Review - Body by Eats by Leigh Peele


Home Training Product Reviews Body by Eats



Review of "Body by Eats"
eBook By Leigh Peele

Yep, I wasn't quite sure what to make of the name of this book when I first saw the title, too...

But then I started reading it...

And as I was reading it I realized, this is a whole lot more than just a nutrition and recipe book...this is a whole new way of thinking about food and how you use it and enjoy in relation to fitness, health, fat loss and muscle-building.

Leigh Peele (the author of this book as well as the "Fat Loss Troubleshoot" book, which we've reviewed in the past), put in a TON of thought and effort to the creation of this book.

It's more than just great nutrition information...it's nutritional philosophy and a lesson in critical thinking all at the same time.

And THOSE are several of the big reasons why this book stands out in the field of nutrition programs and books.

On a personal note, we've known Leigh Peele and her approach to nutrition for quite awhile. She definitely knows what she's talking about when it comes to eating and getting the results you want, whether it be fat loss, muscle-building or improving performance. She's also got a very entertaining writing style that you'll really enjoy.

When you start reading the "Body By Eats" book, the first thing that jumps out at you is that Leigh takes a whole different approach to food than most "diet" books. She actually WANTS you to eat food AND enjoy it... (what a concept!).

This book is in large part about learning how to eat the food you enjoy while still getting the results you want from it. There are no "bad" foods.

Her main point in this book is "don't fear the food."

And Leigh does a masterful job deconstructing our phobias and myths about food and water...this excerpt really exemplifies it...

Panic-Inducing Study #1: A recent study said that plastic water bottles contain trace amounts of DEHA, a cancer-causing chemical, and that heating or reusing bottles would release the chemical. The media got a hold of this study, and before long, everyone started to look askance at water bottles, our new silent killer.

If the media had bothered to vet the study, they would have found that it was a thesis paper by a student at the University of Idaho that hadn‘t been peer-reviewed or confirmed by any other scientists. Furthermore, the paper said that DEHA was dangerous, while the EPA later said that it "cannot be reasonably anticipated to cause irreversible chronic health effects."

I assure you that the spit left in your water bottle from not cleaning it is 10 times more deadly.

 

She actually WANTS you to learn how to think critically about these fancy studies that come out (and which tend to confuse people more than help). In fact, she includes a VERY well done section devoted entirely to how to read these studies "between the lines" so you know exactly what is going on and what was REALLY proven (or not proven).

Because as I'm sure you know, it's very possible to interpret results to skew them the way you think they should come out. Statistics can be used to prove anything...98% of people know that... ;)

The section on organic food is really quite eye-opening as well. According to the research Leigh has done on the subject, organic food has been shown to be pretty much no different than "normal" food in terms of nutritional content and pretty much no more gentle to the soil than normal farming (interestingly enough, nicotine is actually used as a pesticide on some organic farms!)

And then we come to vegetarian eating...a practice we at Staley Training aren't particularly keen on. Here's Leigh's take on it - she's not for it or against it...to her, it all comes down to what you enjoy and what your thoughts about eating meat are. She does bring up a few good points about veggie eating and meat eating that bear mentioning.


The most common argument against eating meat is that it‘s just healthier. A lot of studies suggest that vegetarians are healthier than carnivores, and when studies are conducted in the context of the average American diet, then yes — vegetarians are healthier. But here‘s the problem: These studies ignore how most vegetarians can afford to be vegetarians. They can afford to buy better food and avoid fast-food joints — both habits that contribute to lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol and an overall healthier makeup.

So what’s the point? Don‘t fear the food. Food as a whole isn‘t unhealthy. Eating large amounts of low quality food is unhealthy, but being afraid of any kind of food is counterproductive. If you‘ve retreated into a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle out of fear, then go back and examine the studies and reports that scared you. Are they legitimate studies, or did you happen to wander into a shock documentary? Examine your sources.

 

As you can see, Leigh's goal is to take the emotion and reactionism out of food and eating and replace with it enjoyment and rational thinking. It's an excellent approach and one that we certainly endorse and practice ourselves.

In fact, I'd have to say this quote from the book sums it up for us...


Getting the body you want is about monitoring your food intake and finding the right training program.

Before we move on to my cookbook for calorie-burning, let me admonish any whole food acolytes reading this to be done with their loyalty to all things "clean." If you're going to take this journey with me, then you can't judge others for eating "unclean" foods, and you can't be afraid of any foods, even the "bad" ones.


Another very interesting part of this book are the case studies that Leigh herself perform on clients of various ages, activity levels, and nutritional states. This is really eye-opening stuff...a lot of it will run contrary to some notions you have about eating and training. She makes of point of stating it's not "peer reviewed" studies or anything like, but the trends she talks about will really get you thinking.

And THAT is what she is really trying to do with this manual...get you to think about what you're eating rather than listening to what the media or so-called authorities tell you.

That's something we DEFINITELY agree on.


Then we come to the recipes...

I'd like to say this is the real "meat" of the book, but that would be a really bad joke for a nutrition manual...so I won't say it...

Leigh has put together a TON of great recipes you can use that are focused on several different areas...fat loss, bulking, dessert, and vegetarian.

These are pretty self-explanatory, though as you can imagine, the vegetarian section isn't something we delved into too much. The other recipes look VERY good, though. You're not going to be missing out on anything here...pizza, pulled pork BBQ, lasagna, ham sandwiches...stuff you probably wouldn't imagine you'd be eating on a diet!

Leigh is also including the Body By Eats book in "audiobook" format (MP3) so you can listen to it wherever it's convenient for you (which is an excellent idea).

She is also throwing in 2 months of to her "Body By Eats" membership site, where you'll get even more content and SUPPORT.


The Downsides

If you're a "skimmer" you're probably going to miss a lot of the really good parts of this book. This isn't a book where you can get the gist of things by skimming through quickly then follow a paint-by-numbers diet program.

To really get the most out of this book, you'll need to read it (and/or listen to it) thoroughly and really understand the points she's trying to make.

This isn't a "meal plan" style of book...it's a book designed to help you learn how to think for yourself and understand food, rather than being afraid of it.

The other downside is a technical one...if you're on dial-up, this package is going to take a long time to load - the file sizes are pretty large.


CONCLUSION:

Overall, this is an excellent and thought-provoking nutrition manual...something that you'll really get a lot out of. We may not agree with everything Leigh has in it but overall, her approach is very good and something we have no trouble supporting.

Definitely check it out!


To read more about "Body by Eats,"
click here now:
 

 

 

 
 
 

Staley Training Systems
P.O. Box 2334 • Gilbert, AZ • 85299
Toll-Free: (800) 519-2492 • 480-813-6205 • Fax: (480) 813-6215

Helpdesk