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amylee218's review
3.0
I had a mixed reaction to this book. The beginning, which talked about the history of how our modern processed food system evolved, was interesting. It was when he spoke of proposed solutions that I started to disagree. Probably because I fundamentally agree with him on what constitutes a healthy food or drink. When he asked if a parent should give their child a sugar-sweetened soda or an artificially-sweetened one that has fewer calories, my reaction was why are you giving your child either one? I also have a bit of an issue with his idea of adding things to foods and not telling the consumer. Adding soybean husks to a food to lower fat and cholesterol may seem benign, until someone with an allergy unknowingly consumes it and has a reaction. I get the appeal of Stealth Health (used it on my kids all the time) but there are limits to what should be done to our food behind our backs. Also, while I do agree that the big food processors/restaurants need to make changes, I think that his approach takes personal responsibility away from the consumers who are eating this food.
dreesreads's review
1.0
Oh where to begin. The first half of this book is actually fairly interesting--through about chapter 9. The earlier chapters are the most interesting (or I may have given up in disgust!). Chapters 11-13 are horrible. Actually, they are frightening.
Essentially (without complete and total spoilers as to his arguments, which I find weak anyway), Cardello feels Americans are fat because marketers must be greedy (as per what their job is) and regular people are stupid. Regular people can't be expected to stand up to marketing geniuses and say "No! Don't Supersize my meal!" or to think "I am full now, so I will stop even though I have half a bag left." Regular people can't be expected to NOT order a Monster Thickburger with giant fries and drink because they are so yummy! Regular people are lemmings.
Because Americans are stupid and companies must make money, his solution is what he calls "Stealth Health"--corporations should be sneaking omega 3s into hot dogs and better oils into french fries and vitamins into soda. And Americans shouldn't be told about it. Just like cookbooks that advocate sneaking veggies into your kids in muffins and marinara. I don't believe in tricking my kids--and they LIKE veggies (some more than others). I want them to be adults who can happily eat veggies too, and not never eat them without someone pureeing spinach into chocolate muffins.
Even better, he advocates artificial sweeteners. Yes, the man thinks chemicals are the answer. Because Americans should be able to eat and drink however much of whatever they want whenever they want! But fabulous new low-cal artificial sweeteners and formulated oils that don't absorb will keep people healthy!
What a weirdo.
Personally, I think Americans are fat because 1) Americans are greedy. We are drowning in credit card debt, having homes foreclosed on because we cashed out to buy a boat or fabulous vacations or gambled on ARMs (and now want the gov't to "fix" it--are we going to bail out losers in Vegas too?), and are fat. It's all about greed. We want more than is good for our waistlines, more home than we can afford, and anything we see. We are all greedy--not just the marketers. All of us. And, 2) just like Americans don't understand compounding interest, don't get what rolling the rest of an old car loan into a new one means, don't get how when you supersize a meal, you aren't "saving" 40 cents, you are SPENDING 50 cents you weren't going to spend. It's NOT a great deal if you didn't need it (and no one does, unless you are actually splitting it in half with someone else--or maybe even 2 others).
All of this should be taught in 8th or 9th grade. Compounding interest, how credit cards work, how ARMs work, how marketers get us to spend extra money and make us think we're saving, how serving size is manipulated on packaging. Basic math. The math everyone needs way more than calculus.
On top of the content, the writing is odd (and he had a writer!). Reading this book is like reading a keynote address.
The best part of the book? The image on the cover. It's awesome.
Essentially (without complete and total spoilers as to his arguments, which I find weak anyway), Cardello feels Americans are fat because marketers must be greedy (as per what their job is) and regular people are stupid. Regular people can't be expected to stand up to marketing geniuses and say "No! Don't Supersize my meal!" or to think "I am full now, so I will stop even though I have half a bag left." Regular people can't be expected to NOT order a Monster Thickburger with giant fries and drink because they are so yummy! Regular people are lemmings.
Because Americans are stupid and companies must make money, his solution is what he calls "Stealth Health"--corporations should be sneaking omega 3s into hot dogs and better oils into french fries and vitamins into soda. And Americans shouldn't be told about it. Just like cookbooks that advocate sneaking veggies into your kids in muffins and marinara. I don't believe in tricking my kids--and they LIKE veggies (some more than others). I want them to be adults who can happily eat veggies too, and not never eat them without someone pureeing spinach into chocolate muffins.
