Diet Health Books

My step-dad told me about this book and I thought it looked pretty interesting. When my step-sister had left the book at my house when she went back home, I thought I'd mail it to her... in a few days. A couple of days ago, I started reading through the book and was hooked!

Just about everything in this book described how I had been feeling and all of the symptoms I was complaining to my husband that I didn't know how to get rid of. The timing was perfect. I've been trying to cut back on sugars and change my diet - gradually. This book is so amazing. I try so hard now to eat right, breathe, chew my food, etc. Because I'm so excited about it, my husband wants to try it and so does my mother!

I recommend this book to anyone who has ever had a struggle with anger, sugar, nicotine, or caffeine. This book doesn't just tell you that all of those things are bad, but the exact effect on the body and how to change it!

We love biscotti and this little cookbook has a wonderful selection of low fat recipes. Each recipe I've tried has been a hit. The only thing that would improve the book would be a wire binding!

I bought this book several years ago because biscotti are my favorite cookies. I never thought they would be so easy to make - and they make me look like a great cook to everyone who doesn't know how (yet) to make them. I always get asked for the recipe, so this book becomes a great gift item, as well. You'll get the confidence to get experimental with the ingredients and these really are very quick to make - which makes them perfect for Christmas when you are rushed.

I love this cookbook! The best thing about biscotti is that they give you so much flavor for so little fat and calories ... and this cookbook has more delicious low-fat biscotti recipes than any other I've seen. (So many others have butter-based biscotti recipes; many of these recipes contain neither oil nor butter.) The meringue recipes are equally varied, although there are fewer recipes. I think this is a terrific cookbook, and I'm thrilled to own it.

I have tried several of the recipes, with great results.
The US measurements haven't been a problem for this Kiwi cook - if the mix is a bit dry or moist I just add a little more of the wet or dry ingredients.

No need for the food processing equipment mentioned, I have coped without quite happily...

I've just baked my first biscotti from this book (Double Chocolate Almond Biscotti). I tried to follow the recipe precisely but I didn't have parchment paper so I used greased foil, I didn't have almond extract, I put chocolate chips in the dough instead of almonds, the egg & sugar mixture would not thicken AND the dough was so sticky it would not form into a log as was needed so I wet my hands & shaped it as best I could AND....... oh my god it came out perfect...d elicious.... fabulous!!!
So this recipe is a keeper. Hope the rest are the same but I'm really into chocolate biscotti for now so I'll experiment with that.
P.S, there is no butter in the recipes! This is for the figure conscious eater!

Let me start by saying that I haven't gotten my book back in almost 4 weeks. Everyone here at the office has been borrowing it.

Like many others, I've been on LOTS of diets. And by virtue of this fact, have been unsuccessful at them all. While time will ultimately tell, I feel that the tools the doctor teaches the reader in this book are grounded in truth, not pie-in-the-sky fiction. There are too many products and too many "solutions" out there that aren't worth the paper they're written on. But this is the only one I have ever felt would really work. The food diaries are great. No gimmicks.

Good job, Structure House. Finally, a no-nonsense approach to weight loss.

Fit'nFifty

Finally a system for weight loss that is easy to understand, easy to implement and easy to sustain. Dr. Musante discusses the problems with being overweight and transitions to action steps that result in weight loss without feelings of deprivation.

It is an awesome revelation to understand the behaviors that get us to an oversized state. The simultaneous education that food can be managed in the same way that many of us manage time demonstrates why Structure House has been so successful with its resident programs.

Even with the above being said, in my case success (right on schedule based on the calculations that were provided) may not have happened without the recipes that were included. They proved that meals can be both tasty and satisfying without ingesting huge quantities of calories and fat.

This book is highly recommended for those interested in losing weight and keeping it lost.

As someone who considers Structure House a time share, this book keeps it real--as real as actually being in Durham. With the lifestyle changes I have acquired about food and exercise, I have been able to withstand many stressful, catastrophic moments--from deaths and major surgery to cruises and dining out--without resorting to the inappropriate use of food. Permanently altering the way I eat and move has left me with a taste for the good life; that taste is satisfaction--satisfaction with my weight, my attitude and my well being.

The book reflects the program--just sensible logic. You wonder why you didn't think of this yourself. It has realistic, achievable, simple steps to long term weight loss. It even helps you to get up when you stumble. You become empowered. You learn what to do and how to do it.

For a graduate of the program, the book serves as a refresher. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the campus experience and is struggling and searching for a healthy, wholesome solution to the weight loss puzzle, here is the missing p-e-a-c-e

Thank goodness that Dr. Musante has finally written this book! I have been to Structure House on 5 to 6 occasions since 1985, and I tell folks the key three factors that keep me coming back:

1. I understand that, generally, only 5% of the national population that diets is successful at maintaining the weight loss, and that no other program claims a "success rate" of more than 20-25%. At Structure House, 67% of the participants keep the weight off or continue to lose after they return home. They've got some answers no one else seems to have.

