Great Wealth, Poor Health: Contemporary issues in eating and living

I read your book on the return journey from Newcastle, it is both very infomative and entertaining and I enjoyed it immensely. You traverse many important issues for nutritionists and dieticians of our period. I agree with much of the criticism that "The total wellbeing diet" CSIRO book came in for; the dismissal of evidence on red meat consumption and increased colorectal cancer risk was a typical example of bias, in this case coloured by Australian Meat and Livestock support for Noakes research and sponsorship of the book; not a good sign for "the Australian flagship of science" - ah but what a good money spinner!! Thanks for the book, Hope you have a good Xmas, and that the book sells well in 2010! My best wishes, Graeme. Dr Graeme H. McIntosh

Really enjoyed your book, it is refreshing to have an opinion from a seasoned player. Many myths dispelled. I read it cover to cover over a weekend.

I have just finished "Great Wealth Poor Health". Really enjoyed it and found it excellent - possibly because I agree with your overall message. We, of course, can continue our discussion and arguments over minor points and details.

I think you have written a great book, comfortable to read, and very timely, there are so many issues these days. I am going to try your yoghurt recipe. But what really caught my eye was No.1 A Catholic Fish Pie for Friday, I will make that for my 90 year old (Catholic descendant) Mum next week. Also we will certainly refer this book to our girls both of whom are interested in nutrition and both keep fit, and probably would like to have great wealth.

I have greatly enjoyed reading a loaned copy of your book Great Wealth - Poor Health. Congratulations. We can only hope that it will be widely read and acted upon - the current ignorance on healthy diets is appalling.

This book is not intended as a nutrition textbook in the conventional sense – so don’t discard your treasured and well-thumbed current textbook. Instead, this book takes you into areas nutrition textbooks don’t usually deal with, and wants you to think more critically about some of today’s trendy nutrition concepts. So, who is the author? For a conventional biographical note, click on http://www.wpsa.com/organization/iphf_members/2008_iphf.html

In this book, David summarises his career as including (inter alia) the roles of chief donut maker, apprentice mechanic, survey chainman, cook, logging choker man, ship’s greaser, station hand – and also being a PhD student, a lecturer in nutrition, the holder of a personal chair at UNE, the producer of an extensive swag of research publications in both animal and human nutrition, the director of a poultry R & D centre, and being admitted to the World Poultry Science Association’s Hall of Fame. Somewhere along the way he also found time to be a foundation member of NSA.

He admits that his wife says he is becoming a 'grumpy old man', though he disputes this diagnosis. He identifies the book’s target audience as 'those primarily concerned with mankind’s future direction and how we are being manipulated by politicians, scientists, spin doctors and greed' and hopes it will be 'of interest not only to scientists but to enquiring lay persons' (private communication). So we are dealing with an interesting author with interesting aims! He certainly delivers a book full of passion and articulate prose, solidly referenced to the nutrition literature AND to newspapers (notably The Australian and The Courier-Mail, and sundry British and Irish newspapers as well.)

He takes aim at many targets along the way. NSA is an early recipient of his wrath: 'the Society has been essentially hijacked by the human element and now driven very much by the food industry ... No longer are Society meetings held in modest surroundings, such as on university campuses and participants housed in college accommodation, but have moved into plush five-star hotels on the assumption that everyone is rich and wishes to embrace such luxury'. (David, as one who normally opts to stay in backpacker-type accommodation, I have some sympathy on this. I can assure you this issue gave rise to vigorous discussion at a NSA Council meeting this year, and Newcastle City Hall is not listed in my Lonely Planet guide as a 5-star hotel!). Others that attract his unfavourable attention include: • the medical establishment, the Heart Foundation, the pharmaceutical industry, the food industry and FAO; • sugar, glycaemic index, red meat, the CSIRO diet, salt, omega-6 fats, and trans fats (though he sees saturated fats as OK, and omega-3s as very good).

He’s not keen on GM crops either. He is sceptical about the benefits of organic farming and does not see the palaeolithic diet as offering a dietary model for 21st century humans. I should add that quite a few things do get his tick of approval, and he does seek to distil out a positive recipe for healthy eating. He also approves of exercise. His views are neatly summarised on page 226: '... There are simple steps that need to be followed in a healthy diet ... Fruit, vegetables and pulses are at the top of the list. Refined carbohydrates (sugar and white flour) should be avoided as far as possible and wholemeal and natural products favoured. Reduce intakes of fats and oils, particularly the polyunsaturated oils in all forms. Use butter in reasonable amounts. Monounsaturated oils are recommended. Animal protein, particularly fish and poultry products, are in. Red meat is limited. Processed foods are on the restricted list. Take away foods are a treat'. I think that many of us would agree with much of the preceding quote, though we might quibble about a couple of items. But, even where I disagree with him, I respect his thorough knowledge of the literature and the clear way in which he lays out his argument. It is good for me (and you) to take a fresh look at our professional convictions with the challenges of a well-informed and articulate interlocutor, and I enjoyed reading this book.