Even better, he advocates artificial sweeteners. Yes, the man thinks chemicals are the answer. Because Americans should be able to eat and drink however much of whatever they want whenever they want! But fabulous new low-cal artificial sweeteners and formulated oils that don't absorb will keep people healthy!
What a weirdo.
Personally, I think Americans are fat because 1) Americans are greedy. We are drowning in credit card debt, having homes foreclosed on because we cashed out to buy a boat or fabulous vacations or gambled on ARMs (and now want the gov't to "fix" it--are we going to bail out losers in Vegas too?), and are fat. It's all about greed. We want more than is good for our waistlines, more home than we can afford, and anything we see. We are all greedy--not just the marketers. All of us. And, 2) just like Americans don't understand compounding interest, don't get what rolling the rest of an old car loan into a new one means, don't get how when you supersize a meal, you aren't "saving" 40 cents, you are SPENDING 50 cents you weren't going to spend. It's NOT a great deal if you didn't need it (and no one does, unless you are actually splitting it in half with someone else--or maybe even 2 others).
All of this should be taught in 8th or 9th grade. Compounding interest, how credit cards work, how ARMs work, how marketers get us to spend extra money and make us think we're saving, how serving size is manipulated on packaging. Basic math. The math everyone needs way more than calculus.
On top of the content, the writing is odd (and he had a writer!). Reading this book is like reading a keynote address.
The best part of the book? The image on the cover. It's awesome.
bibliokris's review
4.0
Written by a former food industry executive, this was an interesting book--wasn't written by someone who asks the reader to give up all of their favorite foods--he asks the companies to get smarter about adding nutrition to their foods (McDonalds, Little Debbies, General Mills, etc.)--and he takes the Stealth Health approach (like Mrs. Seinfeld's book, Deceptively Delicious)--he believes restaurants & food cos should just take out as much fat and salt and sugar as possible (w/o changing the taste) and not tell anyone. Just let folks find out for themselves that they've been eating healthier foods and then they'll become healthier.
Hmm. I can't see too many companies changing their products w/o telling the public they're doing something good--although some would, in order to escape controversy. It'll be interesting if companies begin doing this. I could see this approach being more successful w/ restaurants rather than w/ boxed food--the public's become more sophisticated about reading labels and understanding what's in there.
Something has to be done; I just don't know whether this idea will have much traction. It really is a combo of the restaurants, food cos., gov't and the consumer making health a greater issue. Our obesity epidemic is unavoidable.
Hmm. I can't see too many companies changing their products w/o telling the public they're doing something good--although some would, in order to escape controversy. It'll be interesting if companies begin doing this. I could see this approach being more successful w/ restaurants rather than w/ boxed food--the public's become more sophisticated about reading labels and understanding what's in there.
Something has to be done; I just don't know whether this idea will have much traction. It really is a combo of the restaurants, food cos., gov't and the consumer making health a greater issue. Our obesity epidemic is unavoidable.
llynn66's review
3.0
I hovered between 2 stars and 3 for this title. It was obvious that the author was not a writer, but had expertise in other areas and some valuable information to put out there. Some of the material became repetitive and I was not sure this was a style device (to underscore points and sum up material at the end of chapters) or if it was mainly a way to stretch the content into a book. In my estimation, Hank Cardello had a little too much to say to limit himself to an article but not quite enough material for a full length book. However, I am glad he did choose to go with a book format because I am convinced the average American needs to get their head around certain systemic problems with the way we grow, package, transport, market and consume food in this country. We are a grossly dysfunctional food culture (despite the abundance of taste tingling treats we enjoy on a daily basis). It is making feel like crap, look like hell and it is killing us.
As someone who has become more and more interested in food quality, nutrition and cookery, I have read more than my share of articles or, more accurately, diatribes about the state of the American diet. Many of these Cassandras, who are urgently trying to warn us that we are eating ourselves to death, do not represent the average person in terms of palate, food ethics and level of nutritional knowledge. Thus, they come off as shrill or extremist. They propose lifestyle changes that are too dramatic for the time deprived and junk food addicted Joe or Jane Sixpack.
Cardello recognizes this and I believe this understanding of the real world needs and behavior patterns of consumers is the strength of his arguments. Cardello also has an insider's view of the world of Big Food. These companies have been around for decades, if not a century. They did not transform themselves into multinational cash cows by ignoring the desires of their customers. They historically cateri to the the 'wants' more than the nutritional "needs" of the folks who buy their products. Ditto with the fast food industry, the world of family-centric franchise restaurants and the like.
