Should I Scoop Out My Bagel? Nutrition Book Review

Disclosure:  This book was provided free of charge for the purpose of this review.

I didn't make any resolutions this year.  It wasn't because I don't think I need to make healthier choices, but as a busy mom of three I didn't think I could accomplish any new goals.  Another part is that I'm not willing to give up most of my bad habits.  But mostly I know there are lots of good habits I could easily start forming, but I just don't know where to start.  That's why I'm loving this new book I was introduced to in January.  Should I Scoop Out My Bagel and 99 Other Answers to Your Everyday Diet and Nutrition Questions to Help You Lose Weight, Feel Great, and Live Healthy by Ilyse Schapiro and Hallie Rich is a great book for people like me.  We have good intentions and want the information, but want it to be given to us simply and without a lot of technical jargon.  I want to be given the facts straight so that when I continue with my bad choices I at least know how I could improve on them and hopefully start making some good choices along the way.

When it comes to eating the right foods - there is so much information out there. What diet should you follow, can you have a cheat day or drink a glass of wine? Don't you wish you had a best friend that could answer all your questions about what is truly important and actually relevant to your health?Should I Scoop Out My Bagel and 99 Other Answers to Your Everyday Diet and Nutrition Questions to Help You Lose Weight, Feel Great, and Live Healthy is written in short chapters that answer 99 questions that you probably wanted to ask - but never had anyone to ask. Ilyse Schapiro and Hallie Rich have twenty-five years of combined experience in the health field and they are able to cover the multitude of questions that constantly top the list, including:

• Is eating a wrap healthier than eating a bagel sandwich?
• Is it time to get on the gluten-free bandwagon?
• I have salads for lunch every day, and I’m still not losing weight. What am I doing wrong?
• I’m tired of feeling tired. What can I do to lose the urge to snooze?
• I eat well, so what’s the point of a multivitamin?

The book starts out with asking the question it was titled after.  What do you think?  Should you scoop?  It's never even crossed my mind to scoop!  I love my bagels.  I did however like one of the next questions which is "Should I Blot Out My Pizza?"  This is something we do all the time because although I really love pizza the amount of grease on it can sometimes be alarming.  What I mostly enjoyed about the book is how many of these questions hit home and got me thinking.  When the authors made a reference to Epcot then they really had me hooked.

I'm an ice cream lover all the way and was glad to read that there is no real reason I can't continue to indulge myself with that versus frozen yogurt.  I also appreciated the information included on probiotics as I've recently started taking one daily and the book helped me identify what to look for in the supplement.  

I think this book is a good one to keep on hand for future reference.  Each of the questions answered in the book is right in the contents so you can easily find the answer to what your current situation is.  The book never preaches at you and the authors never act holier than thou.  They keep it real and know that we all have the same bodily functions and therefore we all have similar issues at some point in time.

Should I Scoop Out My Bagel? is available in paperback and for Kindle now on Amazon.

About The Authors:

Ilyse Schapiro, MS, RD, CDN, is a registered dietitian and certified dietitian/nutritionist who holds a master’s of science in clinical nutrition and dietetics from New York University. Before launching her own practice, she was a dietitian at Joy Bauer Nutrition and served as a clinical dietitian at the Hospital for Special Surgery. She resides in Mamaroneck, New York. 

Hallie Rich worked side by side with both her father and grandmother at her family’s dietary supplement business, where she rose through the ranks to become a senior executive at the Company. Following the passing of her father, Hallie founded Rich Vitamins. Hallie received her BA with honors from the University of Michigan and resides in New York, New York.