I read the book while marking exam papers - an activity that certainly turns me into a grumpy old man.. So I was sensitive to imperfections in the text. I quote a few here, as reviewers must do to prove they have read the book and to give the author something to do when producing a second edition. There were only a few typos: in a table on p 56, the units for salt were unfortunately given as g, not mg – resulting in some VERY salty foods; on p 204, he refers to 'prostrate' cancer. My eyebrows did rise somewhat when he gave 2 pages to the results of an (unblinded) human dietary experiment with one solitary subject (pp 298-9) – even though elsewhere he is quite critical of the limited experimental evidence underlying claims made by some other researchers. And, being from the South Island of Australia, I was a bit disappointed at the strongly Queensland focus – much of the disturbing information he quotes for our 'sunshine state' could have been matched by similar data from other parts of Australia, giving greater 'bite' to his book among non-Queenslanders. I could go on, but it’s time to pronounce my verdict. The book is a stimulating journey with a richly-informed nutritionist who writes in a lively way.

While I can’t agree with everything he says, I nonetheless learned a lot from his book. Do seek out David at the Newcastle conference (I’ve attached his photo to help you recognise him), hand over $25 (even ask him to autograph your copy), and curl up for a few nights with this book. It’s a great read!

Educators at all levels would benefit, including those at primary and secondary level, and those people in industry, commerce and the public service concerned with the health of their employees. Congratulations David on a great book which is very much in the public interest.

I have been reading your book and am very impressed with the enormous amount of research you have done. I won't pretend I understand very much of the research data, but if I ignore the percentages and other numerical bits, I can get the gist and find it very readable as well as frightening. Will sense and survival ever take precedence over greed? Anyway, well done and hope it reaches people who might make a difference.

Personal touches and the author's wit along with the fact that I am reading a book that is not trying to sell me a magic pill, a false promise or a particular product make this especially informative and educational. I really enjoy the respect it shows for the readers intellect. It's a book I will read more than once.

At a time of increasing awareness of ill-effects of obesity, and the availability of an endless range of supposedly beneficial food supplements, it is refreshing to read David Farrell’s lucidly-written, evidence-based review of existing knowledge of human nutrition. Current dogma concerning dietary fats and carbohydrates are successfully challenged and his emphasis on the critical needs for adequate levels of dietary fibre is particularly well presented. An excellent text for students, and highly recommended for those charged with providing guidance on all aspects of dietary requirements.

I’m sure you groan (as I do) at the sight of nutrition books written by ‘experts’ such as airline pilots, actors and celebrity chefs. I should therefore warn you that the author of this
book has been a greaser and a donut maker.

He has also held a personal chair in nutrition at University of New England, directed a major poultry R & D Centre, and produced some 450 research papers in human and animal nutrition (for
non-academics among you, that’s awesome).

He has also made a major personal contribution to agriculture in developing countries, and last year was made a Fellow of the Nutrition Society of Australia (their highest honour). On
balance, these later achievements compensate for his early career choices.

He identifies the book’s target audience as ‘those primarily concerned with mankind’s future direction and how we are being manipulated by politicians, scientists, spin doctors and greed’ and hopes it will be ‘of interest not only to scientists but to enquiring lay persons’ (priv comm).

It is not intended as a nutrition textbook in the conventional sense—so don’t discard your treasured and wellthumbed current textbook. It does cover many of the standard topics: e.g. overweight and obesity; environment
and energy; disease and dietary fibre; fats: the good the bad and the unhealthy; glycaemia, the glycaemic index and diabetes; weight-losing regimes. But it also delves into topics
our textbooks often shy away from: GM foods; organic farming; the palaeolithic diet; health care, the medical profession and drug companies; food and the food industry.

So, a wide-ranging focus, as David prods you into thinking more critically about some of today’s trendy nutrition concepts.

To give you the flavour of his conclusions, his summary of healthy eating on p 226:

. . . There are simple steps that need to be followed in a healthy diet. . . . Fruit, vegetables and pulses are at the top of the list. Refined carbohydrates (sugar and white flour) should be avoided as far as possible and wholemeal and natural products favoured. Reduce intakes of fats and oils, particularly the polyunsaturated oils in all forms. Use butter in reasonable amounts. Monounsaturated oils are recommended. Animal protein, particularly fish and poultry products, are in. Red meat is limited. Processed foods are on the restricted list. Take away foods are a treat.

I think that many of us would agree with much of the preceding quote, although (like me) you may quibble on a couple of points.

He takes eloquent, and not always approving, aim at various targets:

• professional nutrition conferences (on p viii: ‘No longer are meetings held in modest surroundings, such as on university campuses and participants housed in college accommodation, but have moved into plush five-star hotels on the assumption that everyone is rich and wishes
to embrace such luxury’)

• the medical establishment, the Heart Foundation, the pharmaceutical industry, the food industry and FAO

• sugar, glycaemic index, red meat, the CSIRO diet, salt, omega-6 fats and trans fats (although he sees omega-3s as very good). He’s sceptical about the claimed benefits of GM crops, organic farming and (at least for twenty-first century humans) the palaeolithic diet.

The book is a stimulating journey with a richly informed nutritionist who writes in a clear and lively way, and provides extensive citations of the research literature (from both the twenty-first and the twentieth century). There were remarkably few typos. On several points, I found myself
disagreeing with his conclusions, but his writing forced me to take a fresh look at the evidence base for my professional
convictions.

So, it was well worth reading—I learned a lot, and I thought a lot. (From an academic, that is a high accolade indeed!) I encourage you to read it yourself, and hope you derive similar benefit.

Perhaps I should add that proceeds from the sale of this book will go to a project to help disadvantaged children in Cambodia.