Fuck Calories and Other Dietary Heresies

by Krista Scott-Dixon

"An irreverent, foul-mouthed, yet surprisingly useful guide to what to put in your eating hole."

Genres: Nonfiction, Nutrition

41 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Jen Willett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book. In no small way, it saved my health. The footnote on avocadoes as FODMAPs -- that was the big revelation for me.

When I first read this book, I was on an elimination diet to determine why I was having so many dietary issues. I was tracking everything I ate, and noting inflammatory reactions (weight gain, bloating, discomfort, pain) and getting hella confused by them all. I wasn't sure why a teaspoon of mushrooms would give me a 2 lb gain. Or avocadoes. Or onions (theeee worst)....I was just flabbergasted. Still, I tracked everything.

I had a group of "safe foods" -- red meat, fish, poultry, and lettuce basically -- and would never gain with those safe foods. Then, I'd introduce *one* new thing a day and watch how my body responded. That's the kind of approach I was taking.

So when the list got pretty long, and I was still amazed at how my body was reacting to these foods, I went in search of answers. Thankfully, a friend of mine posted this book on their wall on FB, and was raving about how awesome it was. So I too began to read this awesome book.

When I got to the chapter that said we needed to eat avocados...but had a footnote that basically said, "unless you have issues with FODMAPs. If so, then I am very sorry for you...." When I saw that footnote, I said, "well....*I* have issues with avocadoes; WHAT ARE THESE FODMAP things???"....and because she mentioned FODMAPs in that little itsy-bitsy footnote, I discovered the answer I'd been seeking: FODMAPs ARE THE DEVIL. Okay, maybe not *the devil*......but they definitely were exactly what the issue was for me. EVERY single thing on my list of foods that had been causing problems for me was a FODMAP. EVERY single damn one of them.

So.....in my opinion, the best chapter, best sentence, best footnote of this whole book? THE FODMAP mention. Fuck yes.

:)

Thank you, Krista, for helping me change my life. Thank you so so sooo much for writing this book. I can't even begin to express how grateful I am to you for mentioning FODMAPs. Because of you, I gained a very important piece to my dietary puzzle. Now I know what to avoid to make sure I'm not in pain from eating; I know what to be wary of, and why certain food did a number on me. Learning about FODMAPs has changed my life, for the better. THANK YOUUUUUU!!!!!!!! :D

[Jennie]

2019 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge #23 - A self-published book

[Maryanne Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not sure whether it came at completely the right time for me, or if it is just that awesome (or both).... but this was right place, right book & right time for me.
It is definitely changing the way I think about foods and my diet (and I mean “diet” as the foods I eat, not as the process of reducing what I eat).
The straight-up language & sarcastic humour were great too!
Google it, go to their webpage and sign up for your free e-copy.

[Terri Siggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny, reminds you to relax about the details of healthy eating and see the big picture.

[Liv · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cruised through this in about 20 minutes, as it's 40 pages of choppy sentences spread out, WAY OUT, on each page. Downloadable as a free e-book from stumptuous.com for the price of your email address.

Basically common sense, no BS straight talk on eating well, with such lovely chapters as: "No one is coming to save you." (Which is just a concept I really like.)

It's basically your honest friend saying "quit fucking around really, and that includes thinking and thinking and thinking and just... do what you already know to do, dammit. And calm down."

And for this reason I think it's way better suited to be picked up and flipped through on a rough "WHAT THE FUCK, ONIONS?!" day than read in one sitting. The choppy tone and humour (oh, and it is pretty funny) gets a leetle repetitive by page 30.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Krista and stumptuous.com for seven years or so. I really like Krista's simple take on how to eat healthfully that she outlines in this book. The only reason I am taking a couple of stars off is because she says things like, "don't eat grains, they are bad for you" without any sort of citation or footnote. I realize eschewing grains and gluten is 'en vogue' right now, but a brief summary of the research literature would have been nice. That grievance aside, I would still recommend that people give this a read, especially since she offers the PDF for free download.

[Kims · Rating 5 out of 5]

Krista's focus on health and fitness is straight forward. She calls it as she sees it. It's a quick read with a lot of humor. There are a lot of good reminders and she has a good perspective on separating misguided marketing and even medical information from what works. Sometimes we have to see or hear something in a different way before it clicks. This is definitely different from any nutrition guide you have read.

[Guilherme Zeitounlian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ultra-quick read, and science-wise there is nothing new here.

However, the approach of looking beyond nutrients and instead focusing on good relationships (with food as with all else) is valuable - especially for people who have emotional ties with comfort food.

All in all, it is worth reading, at least to reflect upon your choices and priorities, and whether those need changing.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was very simplistic and often a bit abrasive at times. I understand what the author was trying to say about eating foods but I guess I'm the type of person that needs more structure in order to get something out of a health book.

[Seawood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

Another short book in the same vein as Pollan's legendary quip. Nothing I didn't already know, but amusing enough and a great kick-start if your food labels resemble a chemistry lab inventory.

[Tanya Hakala · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick, succinct read. Straight talk about how we should be thinking about food with a lot of humor. Nothing I didn't already know, but good reminders and reinforcement of concepts.

[Katrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was fun.)
nothing new, but still fun.)

[Magdalena Todorinska · Rating 4 out of 5]

everything you need to know about dieting told in a straightforward way with lots of humour. and the book is free.

[Michel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the only diet book anyone needs to read. Too short to be "AMAZING"...but amazing aside from the length. :D

[Fawndolyn Valentine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fun read. Short and to the point! Definitely recommend it for a no-bullshit approach to eating healthy.
Thought it did repeat a bit.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't say it was supremely helpful but it was a kick in the ass and very amusing. Free ebook from sumptuous.com.

[Tabitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

41 sparsely populated pages.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and too the point. I liked it. :)

[Candace]

Awesome.