So, along with the usual warnings about how serious our obesity health crisis is, Cardello offers the reader some ideas about how restaurants, food corporations and government agencies can all make realistic and incremental changes that would result in food businesses continuing to make a profit while offering their customers healthier products.
The eyes of the reader who is less versed in the realities of what we eat in America will be especially opened by some of the points about how foods are marketed to us in grocery stores and how the enormous portion sizes we take for granted as "normal" are actually grossly abnormal and far more than anyone should be eating at one meal.
Stuffed is a less "radical" read than Fast Food Nation, or other titles from the Supersize Me school. It might be a good rational starting point for the reader who is not yet ready to fully embrace a more "radical" eating style...one that is actually more moderate and sane than the way we are presently consuming food.
As someone who has become more and more interested in food quality, nutrition and cookery, I have read more than my share of articles or, more accurately, diatribes about the state of the American diet. Many of these Cassandras, who are urgently trying to warn us that we are eating ourselves to death, do not represent the average person in terms of palate, food ethics and level of nutritional knowledge. Thus, they come off as shrill or extremist. They propose lifestyle changes that are too dramatic for the time deprived and junk food addicted Joe or Jane Sixpack.
Cardello recognizes this and I believe this understanding of the real world needs and behavior patterns of consumers is the strength of his arguments. Cardello also has an insider's view of the world of Big Food. These companies have been around for decades, if not a century. They did not transform themselves into multinational cash cows by ignoring the desires of their customers. They historically cateri to the the 'wants' more than the nutritional "needs" of the folks who buy their products. Ditto with the fast food industry, the world of family-centric franchise restaurants and the like.
So, along with the usual warnings about how serious our obesity health crisis is, Cardello offers the reader some ideas about how restaurants, food corporations and government agencies can all make realistic and incremental changes that would result in food businesses continuing to make a profit while offering their customers healthier products.
The eyes of the reader who is less versed in the realities of what we eat in America will be especially opened by some of the points about how foods are marketed to us in grocery stores and how the enormous portion sizes we take for granted as "normal" are actually grossly abnormal and far more than anyone should be eating at one meal.
Stuffed is a less "radical" read than Fast Food Nation, or other titles from the Supersize Me school. It might be a good rational starting point for the reader who is not yet ready to fully embrace a more "radical" eating style...one that is actually more moderate and sane than the way we are presently consuming food.
erinmully's review
2.0
Hank Cardello seems to be a fan of a few things - artificial sweeteners, pumping vitamins into foods like hamburgers, and 100 calorie packs. He seems to think there really is no problem with processed foods. I picked up this book at the library without knowing anything about it. I didn't hate the book, but I certainly didn't agree with most of the points Mr. Cardello tries to make.
thisgrrlreads's review
Interesting but lots of information in this book is familiar if you've read books like Fast Food Nation, Omnivore's Dilemma or any other popular books about food. Also, the author is of the mindset that we should continue to eat foods marketed and produced by these giant companies and I'm not sure that's the case.
wictory's review
3.0
My favorite part of this book was, without a doubt, the cover. What a great cover. Every time I closed it, I spent at least 3 minutes admiring the model of the U.S. made out of food. I liked that Michigan was corn flakes.
I was most interested in learning about the steps companies have taken to improve the healthfulness of their products and how those changes have reduced fat, calories, cholesterol. But I also just kept thinking that this expectation that companies have a responsibility to make their products healthier is removing the responsibility to eat healthier from the consumer.
Cardello tries to explain that it will be easier for us to eat healthier if companies also aim their products and packaging toward that goal. I just still feel like moderation is a good rule of thumb, but I also see Cardello's point that just blankly encouraging smart eating habits is inadequate.
I was most interested in learning about the steps companies have taken to improve the healthfulness of their products and how those changes have reduced fat, calories, cholesterol. But I also just kept thinking that this expectation that companies have a responsibility to make their products healthier is removing the responsibility to eat healthier from the consumer.
Cardello tries to explain that it will be easier for us to eat healthier if companies also aim their products and packaging toward that goal. I just still feel like moderation is a good rule of thumb, but I also see Cardello's point that just blankly encouraging smart eating habits is inadequate.
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