Don't Eat This If You're Taking That

NBC Today Show nutrition and health guru Madelyn Fernstrom presents the ultimate guide to food and medicine interaction.While no one wants to take medication to treat diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or other ailments, for millions of people, this is a daily reality. Seven out of ten Americans take prescription drugs. But when it comes to food and medicine interactions, what you don’t know can harm your health.Don’t Eat This If You’re Taking That takes the mystery out of food and medications, providing an easy-to-use guide for anyone taking a medication—short term or long term—that indicates foods to avoid that can interfere with the action of the medication. Readers can easily find a medication, see what foods to avoid, and make some smart swaps. Small diet changes learned from this book can have big health payoffs!An added bonus in each chapter is a Dietary Supplements Alert box, providing the most up-to-date information on interactions with vitamins, minerals, and other dietary supplements. We all believe a diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products is the path to healthy eating, right? Not always. Consumers can easily personalize their healthiest eating plan to work with not against their medications.

“A commonsense approach to understanding how the action of medicinecan be influenced by foods and dietary supplements…. it’s a must-read for anyone taking medication.”—SANJAY GUPTA, MD, STAFF NEUROSURGEON, EMORY CLINIC;CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN“If you plan on taking another pill in your life . . . for anything—you’ll be happy you picked up this book. Madelyn and John explain so clearly the do’s and don’ts. You have to wonder why no one has done this before! Kudos, you two!”—HODA KOTB, COHOST, NBC TODAY SHOW“You have to wonder why Don’t Eat This If You’re Taking That hasn’t beenwritten before. It’s so obviously necessary in our ‘take a pill for anythingthat ails you’ culture. Kudos to Madelyn and John for making it sopowerful yet simple to understand.”—KATHIE LEE GIFFORD, COHOST, NBC TODAY SHOW“I’ll never take medicine again without checking Madelyn and John’s book first.”—REGIS PHILBIN, TV HOST“This is a phenomenally valuable, much-needed book; it answers questionspatients, including my own, have been posing for years—and forwhich answers have been incredibly hard to find. Madelyn and John have found them, and presented them clearly and comprehensively. Anyone who takesmedication, or cares for anyone who takes medicine, should own a copy.I plan to refer to mine routinely.”—DAVID KATZ, MD, MPH, DIRECTOR, PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER,YALE UNIVERSITY; PRESIDENT, AMERICAN COLLEGE OF LIFESTYLE MEDICINE"Written by husband-and-wife neuroscientists, this easy-to-understand guide gives potentially lifesaving information about foods that can interact with common prescription medicines given for hypertension, acid reflux, high cholesterol, pain relief, diabetes, migraines, and depression. Understandably, the authors couldn’t tackle every disease and drug ... Readers will undoubtedlykeep their fingers crossed for a sequel."—BOOKLIST“This is an excellent resource for anyone taking prescription medication, collecting a wealth of vital information into one accessible volume.” – Publishers Weekly, “A commonsense approach to understanding how the action of medicinecan be influenced by foods and dietary supplements…. it’s a must-read for anyone taking medication.”—SANJAY GUPTA, MD, STAFF NEUROSURGEON, EMORY CLINIC;CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN“If you plan on taking another pill in your life . . . for anything—you’ll be happy you picked up this book. Madelyn and John explain so clearly the do’s and don’ts. You have to wonder why no one has done this before! Kudos, you two!”—HODA KOTB, COHOST, NBC TODAY SHOW“You have to wonder why Don’t Eat This If You’re Taking That hasn’t beenwritten before. It’s so obviously necessary in our ‘take a pill for anythingthat ails you’ culture. Kudos to Madelyn and John for making it sopowerful yet simple to understand.”—KATHIE LEE GIFFORD, COHOST, NBC TODAY SHOW“I’ll never take medicine again without checking Madelyn and John’s book first.”—REGIS PHILBIN, TV HOST“This is a phenomenally valuable, much-needed book; it answers questionspatients, including my own, have been posing for years—and forwhich answers have been incredibly hard to find. Madelyn and John have found them, and presented them clearly and comprehensively. Anyone who takesmedication, or cares for anyone who takes medicine, should own a copy.I plan to refer to mine routinely.”—DAVID KATZ, MD, MPH, DIRECTOR, PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER,YALE UNIVERSITY; PRESIDENT, AMERICAN COLLEGE OF LIFESTYLE MEDICINE"Written by husband-and-wife neuroscientists, this easy-to-understand guide gives potentially lifesaving information about foods that can interact with common prescription medicines given for hypertension, acid reflux, high cholesterol, pain relief, diabetes, migraines, and depression. Understandably, the authors couldn’t tackle every disease and drug ... Readers will undoubtedlykeep their fingers crossed for a sequel."—BOOKLIST“This is an excellent resource for anyone taking prescription medication, collecting a wealth of vital information into one accessible volume.” – Publishers Weekly

Madelyn Fernstrom, PhD, CNS, is a national health expert, neuroscientist, and nutritionist. She is the on-air NBC News and Today Show health and nutrition editor. She is also a contributor to Today.com. An award-winning clinician, she has published more than one hundred research papers and several books, including The Real You Diet and The Runner’s Diet.John Fernstrom, PhD, is a nationally renowned and award-winning neuroscientist and pharmacologist. He is a world expert on the effects of foods and drugs on brain function. He is professor of psychiatry, pharmacology, and chemical biology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He is the author of more than two hundred scientific papers and the editor of several books.