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Apr 21, 2010

Sarah rated it:

Though I do not care for the author's writing style, the content is invaluable and it is very relevant. It is another book I would definitely recommend. If you've never heard of Monsanto, or are not familiar with the terms GMO or rbGH - you must read this book! If you have a child with allergies, you may also find this book to be insightful and a good resource.

Did you know that major crops are genetically engineered in the US? Soy, cotton, canola, and corn for example.

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Sep 20, 2009

Lisa rated it:

I feel conflicted about this book. I think it brings up important, urgent issues, but the way O'Brien presents the information is torturous. Maybe I just have an aversion to her writing style: unnecessary repetition (I heard you the first 10 times!), persistent self-congratulation, mommy martyrdom, scapegoating, misrepresenting data to make her point, focusing on hearsay & anecdotal evidence, and using emotionally-charged/hostile language. At best, this book will inspire people to do their own More...

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Aug 02, 2009

Sophia rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Dec 21, 2011

Shannon rated it:

In the past ten years, I have been diagnosed with several food sensitivities, including milk and soy. I was very interested in reading this book, but it turned out to be a big disappointment. Most of the problem with this book was the author's emotionally charged arguments and lack of rational thought. After reading this, I am quite certain that she is the type of mother to rush her child to the E.R. and demand stitches for a paper cut just to avoid the "Mama Guilt" and to be the overp More...

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Jul 27, 2009

Zelda rated it:

How, with a helper author, did this book turn out so crappy? Self-centered writing, that's how. There isn't a single tone of self-important, resentful whining that doesn't appear in this book. Give us your background in the first chapter, hon, and then get on with the facts. The entire food industry doesn't revolve around martyr-you and your daughter Rory, the blown-up snubs you received from other organizations, and the persecution you've risen above oh-so-look-at-me-nobly but somehow can't More...

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Jul 30, 2011

Amy rated it:

This book is a life-changer! I feel like I want to give everyone I know a copy of this book! The author's journey into healthy eating was a lot like mine. She was just a regular mom feeding her family all the regular foods until one of her kids ended up with a food allergy and during her research uncovered more and more startling facts about our food. If any one wants to know why I feed my family the way I do...this is why...read this book!!! Here are some tips if you do decide to read it: More...

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Jan 12, 2010

Heidi rated it:

Beginning this book in many ways felt like reading my own story (traumatic discovery that baby has severe egg allergy, older siblings are young and can't be trusted to not feed baby, radical food changes in the home, quest to find out what's causing this and how to deal with it...) But my discovery came years after hers and thus I was able to read a book and explore her website and learn from her experience!

I thought she did a good job providing the personal story and how it motivat More...

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Jan 08, 2011

Mandy rated it:

"The Unhealthy Truth" has a lot of politics in it. O'Brien frequently says things along the lines of "I'm not saying they're evil/doing a bad job/the devil incarnate, but they are evil/doing a bad job/the devil incarnate". These things aside, I have learned a lot of valuable information that makes me second guess myself for reaching for that tasty double-stuf mint oreo in the cupboard and has me grabbing a kiwi instead.

I had no idea that soy was so controversial More...

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Jun 09, 2011

Stephanie rated it:

The 4 stars is based on the importance of the subject matter, NOT on the writing. Wish the co-author had tried harder to get rid of the redundancies. (She said "shocking" again. DRINK!). If you've read anything by Michael Pollan or watched Food, Inc. you already know our food production system (and the head honchos who have lawmakers and enforcement agencies in their pocket$) are evil. But this book talks specifically about kids and how food additives, colors, and genetically-modified More...

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Aug 11, 2009

Lauren024 rated it:

An incredible book exposing the problems with the US food industry, and frankly, how it is affecting your health and your childrens health. An incredible look at our food and farming industry and the incredible behind the scenes underhanded suppression of facts.

Want to know why high fructose corn syrup is so controversial? Read the book.
Want to know why the most impoversihed areas have refused food from the US? Read the book.
Want to know why Europe, Russia, Asia and Austr More...