2. Everything that Structure House has taught me is well grounded in science, provable in a lab or in rigorous medical studies. When a participant finishes the program, (or thoroughly reads this book), he or she is armed with everything they need to be an expert on the issues affecting weight loss, and keeping weight off. I have shared the information I have learned at Structure House, which is also contained in this book, with my circle of friends and family, and all have confirmed that what I have learned is medically correct.

3. As a result, the classes at Structure House have taught me that I am and can be in control. Even though the problem of excess weight seems intractable at times, if I do what they say, I am doing everything I can to lose weight. It also gives me the courage, and knowledge, not to be swayed by my internal emotions, or those messages popularized in the media from time to time, i.e., the latest and greatest, that bombard one with what ultimately proves to be misinformation.

This book gives the reader what I have learned over the years at a cost of thousands of dollars, and is invaluable. Not only buy it, but take it to heart, and re-read it time and time again, until you master the information, implement it in your lifestyle, and you are successful in your weight loss goals. I know I will. And remember, it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle that makes sense, without the necessity to be come an acolyte or "believer" in anything other than oneself.

I, too, have been to Structure House many times. I credit it with my sanity and with being able to keep off nearly 100 lbs., but find it hard to satisfactorily describe how it works to others so I was very pleased when the book was finally published. I must say it is a disappointment. It is too dry, too predictably menu-oriented, too concerned with the basics that any dieter knows. It fails to capture the real depth of wisdom that SH offers, glossing over the critical differences that make SH work. I had been to Duke Diet and Fitness program, also in Durham, many times before going to SH - Duke's program is a medical-model with an overlay of behavioral approaches. What SH offers is the same medical knowlege and benefits as an undercoating for the teaching of the behavioral and attitudinal skills that truly determine the success of anyone with food abuse problems. It is at SH where I finally learned that being harsh and judgemental about my 'failures' was a sure way of never keeping off the weight that I lost. This is the key element to the SH approach, but it is not treated as such in this book. Learning the SH approach to "unstructured eating" is what I credit for the success I now enjoy. This book does not give enough time or emphasis on what actually produces change. It certainly isn't the actual 'diet.' Too bad. Dr. M, write another one. Don't be afraid to be creative in your presentation, either --- SH is a kalidescope of 'news you can use,' and a book that takes a multidisciplinary approach, even in its structure, would better represent the impressive program you founded and sustain.

This should be required reading for all parents. They would understand the ramifications of nutrition and activity on their children. Maybe they'd stop the stupidity of giving their children excess amounts of soda pop.

I read this late in life, when I was diagnosed with osteoperosis.
Following his suggestions, my scores improved to where technically I had osteopina.

I keep many pages marked and refer to the topics for other people.

Of course, it is not just for bone density, but a great nutritional book for everyone.

Since I have Osteoporosis fairly early in life, I found this book informative and very helpful. Not only is there good general information about Osteoporosis, with current medications and alternative treatments; but recipes, a workout with weights and yoga routine with easy to follow instructions and pictures. He offers an holistic approach to health care management.

This is a very practical book! The set of information is very up-to-date as well as easy to absorb. The author provides a good explanation of the mechanism behind bone loss, which helps readers understand why the various suggestions might be helpful.

The format of the book is based on an easily-implemented 6-week plan, including recipes and menus. Each "week" the author carefully discusses one of several lifestyle changes readers might consider, including diet, exercise, prescription drugs, vitamin supplements, hormone supplements, and various natural remedies (like herbs), though the author's intent is to keep you off drugs if possible.

In spite of the fact that I've read many books on osteoporosis, I learned a great deal reading this book. For instance, I had no idea that taking certain common prescription drugs (including thyroid medications, anti-convulsants, and diuretics) can increase your odds of developing osteoporosis.

I am impressed by the author's knowledge of vitamins and minerals that are crucial for healthy bones. His extensive table of recommended supplements (p. 185) is similar to only one I've ever seen (in Preventing and Reversing Osteoporosis by Alan Gaby). Many people, including medical doctors, still don't seem to realize that the body needs many compounds other than calcium, magnesium, and Vitamin D to build bone. If the only thing you learn from this book is that your bones need several other compounds every day, the purchase will be well worthwhile.

The author gently advocates a diet that leans toward vegetarian (and organic in fact), since consuming animal proteins promotes bone loss. He points out that dairy products aren't the bone-building panaceas the marketing boards would lead us to believe. (Like meat, dairy products are very acidic, and in order for your body to process them, calcium is actually depleted from the bones.) The author doesn't go so far as to say one should avoid such foods at all costs, but he does offer menus which are friendly to readers who want to follow a strict vegetarian diet. I found this refreshing in an age when many hospital dieticians are still espousing very traditional diets in spite of strong medical evidence supporting diets that are low in (or exclude) animal products.

