I was prepared to dislike this book, but I was not prepared for some of the total rubbish this woman has written.  Her pseudo science has put me off what is basically a fairly healthy introduction to macro biotic principles.

At first glance her 10 food tips seem quite sensible; however it is mainly common sense. A diet high in sat fat, salt, sugar, additives, preservatives and highly processed is not good for your health. Nothing new there.

But then she makes the mistake of trying to scare the reader into submission. Her calculation of 38 teaspoons of sugar in a burger meal is based on each teaspoon being 5g and of ALL the carbs in the meal being sugar. This disregards any complex carbs the meal contains, and misleads the reader.   

This is a shame, as much of what she advocates I agree with. I particularly agree that nuts, seeds and avocados are not 'bad' for you just because they are high in fat. She advocates a teaspoon every other day - soaked to aid digestion.

But it is her dodgy science which lets her down. I have no qualifications which make me an expert, but as she does not either I am happy to point out the following puzzlers:

Are "Food enzymes are the life force of food and help the digestion process"?

Can "Too many high-protein, fatty, red animal foods can toxify the body and acidify the blood, deplete calcium, overwork the kidneys and liver, stagnate digestion and destroy beneficial bacteria."?

Are the molecules of goats and sheep's milk smaller than cows?

She then goes on to describe numerous complaints and how they manifest in the body. After spouting the virtues of nettle tea, on page 53 she starts pushing her own products.

Interestingly she says ' don't worry about eating whole-wheat in moderation', which did not come across on the TV show.

She puts forward food combining as a method of losing weight and claims that eating certain foods together leads to incomplete digestion. I have never tried this, but as counters every thing l have previously learnt about nutrition for athletes, I am suspicious of the scientific basis.

From my own experience I have to agree with the suggestion on rotating food, however for boredom rather than food intolerances as she suggests.

Her Detox Plan relies heavily on juicing and blending - unless you have the machines or are prepared to invest in some you will not be able to follow her plan. Her list of banned foods has some surprising candidates:

Coffee

Seafood

Sugar

Tea

Milk

Salt and pepper

Cigarettes

Eggs

Carbonated beverages

Alcohol

Cheese 

Fried Foods

Red meat

Cooking oil

Commercial mayonnaise

Poultry

Bread

Mustard

Fish

Medications

Her food intelligence (quotient) test implies what she would recommend eating:

Do you eat at least one piece of raw fruit each day?

Do you eat at least five servings of vegetables each day?

Do you eat rice, quinoa, millet, outs or other grains at least three times a week?

Do you eat a serving of raw vegetables each day?

Do you eat raw seeds at least three times a week?

Do you use seaweed in your cooking?

Do you include fish in your diet at least twice a week?

Do you chew your food thoroughly until it’s liquefied?

Do you go out of your way to avoid foods containing preservatives, additives, colourings or E numbers?

Do you avoid foods that contain sugar or added sugar?

If you are stressed do you wait until the feeling has passed before eating?

Were you breast-fed as a child?

Do you always make sure that you take time to eat properly even if you are busy or tired?

Do you eat breakfast everyday?

Do you drink bottled spring water every day?

Do you dunk at least 8 glasses of water a day?

Do you avoid beer /alcohol/ fizzy drinks when eating?

Do you drink water at least 25 minutes before rather than during a meal?

Do you eat a varied diet instead of eating the same food every day?

Do you make raw vegetable juices at least once a week?