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Aug 10, 2010

Kim rated it:

Wow... how do I rate this book? I am torn. On one hand it really had some great points and the author was like a dog with a bone trying to get to the bottom of things, she had determination and just wouldn't quit. On the other hand the writing style totally sucked in MANY parts of this book. I mean okay we get it you feel guilty about some things, i hear ya, I do, but the mama bear guilt took AWAY from the credibilty of the facts.... seriously just lay it out there, if the reader is reading you More...

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Jan 15, 2010

Christen rated it:

As a mom of a child with a nut allergy, this book opened up the door to other possibilities of what may have created this allergy epidemic in our children. What has changed- how our food is produced, engineered and processed....was it like this when our grandparents were young? Or even when we were young? I wish I could have read this book years ago- before we were thinking of starting a family. There are several things I would have done differently back then. But now I know and have alread More...

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Dec 17, 2011

Angela rated it:

My four stars is based on the importance of the information presented . . . not for the tortuous way she wrote! Lots of repetition and first-person accounts, I found myself skipping for the "good parts."

A lot of the information I had already heard (Food Inc., etc.) but this book talks specifically about kids and how food additives, colors, and genetically-modified ingredients that are so popular in "kid foods" are likely contributing to their increasing health pr More...

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Sep 10, 2009

Sera rated it:

I read this book because Robyn discusses the Feingold Diet which my family follows with much success and I wanted to read her opinion on this diet.

Robyn's discussion of genetically altered food was very interesting. Her discussion about cows treated with antibiotics was also very interesting. I also especially liked her list of "dirty dozen" vegetables and fruits. I would have given the book 4 stars except for the following 2 reasons:

1. The book was written fro More...

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Apr 06, 2010

Lauren rated it:

This book is an easy read and very informative. The primary writer is a mom, coming from a background in finance - so don't expect the most incredible writing. That said, I think she makes it very easy for anyone to understand the importance of what's happening to our food supply. She may or may not be as naive as you are about the food we're eating today. I know some people found her naivete annoying. When I read this book, I was already an advocate of organic foods but I found it interest More...

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Jan 16, 2012

Robyn rated it:

As others have said, the writing is repetitive and choppy, and at times I was shocked at the author's naivete (is it really so surprising that corporate interests and consumer interests don't always align, especially if consumers are willing to just keep buying junk?). However, she's a brave woman, and her research was impressive. As a mother of a child with a peanut allergy (and yes, he was put on soy formula for a while), the book raised a number of questions for me and was a wake-up call fo More...

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Jul 25, 2011

Heidi rated it:

I'm giving 4 stars for the information in this book, but I'd only give it a 2 based on the writing.
The information is eye opening and frustrating. I had no idea how terrible GMOs (changing the DNA of the bacteria in my gut?!) were. And artificial coloring: why that # symbol in ingredient lists is a bad thing. I knew it was, but now I know why. And the fact that corporations alter their recipes in order to reduce the chemicals in them for European markets, but continue to use the gros More...

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Jun 28, 2009

Tiffany rated it:

This book was boring at times, and if I had a dime for every time the author talked about her "Mama Guilt"...

I did learn why there has been such an increase in the number of kids/people affected by peanut, dairy, and other allergies. SPOILER: Over the past 10 years there has been a rise in the amount of genetically modified ingredients/organisms (GMOs) found in our food. 80% of the corn we ingest is GMO corn -- and we know that corn is in EVERYTHING processed these days More...

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May 27, 2009

Betsy rated it:

This book should probably be handed out by OB/GYNs for fathers to read in the waiting rooms and mothers to read while the fathers are doing 3am feedings. And handed out by doctors to any patient that eats.

O'Brien takes the high road, exposing not only the junk that the food industry has added to our food supply, but challenging the political forces and structures in place that allow us to ingest foods deemed to be "insecticides" by the EPA.

And, I learned that s More...

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Jan 30, 2010

Lisa rated it:

I appreciate the information that the author brought to light in this book, but--too bad--I thought her writing was crap. Much too sentimental, and she repeats herself a lot.
It was interesting, though, to have this information coming from someone to whom it was all totally new. I assumed everybody knew there were disgusting chemicals in mainstream processed food products and just didn't care, or couldn't afford the alternatives. The fact that many people are in such a state of ignorance w More...

