3.8 Stars

Dr. Kumara Sidhartha has almost 30 years of experience working with Eastern and Western patients to help them streamline their nutritional intake for better health. The book focuses on the benefits of plant-based nutrition while examining the causes, concerns, and reasons for various health issues. 

Dr. Kumara Sidharta is board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is certified in Plant-based Nutrition by e-Cornell University and T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. 

TBH, medical books aren’t my thing. However, I had to read one for a reading challenge prompt and got an opportunity to review this book at the same time. The decision was a no-brainer. 

I didn’t know what to expect, but quite liked the presentation. Instead of long paragraphs of medical jargon, we get the content in a question-and-answer conversational format. The doctor writes majorly from the body’s first-person POV as if the body is talking to the individual and discussing the problems they need to solve together. Such a cool presentation, right? 

Each chapter has a different fictional character with a specific topic of discussion. In some cases, the person is suffering from a health issue. In some, the person follows a healthy lifestyle and shares tips. This ensures a good variety of conversations and prevents monotony. 

Nevertheless, a book about the human body cannot be simple. There are many medical terms and explanations. While some are easy to follow, others can be complicated. Still, each chapter also has a summary that lists the key points discussed. 

Though we get many wonderful tips, it is soon apparent that the book promotes plant-based food (vegan diet). So, almost everything else is termed unhealthy and harmful to the body. As someone who believes in a more balanced approach, I didn’t particularly like it. Doctors from different domains promote different diets, so, no point in trying to compare them. Do what works for your body is my motto. 

The book is 347 pages long and is super slow, which is expected. Fortunately, only ~200 pages deal with the human body, cells, diseases, health, etc. The next 100+ pages are recipes. Yes! It was such a surprise to find so many healthy plant-based recipes with detailed notes (and possible substitutions) provided in the same book. No need to search for recipes online. It’s a package deal. The last 40+ pages have footnotes, stats, references, etc. (532 in total). 

 To summarize, All My Secrets is a comprehensive and informative book about how plant-based food is good for health and ways to lead a better life. 

My thanks to Indica and the author for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

*** 

In the preface, the doc introduces the topics and talks about the Hanuman syndrome (a case where a person needs another person to remind them of their abilities). Here, he gives a short summary of the Ramayana. All good, except that I have no effing idea which version of Ramayana that is. No offense, but the least they could do is see if the basic details align with the general storyline. Strange since the references to Agni or Kubera don’t have the same issue.