The Eat This, Not That! books, co-authored by Men’s Health editor-in-chief David Zinczenko and nutrition editor Matt Goulding (neither of whom have any background in nutrition), spawned from a popular monthly feature in Men’s Health magazine and quickly became best-sellers ( last year, the Eat This, Not That! iPhone app achieved half a million downloads in two weeks .)

As of now, there are nine different editions (most of them boasting a “the no-diet, weight-loss solution” banner somewhere on the cover), including Drink This, Not That! and a children’s version.  The common theme among all of them: pit two similar food products or fast food items against one another and select one as the better choice (AKA: award it the “eat this!” command).

Years ago, when I first began studying nutrition, I was a Men’s Health subscriber and aware of the “Eat This, Not That!” formula (long before it led to the book series).  At the time, barely one semester into my prerequisite courses, I thought this feature was a harmless good idea.  Alas, my viewpoint has since made a sharp U-turn.