Snake Oil By Morton Tavel Summary

The book Tips, Myths, and Tricks, A Physician's Advice Health Information to Liberate Us From "Snake Oil" was written by Morton E. Tavel, M.D. In his introduction, Dr. Tavel said he wrote the book with the goal of cutting through the nonsense we as consumers are inundated with while providing us with useful tips that can improve our health and wellbeing.

In my opinion, he comes pretty close to accomplishing his goal. I give this book, 3 out of 4 stars, not because I necessarily agree with everything he says, but because as a consumer of products and services that affect mine, and my family's health, he provides numerous references and suggestions that make me question those products and services. He makes the reader think.

The book is divided into three sections: Tips, Myths and Tricks. I discovered a number of little nuggets of information in the Tips section. For instance, I knew that drinking water before a meal was a good idea simply because you would be fuller faster, but I did not know that by drinking 16 ounces of water before meals, a person could cut up to 75 calories per meal!
Now, granted, that's a topic that I have very little interest in except to know that I am supposed to avoid them as a healthy eater. However, with Dr. Tavel's conversational tone, I found myself paying close attention to what I read. Specifically, I now know that trans fats are essentially used to prolong the shelf life of certain foods. Just that little bit of information alone, makes me want to avoid them even