Book Nook: 'The New American Diet'

THE NEW AMERICAN DIET: How Secret "Obesogens" are Making Us Fat, and the 6-Week Plan That Will Flatten Your Belly For Good! by Stephen Perrine, with Heather Hurlock (Rodale Books, $25.99).

In 2006, a troubling Harvard study found that the number of obeseinfants - babies less than six months old - had risen by 74 percent from 1980 to 2001. What could possibly have caused it?

Scientists have been finding evidence that obesogens - chemicals and pollutants, from pesticides to plastics - can alter the endocrine system, causing weight gain. But you can fight these obesogens, writes Perrine, Men's Health editor-at-large.

THE SCOOP He tells what to avoid, such as polycarbonate plastics (water bottles); Teflon pans; plastic-wrapped, nonorganic meats; farm-raised shrimp and tilapia; products with added soy. And what to eat - nuts and seeds, avocados, eggs, meat from free-range, grass-fed animals. Choose organic. Often.

THE BOTTOM LINE This book scared me enough to see what might be dangerous in my kitchen.