Jan. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Dismissing most food experts as cranks, sociologist Barry Glassner reasons that since scientists, nutritionists and dietitians can't make up their minds about what foods are good for you and what foods aren't, you might as well eat what you want.
In his convincing ``The Gospel of Food: Everything You Think You Know About Food Is Wrong'' (Ecco, $25.95), Glassner looks at conflicting myths about food, such as the suggested health benefits of the Atkins diet and the purported deadliness of eggs and hot dogs.
Glassner decries those who preach ``the gospel of naught,'' the idea that ``the worth of a meal lies principally in what it lacks.'' He thinks America's obesity epidemic has been exaggerated, in part by a food industry eager to sell higher- priced ``natural'' products, many of which have no more nutritional value than processed foods.
The right path, he says, is to learn to take genuine pleasure from your meals. You'll be happier, which in and of itself will make you healthier.
Other highlights this month:
``Emerald Fairways and Foam-Flecked Seas: A Golfer's Pilgrimage to the Courses of Ireland'' by James W. Finegan (Simon & Schuster, $14). A golfer's dream book, this revised edition of Finegan's 1996 travelogue and guide covers nearly all the country's famed courses -- from new challenges, such as Druid's Heath (a ``thrilling, scenic, unyielding'' 7,450-yard par 71 outside Dublin) to classics like Ballybunion's outstanding links (one of Bill Clinton's favorite courses).
``Money Changes Everything: Twenty-Two Writers Tackle the Last Taboo With Tales of Sudden Windfalls, Staggering Debts and Other Surprising Turns'' edited by Jenny Offill and Elissa Schappell (Doubleday, $24.95). Among the essays in this intriguing anthology are pieces by a Sept. 11 widow who discusses her conflicted feelings about the compensation she received for her husband's death, by an heiress who struggles with ``affluenza'' and by a married couple who nearly divorced over the family finances.
``The Curtain: An Essay in Seven Parts'' by Milan Kundera (HarperCollins, $22.95). The acclaimed Czech author of ``The Unbearable Lightness of Being'' summarizes his notions of what makes a great novel and addresses the novel's role in Western Civilization -- where, he argues, fiction has helped create a shared experience that transcends languages and nationalities.
``The Lady in the Palazzo'' by Marlena de Blasi (Algonquin, $23.95). The cookbook writer does for Umbria what Frances Mayes did for Tuscany in this memoir about renovating the ballroom of a medieval palazzo in the heart of Orvieto. As prescribed by the genre, the undertaking doesn't go as planned, but eventually she wins over her eccentric, suspicious neighbors with her food and charm.
``Alternadad'' by Neal Pollack (Pantheon, $23.95). If you think being the parent of a young child might cramp your style, think again, says Pollock in this funny and vulgar memoir of trying to mold his toddler, Elijah, into a Ramones-loving little hipster -- a mirror image of himself -- while avoiding the ire of his too tolerant wife.
``Fame Junkies: The Hidden Truths Behind America's Favorite Addiction'' by Jake Halpern (Houghton Mifflin, $23). This breezy, intriguing book casts a cold eye on the culture of celebrity -- the aspiring stars of reality television shows, the personal assistants and entourages who bask in reflected glory and the kingmakers at celebrity-obsessed magazines like US Weekly.
``Talk to the Snail: Ten Commandments for Understanding the French'' by Stephen Clarke (Bloomsbury, $14.95). A witty, tongue- in-cheek demystification of such enigmas as why French waiters are rude and why French workers are always going on strike. Clarke also offers his hard-won advice on seducing French women and on speaking French, if need be, so as to be polite and cutting at the same time.
(Edward Nawotka is a critic for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)
To contact the writer on this story: Edward Nawotka at ink@edwardn.com .
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