Wow.

That's really the most succinct way of describing the effect of this book. Wow. It's unfathomable what the food and restaurant industries have been doing to the American consumer in recent decades. The tricks, the manipulation, the flat-out false advertising and misleading health claims, and we've been gobbling it up, no questions asked.

Eat This, Not That is a treasure trove of information about what are the healthiest foods to eat, and what to avoid, from restaurants to the supermarket to holidays and parties. The authors aren't afraid to name names when it comes to unhealthy food. They put both restaurant chains and name brands under the microscope, and make suggestions for dozens of food swaps you can easily make to create a healthier you.

For example, one restaurant's personal pan pizza has over 2,300 calories and almost 5,000 mg of sodium, while a similar pizza at another eatery has only 570 calories and 1,200 mg sodium. Would you be able to tell the difference and make the right choice? Three fish tacos at one restaurant come in at 2,300 calories and 4,000 mg of sodium, while the competition's fish tacos clock in under 700 calories and only 900 mg of sodium. That's three times the calories and four times the sodium from restaurant to restaurant! Could you tell the difference between the two? A single slice of stuffed-crust pizza with almost 1,000 calories. Coffee drinks with more sugar than two scoops of ice cream. Shakes with more fat than four Big Macs. A popular Chinese food chain's beef dish with over 10,000 mg sodium (no, that's not a typo). This is nuts!

Calorie-dense foods, hidden fat, added sugar and super-sized portions, it's all adding to the expanding American waistline. The authors illustrate how much food has changed in recent decades. We are consuming significantly more calories than we were twenty years ago, and we've been conditioned to eat sweeter foods than in the past, due to all the added sugar in our diet. The average American eats 82 grams of added sugar every single day -- empty calories that contribute nothing in the way of nutrition, but sure have the potential to add body fat.

And the bad news is not relegated to restaurants alone. We are shown how "super-marketers" devise marketing schemes to trick you into thinking you are eating healthier fare. "Low-fat" often translates into "high in sugar." "Multi-grain" means nothing. Multi-grain bread turns to sugar once ingested just as fast as white bread. You have to look for WHOLE-grain to gain any health benefits. Low-fat peanut butter -- loaded with fillers. Turkey bacon -- no less fat, but packing more sodium. Non-fat fruit-on-the bottom yogurt -- stuffed with sugar. "Healthy" adult cereals with more sugar than the kids' cereals. Would you recognize these misleading claims?

From fat-laden shakes to sugary pasta sauces, authors David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding are attempting to change the way America eats, one food at a time, and judging by the response in several restaurants, they're making some headway. Several eateries have either scaled down or eliminated many items on their menus since the first Eat This, Not That publication. Education is the first step to making improvements. Read the book to find out who the worst offenders are. Turn yourself into an educated consumer, and begin making your own healthier food swaps today!