Sorting Fact from Fiction in Health Literature
Expert reviews of nutrition books
Red Pen Reviews publishes the most informative, consistent, and unbiased reviews of nutrition books, helping you sort fact from fiction
Our latest reviews
Introduction Red Pen Reviews chose to write a review for Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia for a couple of reasons. The first and most important is that it was fully funded in our last funding drive, which guaranteed a review of the book. Secondly, it has received significant attention since […]
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Introduction Intuitive Eating is part of a movement that rejects dieting for weight loss and promotes the acceptance of larger bodies (the book is aligned with the Anti-Diet, Health At Every Size, and Body Positivity movements). It emphasizes what it sees as the downsides of dieting and the culture around it, such as long-term weight regain, […]
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Introduction Jason Fung, MD, has been a popular communicator of nutrition and health science for around a decade. He is the main speaker in more than 30 YouTube videos with over 1 million views and has a combined social media following exceeding half a million. He is best known for his best-selling health books, each […]
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Introduction Unlike many health-related books, Everything Fat Loss does not intend to present a problem and promote a new quick fix. Instead, the goal of the author, Ben Carpenter, was “…to bring together all the facts surrounding the most popular weight loss methods” to “…provide a thorough resource on all things dieting, fully […]
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Introduction The stated goal of How Not to Diet is helping people achieve and maintain weight loss, with an emphasis on doing so in a healthy way. The book contends these two goals are highly compatible, stating that “The single healthiest diet may also be the most effective diet for weight loss” (Page 288). To […]
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Introduction Metabolical, written by Robert Lustig, MD, proposes that our current poor health is the result of eating processed food that “stuffs the liver”, and “starves the gut”. Metabolical says that doctors have been trained wrong. We need to unlearn what we have been taught about medicine and nutrition. The book argues that this is […]
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What is Red Pen Reviews?
Red Pen Reviews is the only organization that publishes structured, expert-led reviews of popular nutrition books—free to the public. Our expert reviewers assess each book for scientific accuracy, reference accuracy, and healthfulness. We aim to empower readers, counter misinformation, and improve the standards of health writing. We’re funded entirely by reader donations, and we don’t accept funding from food or drug companies.
In-Depth Book Analyses
Explore Our Latest Reviews
Smart, Simple, Science-Based Strategies for Losing Weight and Keeping It Off
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Why the Experts Got It All Wrong–and How Eating More Might Save Your Life
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21 Practical Principles for Reclaiming Your Health in a Nutritionally Confusing World
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How science shows a plant-based diet could save your life
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The Hidden Epidemic at the Root of Most Chronic Disease–and How to Fight It
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Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating
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The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine
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The Groundbreaking Science of Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss
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The Definitive No Bullsh*t Guide
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A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach
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The Science and Art of Longevity
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REd pen review process
How We Review Books
Red Pen Reviews uses a unique, structured review method to assess the information quality of nutrition books. Our method breaks each review into three core categories that are scored using a rigorous and consistent process.
Scientific Accuracy
We check whether three key claims in the book are supported by high-quality evidence.
Reference Accuracy
We randomly choose ten references and check whether they say what the book claims.
Healthfulness
We check whether the book’s advice does what it claims, improves general health, and meets nutritional needs.
Hall of fame
We’ve reviewed over two dozen popular nutrition books. Some are evidence-based – others aren’t. Here are our highest-scoring books.
Books Reviewed
Expert Categories
Qualified Reviewers
Introduction Jason Fung, MD, has been a popular communicator of nutrition and health science for around a decade. He is the main speaker in more
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Introduction Fast 800 Keto is the latest book by Dr Michael Mosley. The book is primarily a weight loss book, but it also suggests that
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Introduction Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy (EDBH) is a book that was originally published nearly 20 years ago, but has been revised and updated several
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"It seems as if every time I turn around, there’s a new book promising huge health benefits. Unfortunately many of these books make health claims and dietary recommendations that aren’t backed up by scientific evidence — even when the authors say that they’re science-based. So if you don’t have a nutrition-science degree, how do you separate the wheat from the chaff? Red Pen Reviews (redpenreviews.org) is a good place to start."
Trusted reviews, thanks to you
As a nonprofit, Red Pen Reviews relies on reader donations to make high-quality reviews and publish them free of charge. Your support makes this possible.
Help Us Continue Providing Unbiased Reviews
As a nonprofit, Red Pen Reviews relies on reader donations to fund our expert reviewers and maintain our commitment to unbiased, high-quality content. Your support makes our work possible.