Drop Dead Healthy by A. Jacobs (books to read to increase intelligence .TXT) 📕

try to buy organic food, despite its annoying price tag. Especially when it comes to the “Dirty Dozen”—the most pesticide-heavy fruits identified by the Environmental Working Group. As of 2011, these were apples, celery, strawberries, peaches, spinach, nectarines (imported), grapes (imported), bell peppers, potatoes, blueberries (domestic), lettuce, kale, collard greens. More at http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/.

Fish

I think mercury poisoning from fish is, as Homeland Security says, a credible threat—especially when it comes to my kids. Bagels and lox are now a once-a-month treat for them. I’ve cut my fish consumption down to twice a week and I follow the recommendations from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, which can be found at http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_recommendations.aspx?c=ln.

One of their key points is to avoid fish high on the food chain (marlin, swordfish, tilefish).

Plastics

As the father of three young kids, I went on a ruthless bisphenol A hunt. BPA is a compound found in plastic that might cause, as Time magazine puts it, “brain and behavioral effects in young children.” It’s found in some clear plastic bottles and containers.

You can check the recycling code on the bottom of your plasticware. Toss anything with the code three, six, or seven—these have BPA. (Just remember this poem: “Four, five, one and two/All the rest are bad for you.”)

Also, with plastics, I try to avoid phthalates, a compound that increases plastic’s flexibility. Some yet to be-conclusive evidence shows it might be an endocrine disrupter. Plastic shower curtains usually have phthalates, so I replaced ours with a cotton one.

Soaps and toothpaste

Triclosan is a controversial antibacterial chemical. Some say it’s an endocrine disruptor and carcinogen (the FDA’s investigation is ongoing). To avoid triclosan, I no longer buy antibacterial soaps, just plain soap. And I converted our family to Tom’s of Maine toothpaste.

Cookware

Nonstick cookware usually contains perfluorinated chemicals, which are possible hormone disrupters. I switched the family to stainless steel pots and pans.

And then I cross my fingers.

Sources: The Body Toxic by Nena Baker, Slow Death by Rubber Duck by Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie, the FDA, EPA, the Environmental Working Group, the American Council on Science and Health, Time magazine

Author’s Note

All the events in this book are true. Some of the sequences have been rearranged, and, in certain cases, the names and identifying details have been changed.

This book is for informational and entertainment purposes. It’s not a medical textbook. I have a B.A. after my name, not an M.D. Talk to a doctor before following any health tips in this book. And consult your spouse before moving to Okinawa.

For more on sources and studies used in this book please see ajjacobs.com/notes.

Acknowledgments

I considered writing an anti-acknowledgments page. Sort of a “Thanks for nothing” list of all the people who made my project more difficult or didn’t return my calls.

But on reflection, that seemed a little petty, and pettiness is not healthy. So I’ll go with the more traditional acknowledgments.

(And just mention super quickly that I’m disappointed that Shawn Phillips never got around to answering my questions about his ABSolution six-pack workout. Call me, Shawn! I can still get you in the paperback.)

As for those who did make this book possible, there are many, so settle down on your Swiss ball and get comfortable.

Thanks to Ben Loehnen, one of the best editors in New York, not to mention Montana, for his insights, humor, enthusiasm, and patience.

I’m grateful to my visionary publisher Jon Karp, who, like a great trainer, made me dig deeper.

There are many others at Simon & Schuster I should thank for their unrivaled support, including Julia Prosser, Margaret Kingsbury, Sammy Perlmutter, Jessica Abell, Richard Rhorer, Lisa Healy, Jackie Seow, Jason Heuer, and Marcella Berger.

Thanks, of course, to Sloan Harris at ICM, my toned and Crossfit-trained agent.

I’m grateful to my Esquire editors David Granger and Peter Griffin.

I’m indebted to Rob Weisbach, without whom I wouldn’t be lucky enough to make my living as a writer.

My bodily advisory board consisted of the following kind and insightful people: Dr. Li Li Ji, Dr. Harry Fisch, Dr. Martha Aiello, Dr. Martin Gibala, Dr. John Ratey, Dr. Jeffrey Katz, Dr. Steven Bratman, Dr. Leslie Vosshall, Dr. Avery Gilbert, Dr. Daniel Kraft, Dr. Alan Hirsch, Dr. Paul Finger, Dr. Eric Topol, Tim Ferriss, Chris McDougall, Les Blomburg of the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, Rebecca Morley of the National Center for Healthy Housing, Mark Merchant, Richard Thaler, Dr. Harriet Hall of the blog Science-based Medicine, Dr. Michael Breus, Oliver Ryan, Greg Irwin of handhealth.com, Evie Vlahakis, Sunny Bates, Dr. Michael Hausman, Dr. David Spierer, Dr. Tony Ricci, Dr. Norman H. Edelman, Dr. Harry Papaconstantinou, John Fossella, Daniel Ariely, Helen Fisher, Dr. Daniel Goodman, Robert Sidbury, Marc Salem, David Friedman, Dr. Norman Doidge, Dr. Thomas Lovetree, Mindy Solkin, Sam Sommers, Charles Duhigg, Thomas Goetz, and Dr. Arnon Lambroza.

I’m grateful to my aunt Marti for her humor, compassion, and concern for my electrosmog exposure.

Thanks as well to John Simpson, who volunteered his expertise on kettlebells and sniping. And to the fittest editor in New York, Marysue Rucci, for buying the book in the first place.

I’m indebted to Gary Taubes for his sharp thinking. And to Marc Hadosh, Jay Walker, Richard Saul Wurman, Jane Rubinstein, Christine Goss, Adam Schoenberg, Natalia Schoenberg, Alley Schoenberg and Andrea Schoenberg, Eddie Melecio, Chris Ferris, Caleb Hellerman, Jerry Pozniak, Hilary Kaplan, Ross Martin, and Courtney Holt for their support.

I’m grateful to indexer Sydney Wolfe Cohen for his alphabetical genius.

I’m grateful to all who read the manuscript and gave me their editorial wisdom, including Roger Bennett, Lynnette Vanderwarker, Peter Martin, Eliza Chung, Stephen Friedman, John Podhoretz, Kevin Roose (my former intern-turned-journalistic superstar), Dr. Andrew Moran, Shannon Barr, Albert Kim, Andrew Lund, Dr. Atul Sharma, Michelle Tessler, Candice Braun, Anna Sank, Ryan D’Agostino, Dr. Peter Cram, Dr. Burke Richmond, Dr. Steven Schutzer, and Amy Harmon.

And of course, thanks to my amazing family, who raise my serotonin level on a daily basis, especially my wife Julie, and my sons, Jasper, Zane, and Lucas.

Index

Page numbers in italics refer to illustrations.

Aamodt, Sandra, 331

abdominal aortic aneurysm, 27

abs, six-pack, 10,