states they are for just 1 oz; somehow beef and fish are listed correctly at 4 oz. Further on in the same table, there's no quantity for bulgur—did the publisher even proof this book?
• In an otherwise useful chapter on water, Nelson says "filtration systems don't necessarily make water safer...they seem to be useful in removing chlorine, heavy metals such as mercury, and organic contaminants." I would think that not drinking mercury would be safer than drinking it; Nelson doesn't clarify the apparent contradiction.
• Nelson alternates between the acronyms GE (genetically engineered) and GM (genetically modified) without explaining the difference, if any, between them. This makes her information on this controversial topic rather confusing. Overall, she advocates eating lots of soy products, warns that GE/GM products may be risky, tells us 50% of the soybean crop is GE/GM—but doesn't tell us how to eat more soy without encountering GE/GM beans.
• She cites actual studies (good) but sometimes does so in "hit and run" fashion (bad), throwing out factoids without context or explanation. For instance, in an effort to say that moderation is good and we mustn't all turn into food Nazis, Nelson refers (p. 150) to a study that says Harvard alumni who ate some candy lived longer than those who ate none or those who ate a lot. But she never says what kind of candy, how much, or why this is so. We're left wondering if the candy eaters just happened to be the ones who exercised, or if some other more believable variable co-existed.

Even once the book's many contradictions are clarified, some of today's leading nutritional researchers will take issue with Nelson's support (albeit slightly qualified) for the USDA's Food Guide Pyramid (FGP). While it's true that most Americans would eat better if they followed the FGP, that fact only illustrates how wretchedly most of our fellow citizens eat. Dr. Walter Willett, Harvard researcher and author of Eat, Drink and Be Healthy, says "the USDA pyramid has gotta go" and that long-term research shows those who follow the FGP do NOT have the best overall health. (He advocates a new pyramid, which I'll explain when I review his book.)

Nelson, in contrast, seems to be more interested in meeting readers where they are instead of where they would ideally be. She explains the superiority of whole grains—then backs off to suggest that it's okay if 1/4 to 1/2 of the grains we eat are refined. She lumps fats with salt and sugar in a sort of "nasty bits" chapter, helping perpetuate the myth that all fats are bad and burying her useful information on good fats. Good intentions no doubt: Nelson wants to avoid shocking readers with too radical a program. But the result, especially along with Nelson's contradictions and errors, is that readers may be left even more confused than when they started.

If this review seems overly critical it's because I've long admired Miriam Nelson as a leader in her profession and a role model for professional working mothers. It's disappointing to see her succomb to publishing pressure to put out a book that is not up to her standards. Slow down the pace, Dr. Nelson, and convince your publisher to proof and edit more carefully. We look forward to an improved second edition of Strong Women Eat Well sometime in the future.

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Review © 2002 Cynthia Harriman.
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