William W. Li, Eat to Beat Disease: the New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself (New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2019)

My friend introduced me to William Li’s YouTube channel. He seems convincing so I go ahead and read his book.

Li’s fundamental idea is the 5*5*5 framework: eat 5 types of food 5 times a day, targeting our body’s 5 natural defense systems —angiogenesis, regeneration, microbiome, DNA protection, and immunity. He first discussed how the five defense systems work and how they can fail. Then he introduces food that helps and hurts each of the systems.

His book is a bit repetitive when he discusses the kitchen, recipes, and others. The chapter on food doses is great. Unlike medicine, it’s hard to talk about food quantity. After all, everyone is different. Needs differ across age groups and life situations.

Having read his book, my diet seems quite OK. But he does not discuss milk, pumpkin, sweetcorn, sweet potatoes, or even eggs (or I just miss it).

Action needed for myself:
-Lacking seafood in my diet. Try tinned sardines, as they are more practical.
-Try varieties: should try different types of apples, vegetables, etc.
-Try new food stuff, but eat what you enjoy. Cheese and Kimchi are healthy but they are not my cup of tea.

David Instone-Brewer, The Jesus Scandals (Oxford: Monarch Books, 2012)

David Instone-Brewer has a PhD from Cambridge and is well-known for his works in Rabbinic Judaism.

Just by looking at the table of contents of this book will shock the readers: Illegitimate birth, Fraudulent miracles, Bad table manners, Child abuse… Yet what the author wants to do is not to discredit the Bible: “Scandals are our best guarantee of historical truth in the Gospels. When disgraceful, embarrassing and shocking details about Jesus are recorded by his friends and supporters, it is much harder to disbelieve them.” (“Why Look for Scandals?”) On the contrary, he wants to put the life and teaching of Jesus in the first-century context so that one can understand why Jesus was so unique. “… to understand the Gospels it helps a great deal if we read them with the mindset of a first-century Jew or Gentile – for whom they were written.” (“Introduction”)

Things I learned before, but now more clearer
-Girls were mostly married by the age of twelve (clearer: because when they reached the age of twelve and a half they became entitled to refuse the husband their parents had arranged for them.) (“Ineligible Bachelor”)

Things new to me
-Jews were embarrassed about miracles. Jesus’ miracles were done in secret mostly. Many healings were in private. His miracles were out of his compassion.(“Fraudulent Miracles”)
-Jews gave thanks after the meal. “Safe drinking water was freely available from numerous wells or could be bought cheaply from street-sellers.” (“Alcohol Abuse”)
-Judas Maccabaeus rode into Jerusalem in 165 BC after ousting Antiochus IV. cf Jesus rode in Jerusalem. (“Disruptive Worship”)
-The Talmud was censored out in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries by the church. (“Censored Arrest Warrant”)
-The concept of resurrection was embarrassing and not good news in the first century because the Romans and Greeks did not believe in it. (“Embarrassing Resurrection”)

Encouraging
-“Jesus’ disciples show us that it doesn’t matter when we mess up, forget things, or do things for the wrong motives, so long as we turn round, say sorry to God and those we have hurt, and try to make things right.” (“Second-rate Disciples”)

Not all essays in the books are equal in strength. Essays on the life-setting of Jesus are more helpful than those on his teachings. Some essays are difficult to comprehend, as the author wants to connect the biblical message with contemporary society.