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Has anyone read "The Jungle Effect?"

post #1 of 6
Thread Starter 
Just hearing about this, although it's been out a couple of years. It sounds fabulous. Wondering if anyone has tried the recipes?

"The Jungle Effect: Healthiest Diets from Around the World--Why They Work and How to Make Them Work for You" by Daphne Miller

From Publishers Weekly
Family physician Miller had seen countless cases of chronic illness and weight gain, but it wasn't until she saw a patient recently returned from Brazil that a light bulb went off in her head: the patient had noticed marked improvement after just a few weeks in her father's native village. Intrigued, Miller did some research and found a number of "cold spots" around the world, areas where chronic diseases like diabetes, depression and heart disease are disproportionately low. She then embarked on a world tour to find out why. As she travels through Copper Canyon, Mexico to Cameroon, West Africa to Iceland-where locals manage to avoid depression in one of the darkest and coldest regions in the world-and beyond, Miller finds that, in each case, local diet plays a key role. Many of her overarching tips will sound familiar (eat fresh foods, eat more fish, avoid refined sugar, watch the salt, etc.), but a handful of suggestions, such as eating fermented foods and using mushrooms to fight cancer, should come as news. Miller's work is consistently informative and educational, if at times meandering; each "cold spot" is accompanied by a specific regimen, and Miller's practical advice and recipes are all geared for the novice. Anyone unafraid of modifying their diet will find this anthropological diet guide useful.

“In this bracingly hopeful and eminently practical book, Daphne Miller shows us how we can bring the wisdom of traditional diets to our own plates, in the interest of both our health and our pleasure. The Jungle Effect is a fascinating, useful and important book.” (Michael Pollan, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food )
post #2 of 6
I've just read Jungle effect, thought it was really interesting. A good overview on traditional diets focused on specific modern disease cold spots. Unfortunately I have the audio version with no recipes (are there some in the print edition?) and the overviews of the diets whips past. I'd get the print book if I had a choice.
post #3 of 6
I haven't read this but it sounds good!
post #4 of 6
I found it a bit ho-hum, actually. Maybe just because I'd read so much already about traditional diets around the world, none of it was revelatory to me. As I recall, she also seemed to be operating from the premise that saturated fat is bad, without real evidence. I think it was somewhat selective of the "cold spots". It has holes, but it's worlds better than most books out there about nutrition.
post #5 of 6
Quote:
Originally Posted by AJP View Post
As I recall, she also seemed to be operating from the premise that saturated fat is bad, without real evidence.
Not really, she promotes lard for example. But yes, she's not a great fan of saturated fat, perhaps because she's an MD?

I've read it over the summer holidays and been meaning to start a thread on this but I never seem to find the time with an infant and a toddler constantly around me all the time!

I've found it very scientific as she provides research references throughout the book. In essence she combines traditional diets with scientific research.

Something that I found interesting and would like a discussion over this is the notion that one could somehow compensate for not soaking/sprouting etc grains and legumes by adding a fermented food in his/her meal.

I'll be trying her recipes this winter, although I must say that the Cretan ones appeal more to us than the rest
post #6 of 6
Doesn't she promote lard in part because it's so high in monounsaturated fat, though? It's about 50% monounsaturated.
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