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Eat This, Not That Review

Written on December 29, 2009

By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD

WebMD Expert Review

Eat This, Not That: What It Is

Most diet books tout a secret formula, or mystifying scientific-sounding plan to melt away pounds but not Eat This, Not That, the latest diet book from Men's Health Editor-in-Chief David Zinczenko and Men's Health food and nutrition editor Matt Goulding. The diet is not a diet in the traditional sense, but a calorie counter's dream. Many people are clueless when it comes to the calories in the foods they eat and even when they guess, they usually underestimate the numbers.

The authors promise you will lose weight if you make smarter food choices, but don't be fooled into thinking that ordering a Big Mac instead of a Whopper with cheese will lead to weight loss as depicted on the book's cover.

Part expose, part nutritional guide, and part picture book of mouth-watering food images, Eat This, Not That comes in a handy size to take along to the grocery store, restaurant, or mall. It is loaded with calorie, fat, sugar, carbohydrate, and sodium counts designed to help you make smarter food choices.

"We chose calories as the most important criteria for the foods we chose because it is the top cause of weight gain and the gauntlet of health problems so when it comes to prudent eating, nothing matters more than calories," Zinczenko says.

The authors do an excellent job exposing the obscene number of calories in certain foods, such as Outback's Aussie cheese fries that weigh in at 2,900 calories, Chili's Awesome Blossom at 2,710 calories, and Lonestar's 20-ounce T-bone -- an astonishing 1,540-calorie steak. And as a result, several restaurants have removed calorie-laded items from their menus.

Fast-food restaurants are given an overall rating based on the nutritious quality of their menus. Chick-fil-A earns an A plus with nothing on the menu more than 500 calories, while Pizza Hut gets a D minus with its pan pizza containing 650 calories per slice.

The book is laid out in an easy-to-use fashion with recommended "eat this" foods on the left side of the page and on the opposite side, "not that," foods to stay clear of. Most of the featured foods are typical American fare offered at fast-food and casual-dining restaurants along with junk food, and supermarket staples.

A menu decoder section offers quick tips for uncovering a restaurant's best bets. Each page also features tips and tidbits of useful information. Dishes with extra high fat and calories get called out as "weapons of mass destruction."

The authors also shame several restaurants for not providing valuable nutrition information to consumers. As a result, several have started listing their information online. "Quiznos, after 26 years of operation finally offered up full nutritional information in late 2007. Chipotle, who had removed its nutritional information from its web site is once again providing it, and just recently, P.F. Chang', who provides nutrition information but excludes sodium, has offered to provide us those numbers as well," Zinczenko says.

Eat This, Not That does make some unscientific and misleading claims -- saying the plan specifically targets belly fat, reshapes your body, and builds firm, lean muscle while shedding useless flabby pounds. Experts agree that building muscle requires more strength trianing and no diet plan is capable of targeting specific body parts.

Eat This, Not That: What You Can Eat

Stay clear of the 20 worst foods and "weapons of mass destruction" in America that top the chart in fat, calories, and sodium and incorporate the eight recommended super foods into your diet every day.

The eight super foods are:

• Blueberries
• Black beans
• Spinach
• Yogurt
• Tomatoes
• Carrots
• Oats
• Walnuts

Beyond the worst foods and recommended super foods, the authors leave it up to you to make better food choices.

If you love Taco Bell, the authors suggest eating two grilled steak soft tacos fresco style (320 calories) instead of the Zesty Chicken Border Bowl, which has twice the number of calories. They also offer additional information on how to save 25% of your calories by ordering your favorites "fresco," style, which replaces cheese and sauces with salsa.

At Panera, they recommend opting for the 380-calorie BBQ chicken crispani, and staying clear of the innocent-sounding Sierra turkey sandwich, which packs 840 calories.

The book also lists smart options at the grocery store, fast-food chains, ice cream parlors, coffeehouses, smoothie shops, and fast-casual restaurants along with tips for ordering at a variety of ethnic and white-tablecloth restaurants.

Eat This, Not That: How It Works

The principle behind the book is to cut empty calories and get more bang for your calories by choosing foods that are more nutritious. The analysis of restaurant menus and grocery foods is eye opening and helps dieters understand what is lurking in their favorite dishes. Make the better choices, the authors claim, and you can save hundreds of calories.  

Sometimes the right choice is not always obvious, but armed with this book you can make wiser food choices. Following the book's advice won't necessarily cause weight loss unless you control your total calories for the day and add an exercise component.

Unless your diet now consists solely of junk food and the worst choices at fast-food restaurants, don't expect to lose much weight.

