The thin end of the wedge

William Leith is startled by Candida Crewe's Eating Myself and Grace Bowman's A Shape of My Own, two stories of eating disorders.

Hungry work

Sharman Apt Russell's history of hunger is a fine mix of genres, says Alex McRae.

Cooking the books

From Ireland to India, Caroline Boucher traverses the globe in search of the best new year cookbooks.

The fool’s gold that heals

Drug companies are the most profitable businesses in the world - ever seeking new diseases for which they can provide new 'miracle' medicines. But the fact is, Jacky Law reports, a simple sugar pill can often be just as effective.

Super green me

Alex Jamieson was the woman who helped Morgan Spurlock back to health after he ate nothing but McDonald's. Now she wants to detox the world, finds Hannah Pool.

Nothing to worry about!

Prostate Cancer? bubonic plague? scurvy? We've all feared the worst - only to be told we're in the rudest of health. In this extract from his touching and funny book, chronic hypochondriac John O'Connell reveals what it's like to live without a serious illness.