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Aug 13, 2009

Karen rated it:

This CO mother with 4 children finds herself researching our food b/c her child ALL have food allergies. what "can" she feed them?

It is a deep investigation into the corruption of our food supply and the problems in our system. The same medical experts who are advising her about the epidemic of childrens' allergies are the ones sitting on boards and doing research for medications and devices.

The amazing tilt in this title is that the author was a conserv More...

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Dec 15, 2010

Amy rated it:

Rarely do you find a book with a "helper" writer that turns out so bad. I have seen interviews of Robyn O'Brien that are more interesting than her very reserved demeanor. Nothing in this book contains information that is not widely known, especially if you've ever seen one episode of Dr. Oz. I expected more data and hard science, but found it was rather O'Brien's quest to find healthy food for her family. Perhaps the book would be much more successful if she approached it as a memo More...

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Mar 11, 2010

Diane C. rated it:

This book is full of good information, but skip it if you have a general awareness of how corporations have poisoned our food and water. The author (a young conservative woman from the south) expresses how she was constantly shocked that our corporations and government were not watching out for our welfare concerning food. duh! As of 2006, she hadn't heard of Monsanto!

That said, I'm glad she wrote this book. Hopefully all the other naive moms who think it's just fine to take todd More...

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Jan 30, 2012

Rachel rated it:

A lot of people don't like this book because they don't like the author's writing style. I admit I skipped over a lot of her personal additions to the book but I found them to be very helpful for people like me who are struggling with trying to feed my family healthy foods and feeling like an outcast for doing it. I related to her very well and was informed throughout the book with up-to-date scientific research. I did feel that sometimes she took the research and skewed it to fit her own theori More...

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Aug 10, 2009

Amy rated it:

Brought up a lot of good questions about our food supply in the US, assuming you can get past the writing style (I wanted more hard information, less personal pats on the back). While there is a lot of interesting/worrisome information about food additives, GM foods, and rBGH, it is not all gloom and doom. The bright side is looking at what the Europeans are currently doing to monitor and remove these negative/unknowns from their food supply. In other words, it can be done, we as a people hav More...

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Aug 25, 2009

Lain rated it:

Definitely agree that the writing was a little too "Jenny McCarthy" at times, but overall, a great book with important information. I appreciated her efforts in researching and presenting "the facts." But I have to be honest -- I don't know who to believe anymore!

I guess what it comes down to is serving kids as pure a diet as possible, as close to the source as possible, as undoctored as possible, as "clean" as possible.

I've made some changes More...

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Oct 01, 2009

Deanahaley0502 rated it:

A mother's search for the answers to the food allergies her children suffer leads her to the "unhealthy truth," about our food supply. Very informative book on how to feed your children in a way that is health conscious and safe. The author gives very practical solutions that are pocketbook wise and doable. It was startling to learn that big food companies sell their products marked as GM and have taken out certain additive that are harmful to children in other countries, but not here More...

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Aug 03, 2009

Susan rated it:

This book's audience was mothers of young children and makes a strong argument for purging the pantry of known allergens, such as Yellow #5, with its petroleum base, and high fructose corn syrup, with its genetically modified corn. While these are valuable health tips, I found the book's greater value in its research into WHY our foods have GMO's and bovine growth hormones. The FDA's failure to protect US citizens was very disturbing.
More alarming is the support that our taxes give to grow More...

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Jan 30, 2011

Jody rated it:

This was our first pick for our industry-related book club at work. I have to say I struggled through the book. Bottom line I probably agree with most of the information presented in the book, but the way it was written made me feel like I was being manipulated. My propaganda alarms were screaming while I read it!
The biggest part I struggled with was how the author was able to hand-pick the studies that she chose to believe and present them as absolute evidence. I know I can find studies th More...

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Sep 24, 2010

Michelle rated it:

I am a little conflicted about this book. Let's get my negative impression out of the way so we can move on to the meat of it. O'Brien is a self-described MBA researcher. She is not a writer. Her writing style is choppy and rough. I believe that any avid reader will have a difficult time enjoying her style. Hopefully this fact will not sway potential readers away as the book holds information that all Americans need to be aware of.

Now to the meat. As stated, O'Brien is a resea More...

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