Described as the "most controversial doctor in America" on Dr. Oz for his proclamation that vitamins and supplements may encourage cancer, David Agus has responded to repeated requests to distill his 2012 bestseller The End of Illness into a simple, easy-to-follow cheat sheet to health. He summarizes his findings in the simple straightforward rules of A Short Guide to a Long Life.
Each rule is accompanied by a brief explanation using easily understood language--"Eat Real Food," for example, and "Don't Let the Apple Fall Far From the Tree." A fan of Michael Pollan, Agus recommends a diet of whole--not processed--foods in season, supplemented by flash-frozen foods not in season. He also emphasizes "automating" our lives as much as possible--finding a healthy, workable diet and fitness routine that we can follow on a daily and weekly basis in order to manage stress and maintain a healthy weight.
Agus believes we can prevent disease through our habits and provides 64 of them to incorporate (or avoid) to help us become "agents of change" in our health. The first 52 rules focus on what to do, the next 12 on what to avoid, ending with an aged-based "to do list." While most of his rules are neither surprising nor groundbreaking, this little book is full of great reminders. --Kristen Galles from Book Club Classics