That's because many experts question how recommended "eat this" foods, such as Au Bon Pain's 463-calorie cinnamon roll, Sonic's 540-calorie burger (with mustard), Baskin-Robbins' 530-calorie two-scoop hot fudge sundae, Outback's 730-calorie prime rib with fresh veggies and a sweet potato, or Dairy Queen's 530-calorie banana split will lead to weight loss. These foods might be better than other colossal-calorie foods, but they are still high in calories and can lead to weight gain, not weight loss.

"If you eat out all the time and usually chose the high-calorie selections and start making wiser, lower-calorie food choices, you will lose weight," says Jennifer Neily, MS, RD. In order to lose weight, you have to trim or burn 500 calories a day for a 1-2 pound weekly weight loss.

You also need to cut calories, make smart food choices, and do both strength training and cardiovascular exercise. "Most men should consume around 2,200-2,400 calories per day and women should aim for 1,800-2000 calories or more if they’re active or exercise regularly," says Elisa Zied, MS, RD, and the author of Feed Your Family Right.

Exercise is not included in the book except for recommendations on what to eat "when you want the most from your workout."

Eat This, Not That : What the Experts Say

Neily, past president of the Texas Dietetic Association, loves the book because it uncovers the scary nutritional truth about many popular foods. "Most people have no idea how many calories are in their favorite foods, and this book does a wonderful job enlightening them to the reality of what is in the foods they eat," she says.

She suggests reading all the information carefully, and looking at the big picture because healthy-sounding food is not necessarily better. "A chicken sandwich sounds healthier, but if it is loaded with sauce, topped with bacon and cheese, the burger may be a better choice. Turkey bacon sounds better than traditional bacon, but some brands have the same number of calories and turkey bacon can have more sodium," Neily says.

Zied who is also an American Dietetic Association spokeswoman, agrees the book can be a nutrition bible for fast food lovers, but it is certainly not a dietitian's bible. "The author is not a credentialed nutrition professional, and throughout the book, he often recommends the lesser of two evils. But the recommended food is not necessarily a healthful choice and sometimes a downright unhealthy choice and this information is confusing to consumers" she says. “You can certainly use the information in the book to make swaps that can save you some calories and fat, but remember a few simple rules registered dietitians like to emphasize: Limit fried foods, monitor portion sizes, control calorie intake, and always look at the calories, fat, sodium, sugar, and fiber to make the most healthful food choices."

Zied also notes some misleading information in the book:

• Walnuts do not have more omega-3s than salmon -- it is a different form.
• Can you really "eat what you want, when you want, and watch the pounds disappear" as touted on the back cover? No, it is all about portion control, eating more healthfully, and controlling calories.
• Never go hungry? Everyone should learn to be a little more hungry before a meal (but not ravenous). Grazing all day puts you out of touch with real hunger. 
• Lots of nutritious and healthy foods, like Stonybrook Farms smoothie, the Odwalla blackberry fruit shake, on the "not that" side that are perfectly healthy, and some choices on the "eat this" side, like berry punch, which are not necessarily healthful choices. Jimmy Dean sausage is OK, but buttermilk waffles are not? You could add fruit to the waffles to make it a better choice, but sausage should be a food you eat only occasionally.

Zied says sometimes it is better to eat a small portion of your favorite foods. "As a registered dietitian, my advice is to eat fast food once a week or less, choose smaller portion sizes, and choose the foods you enjoy because if you choose foods you don't like you won't be satisfied and may end up overeating"

According to the following excerpt from Eat This, Not That, the diet "is crafted to specifically target belly fat by filling you up with smart, healthy choices that rev up your resting metabolism and helping you burn away flab, all day, every day, even while you sleep."

Experts dismiss the notion that diet or exercise is capable of targeting specific body fat. While initial weight loss usually comes from belly fat, the only way to rev up metabolism is through strength training and building muscle. "There is no magic bullet, diet plan, specific food, or type of exercise that specifically targets belly fat. But the good news is belly fat is the first kind of fat you tend to lose when you lose weight," says Michael Jensen, MD, a Mayo Clinic endocrinology specialist and obesity researcher.

Eat This, Not That: Food for Thought

This is a great little book, especially for people who eat out a lot. It's packed with useful information that can help people make wiser food decisions and help dieters make better choices. Not all of the recommended foods, however, are considered healthy or would be part of a nutritious weight loss plan. Even though a particular food might be the better option, it does not necessarily mean it is a healthy choice. Be sure to read the fine print, so you are well aware of the calories in recommended foods like the hot fudge sundae that may be better off shared with a friend. Whenever possible, choose the lower-calorie option because small changes can add up. If you shave 100 calories a day, you can lose 10 pounds in a year, Neily says.

As for restaurant chains, they should take note and trim down some of the colossal calories in dishes that contribute to obesity and try offering foods that are more reasonable.