Don't Eat This If You're Taking That
The Hidden Risks of Mixing Food and Medicine
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3.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
NBC Today show nutrition and diet guru Madelyn Fernstrom and award-winning neuroscientist and pharmacologist John Fernstrom —partnering with AARP— present the ultimate guide to food and medicine interaction.
Millions of Americans take prescription drugs to treat diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or other conditions. But beware: The foods you eat and the medications you take could be working against each other.
Don’t Eat This If You’re Taking That takes the mystery out of food and medication interactions. This easy-to-use guide details foods that can interfere with the action of the medication—whether taken for the short or long term. In this book, readers can easily find a medication, see what foods to avoid, and make smart swaps.
We all believe a diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products is part of healthy eating—right? Not always. Dr. Fernstrom explains exactly what foods to avoid when and why. For instance,
If you’re taking cholesterol medicine, you should cut out—or cut down on—grapefruit.
On a blood thinner? Avoid dark green veggies.
If you’re on thyroid medication, nix the soy.
And more small diet changes with big health payoffs!
As an added bonus, each chapter offers a “Dietary Supplements Alert” box, providing the most up-to-date information on interactions with vitamins, minerals, and other dietary supplements.
With this concise, scientifically based guide, consumers can easily personalize their eating plan to work with, not against, their medications.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Neuroscientists Madelyn Hirsch Fernstrom (The Runner's Diet) and John Fernstrom bring their expertise with nutrition and pharmacology to this discussion of foods and supplements that can inhibit common medications. The authors divide the book into sections focused on different categories of drugs, such as analgesic, cholesterol-lowering, and anti-reflux medications, and they include several lists of foods to limit or abstain from altogether. Some common culprits are obvious; alcohol is almost always to be avoided, though grapefruit appears on the prohibited lists almost as frequently. Readers are warned of the potential for life-threatening serotonin syndrome if they combine the herbal supplement St. John's Wort with antidepressants, and they will learn that combining antacids with certain nerve pain medications can reduce the latter's effects. Other lesser-known dangers covered in the book are the inhibiting effects of Vitamin K on anticoagulants, and of orange juice on the beta blocker atenolol. Additional topics include the way in which pain relievers function and the different ways beta blockers and calcium channel blockers lower blood pressure. This is an excellent resource for anyone taking prescription medication, collecting a wealth of vital information into one accessible volume.
