Book Review: Nutrivore, by Dr. Ballantyne

Ballantyne, S. (2024).?Nutrivore: The radical new science for getting the nutrients you need from the food you eat. New York: Simon Element.

Summary

This book seeks to improve your nutrient awareness, i.e., what nutrients are, what they do, how much we need, and how we can get them. It is an excellent resource for addressing specific symptoms and conditions by choosing health-promoting, nutrient-dense foods.

There are three parts: What is Nutrivore?, Nutrients and Your Health, and Nutrivore in Practice. The book is educational, providing definitions, examples, cheat sheets, and recipes.

Basics of the plan

1.?????? Choose primarily whole foods

2.?????? Eat a diverse diet

3.?????? Eat the rainbow of fruits and vegetables

4.?????? Use the nutrivore meal map (50% veg/fruit; 25% starch; 25% protein; drink water; choose healthy fats)

Advantages

This book is replete with practical information, e.g., marvelous minerals cheat sheet, valuable vitamins cheat sheet, eat the rainbow chart, nutrivore foundational foods cheat sheet, serving size cheat sheet, 17 tips for weight loss, and simple recipes.

Disadvantages

This book is challenging to read, cover to cover. The nutrivore score is helpful but not something I would use regularly. It seems more important to vary a whole-food diet. The nutrivore meal map does not include a percentage for healthy fats. This part needs to be clarified.