The figures are telling. Each year in France, 170,000 people die of cardiovascular diseases and 140,000 others die of cancer. There are currently 570,000 victims of Alzheimer’s or other forms of mental deterioration. And yet, according to a significant body of recent research on the links between eating habits and health, there is a simple method of prevention — nutrition. In recent years, new foodstuffs have appeared on the market: margarine, combined oils, soya, fermented milk, enriched and “light” products, and pharmafoods. In some cases, these may be beneficial. Yet only carefully chosen, traditional foods have been scientifically shown to reduce the risks of cardiovascular diseases, cancer and dementia, by as much as thirty to sixty per cent. In this book readers will learn how the different types of “real” nutrients act to protect the body, as well as how to get the most benefit out of their consumption, how to enjoy so-called high-risk foods and drinks (red meat, sausages, cheese, cakes, alcohol, etc.), so as to render them useful for our bodies and finally, how to distinguish real health foods from the sham ones among the many different products advertised as such. The advice offered here, based on extensive background knowledge, has been tailored to individual cases and to a variety of situations. This book tells readers how eat so as to protect and preserve their future, but it does not ignore their present mental and physical well-being. In addition, readers will find the author’s simple, straightforward tips easy to put into practice in their daily lives.

Jacques Fricker is a doctor and nutritionist working at the Hôpital Bichat, in Paris. He is the author of Maigrir en grande forme, Maigrir vite et bien and Le Nouveau Guide du bien maigrir.