Book excerpt: Yes, you are what you eat. For everyone who wonders why, in this era of advanced medicine, we still suffer so much serious illness, Food and Healing is essential reading. “An eminently practical, authoritative, and supportive guide to making everyday decisions about eating that can transform our lives. Food and Healing is a remarkable achievement.”—Richard Grossman, Director, The Health in Medicine Project, Montefiore Medical Center Annemarie Colbin, founder of New York's renowned Natural Gourmet Cookery School and author of The Book of Whole Meals, argues passionately that we must take responsibility for our own health and rely less on modern medicine, which still seems to focus on trying to cure rather than prevent illness. Eating well, she shows, is the first step toward better health. Drawing on an impressive range of thinking—from Eastern philosophy to current medical journals—Colbin shatters many myths not only about the “Standard American Diet” but also about some of the quirky and unhealthy food fads of recent years. What emerges is one of the first complete works on: • How food affects our moods • The healing qualities of specific foods • The role of diet in preventing illness • How to tailor a diet approach that is right for you “I recommend it to my patients. . . . It's an excellent book to help people understand the relationship between what they eat and how they feel.”—Stephen Rechtstaffen, M.D. Director, Omega Institute for Holistic Studies “Have a look at this important, well-thought-out book.”—Bon Appetit