Why Women Need Chocolate:
How to Get the Body You Want by Eating the Foods You Crave by Debra Waterhouse,
MPH, RD
published by Hyperion Publishers, New York
1995
This
is a chocolate covered weight control book. Underneath a number of interesting
but largely not well substantiated claims or hypotheses about how neuropeptides
affect body functions and moods, and the titillating idea that women need chocolate,
lies a diet and exercise plan that is reasonably sensible. Although the author's
NO diet plan is not new and flirts with the old idea of combining only certain
foods at any meal, the basic premises of
- five small meals a day
- not
depriving yourself
- eating small portions
have been advocated by sensible
diet plans for years. The advice provided about exercise is also sensible, although
statements such as "While [women] are born with the fat-storing machinery to gain
weight quickly and efficiently, men are born with the fat-burning machinery to
lose weight quickly and efficiently." detract from her credibility. The ability
to store and loose weight is not so clearly different between the sexes. Many
men and women appear to be efficient energy storers.
The author makes a number
of claims throughout the book which I would instead call hypotheses -- or models
of how scientists think neuropeptides affect mood and hormones affect hunger and
cravings. Few of these are substantiated by sufficient research to be considered
more than models or ideas for further research. But much is presented as if it
were fact. Some statements are simply made to sell the book, e.g., "Men biologically
need more protein; women biologically need more sugar, fat and chocolate." This
is an oversimplification that ignores cultural, social and emotional influences
on food choices.
To her credit, the author does address food cravings, which
some women experience, and advises these women to satisfy those cravings by eating
a small amount of the desired food. Most experts agree with her contention that
complete denial will ultimately lead to over indulgence. She also advises tha
reader to not feel guilty about eating but instead enjoy their food.
While
the author suggests a moderate fat intake that is in line with the current dietary
recommendations, she also states that "if you trust and respond to your eating
instincts, you will naturally eat fat-friendly -- 20-30 percent of your calories
from fat..." Unfortunately, a lot of Americans are following their instincts in
the supermarket and restaurants and are getting more than 30 percent of their
calories from fat. Instinct seems to lead to overweight. The author does not give
the reader any guidance on how to recognize or determine which foods have a lot
of fat or which are lower in fat. Her reliance on instinct does not appear to
be good advice.
She does contradict the idea of balanced meals -- in which
a number of nutrients are provided by a variety of foods. The author advocates
a more selective eating pattern that emphasizes certain nutrients at certain times
of the day, a pattern that as yet has no scientific backing. This eating pattern
is all designed to help the reader address brain chemistry needs that are said
to be the basis for food cravings. For the reader who experiences no cravings
except genuine hunger, this book provides little that can help them sort out a
healthful eating plan.
Chocolate is used as a marketing tool to entice women
to buy this book. The reader would be wise to look under the chocolate coating.
The weight control advice provided by this book can be found in others that also
give more useful guidance about food choices.
J. Lynne Brown
Professor
Penn State University
