Better Not Burn Your Toast
The Science of Food and Health
by Joe Schwarcz
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Nov 04 2025 | Archive Date Oct 31 2025
Talking about this book? Use #BetterNotBurnYourToast #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
Description
If you have an appetite for digestible science, you will find plenty of tasty morsels here.
Discover why some people see red over red food dyes, why Sherlock Holmes was interested in jellyfish, why King George III was plagued with purple urine, and why phrenology is a pseudoscience. You will learn about the links between the Pope, Lionel Messi, and yerba mate, Harry Potter and the mandrake root, and how Bicycle Day came to commemorate the first use of LSD. Have you ever wondered whether negative ions have positive effects, if memory supplements work, if performance-enhancing supplements really enhance performance, or if taurine in Red Bull is a lot of bull? Look no further. Are you confused about ultra-processed foods, free radicals, calcium propionate in your daily bread, endocrine disruptors, preservatives, rejuvenation, aspartame, Ozempic, Oxycontin, or whether you can eat to beat disease? You’ve come to the right place.
You will also find out why Woody Allen’s “orgasmatron” in Sleeper was a parody of an actual device created by Wilhelm Reich, how time-restricted eating works, why kimchi traveled to outer space, and where not to stick a magnesium rod. Then, of course, you will also discover why you should not burn your toast!
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781770417915 |
| PRICE | $19.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 240 |
Available on NetGalley
Average rating from 10 members
Featured Reviews
When I first looked at the table of contents, I was genuinely surprised by how detailed this book is. It opens with a topic I rarely see handled well, science and uncertainty. As someone who works around science, I know how uncomfortable people can feel with the idea that certainty is rare. Even professionals struggle with it. The book’s reminder that science offers many answers but not all, especially when it comes to health, felt grounding in a world where wellness claims spread faster than facts.
The author explores small, everyday health concerns that often spark big debates: smoked foods, free radicals, nutrition trends, and more. Each topic is unpacked with history, chemistry, and clear explanations that kept me engaged without feeling overwhelmed.
It’s informative without being alarmist, and I appreciated how it encourages readers to stay curious rather than chase quick conclusions.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
Patti Eddington
Biographies & Memoirs, Humor & Satire, Parenting, Families, Relationships
Shara Grylls
Entertainment & Pop Culture, Humor & Satire, Parenting, Families, Relationships