The World's Best Book Summaries
Does meat make you fat? How does eating meat contribute to weight gain? When it comes to meat’s fattening potential, there seems to be a division of opinion, even amongst scientists. Some say that meat (especially, lean meat such as chicken breast) is great for weight loss because it contains no carbs. Others say that eating meat is associated with weight gain. Here’s what Dr. Jason Fung says on the matter.
What is the main function of the hormone insulin? What happens when your insulin stops functioning properly? Insulin is a hormone, a molecule that transmits “messages” within your body. Its function is to deliver glucose to cells to use for energy and take the excess glucose to the liver. Learn about the role of insulin in the body and what happens when it stops working as intended.
When did calorie counting come about? Do calories matter when it comes to weight loss? Calorie-counting as a method for monitoring weight loss has been around since the early 1900s. In the 1950s, early studies concluded that weight gain was the result of excess calories. Given this, researchers believed that dietary fat—a high-calorie food—causes weight gain. Here’s how the “calories in, calories out” myth came about and why it’s wrong.
What is Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez about? What should you take away from the book? In Invisible Women, Caroline Criado Perez explains that most humans operate on a male-as-default mindset. This mindset leads to and is reinforced by a gender data gap—a lack of information about the female experience—that ultimately harms women’s health, safety, and economic standing. Keep reading for a brief overview of Invisible Women.
Why don’t car companies use female crash-test dummies? Why are women more likely to be injured in car crashes? In Invisible Women, Caroline Criado Perez says that the lack of female crash-test dummies used by car companies is affecting women’s safety. She attests that cars aren’t designed to protect women’s bodies—only men’s. Check out why female dummies should be used in regulatory car crash tests.
Why does Naval Ravikant prioritize physical health above everything else? What type of exercise does he recommend? Naval Ravikant strives to take care of his body, and he shares his own habits as recommendations for others. His preferences include a particular diet, a certain way of exercising, consideration for the immune system, and moderation or abstinence when it comes to things such as sugar and alcohol. He also explains why he puts a priority on physical health. Read more to learn Ravikant’s tips for how to care for your body.
How often—and for how long—should you meditate? What’s the best way to learn? Why should you seek to live in the present? Naval Ravikant believes that you should keep your mind conditioned to support your happiness. He asserts that, if your mind isn’t functioning well, you’ll have a harder time dealing with life circumstances. To that end, he discusses four ways to keep your mind at peak function: meditate, learn, maintain social contact, and live in the present. Keep reading for details on Ravikant’s advice on how to take care of your mind.
Is gender important to consider when thinking about health? How does gender affect health? According to Caroline Criado Perez in Invisible Women, our male-as-default mindset results in a gender data gap that harms women’s health. She discusses how this manifests in everyday products and in our healthcare system. Read below to learn how gender and health are interconnected through car crash tests and medicine.
How does the gender data gap affect medicine? Why is there gender inequality in healthcare? In Invisible Women, Caroline Criado Perez contends that many people have a male-as-default mindset. This mindset creates a gender data gap in the drug creation process—meaning we don’t know how medicines affect women because we don’t test them on women. Keep reading to learn how the gender data gap affects women’s healthcare, especially with drugs and vaccines.
What would happen to your income if you got sick or disabled? Is your employer’s health and disability insurance policy adequate? If you’re sick or injured, you can’t work. You need a plan for such circumstances. Protecting yourself financially is a vital element of having a sound financial plan. In The Wealthy Barber, David Chilton discusses health and disability insurance in this context. Keep reading for more information on this kind of financial protection and why you need it.