One minor "bone" of contention I have ;) is on p. 200 where the author states that Premarin contains estradiol. In fact Premarin contains very little estradiol; its main components are compounds that are not found in humans. The rest of the author's discussion of hormone replacement is top-notch. When deemed necessary, he advocates using natural hormones (like estradiol, estrone, estriol, and progesterone) over pseudo-hormones (like Premarin, Prempro, equinone, and progestin, each of which is molecularly very different from any hormone you'll find in a human). Be aware of what your doctor prescribes; the long-term effects are yours to live with.

Bottom line: This book is helpful to men and women of any age who are interested in maintaining strong bones, a healthy body, and a relaxed state of mind.

If I could have rated this without a star I would have I have osteoporosis, and have done extensive research on diets for bone health - which can ultimately be summarized as acidic vs. alkaline foods. This book contains no list of foods specific pH levels for a variety of foods - I bought it thinking it would SURELY contain this extremely important!! NO IT DOES NOT and there is no clinical nutritionist involved either that I could find. So you are taking information from someone that does not have an intimate knowledge of nutrition to begin with!
There is no significant information on maintaining an alkaline diet! What I did discover was an extremely important article written by an M.D. Internist, that is ALSO a CCN; in conjunction with another individual that is a PhD AND CCN.

Bone Density Diet is very thorough in covering all aspects of bone health. (It might provide more information than some people want.) Even though it is very readable, I wish it had been edited a bit. There was quite a bit of repeating points. The boxes and charts were helpful though, and nothing was too technical to understand.

Also, I tried to put together the supplementation Kessler advises. It isn't easy to do without taking a lot of pills.

Overall I would suggest this as an excellent book for women especially who are concerned about osteoporosis. It can inspire readers to do something about the possiblity of being hit with this disease--to take charge instead of just hoping it doesn't happen. I'm glad I read it. Even if a reader only does one or two things learned in the book, they will be better off for it.

this book is a coppy of every health book out there !!! dont waist your money !! to the author get a job !!! a real job ! and stop wrtting books ! dont buy it !!

Jack Challem is at his best in FEED YOUR GENES RIGHT.This is his latest work by the veteran health writer. This is a clear, easy-to-read entry level look intoto the world of nutrigenetics. Anyone can benefit from learning how our food choices influence our genes, and thereby every aspect of our life. This book is chock-full of good advice, backed up with healthful recipes. This will help you to optimize the genes you were born with.

Jack Challem has created a complete guide to addressing our "genetic nutritional needs". Along with a concrete expanation of the genenic link between nutrition and health, Jack provides a blueprint to guide the reader in choosing supplements and a menu that supoports healthy nutrition for our genes. He even includes recipes! He has taken a complex subject and made it easy for anyone to follow.

This latest work by veteran health writer Jack Challem is a clear, easy-to-read entree to the world of nutrigenetics--optimizing genetic performance through nutrition. Nearly all of us can benefit from learning how our food choices influence our genes, and thereby every aspect of our body functions. There is plenty of good advice in this book, backed up with some healthful recipes, for getting the most out of the genes you were born with. The author does not overlook the detrimental effects of cultural influences, such as the shift in fatty-acids ratios in the modern diet, among others. Although this book speaks to everyone, those with certain problems (like too much homocysteine in the blood) may find answers especially for themselves.

Expert health writer, Jack Challem, scores with this skillfully written and detailed book on the new science of nutrigenomics. This emerging discipline explains how nutrition affects health by altering the expression of various genes. Jack adeptly shows how nutrigenomics enables people to better manage their health and well being by specifically matching their diets with their unique genetic makeup. If you are not yet up to speed on nutrigenomics, then this book is an indispensable read. As per Jack's norm, it is thoroughly researched and contains cutting edge information. I recommend it highly.

Loren Cordain, author: The Paleo Diet. http://www.thepaleodiet.com/

Walk Yourself Thin

I was unsure what to expect when I started to read this book. I am already fairly active, so unsure if I would gain anything.

Rives writing style is very simple and straight forward. I did find the repetitiveness both irritating and motivating. Guess you need to keep at it until the advice finally sinks in!

Overall, a good book and a great place to start for someone that is inactive. A quick read.

I found this book disappointing. There are other books, published more recently, that provide more solid data about the slimming results of daily walking. The idea of 10,000 steps wasn't "hatched" when this book came out.

The author contradicts himself in several places, first says don't bother keeping records, then recommends keeping a log. "Throw away your scale" is good advice, a tape measure shows real results of exercise. Many of the chapters could be condensed into one or two sentences, this already thin volume seemed "stretched" for content.

I did like the author's breezy, casual style, you feel like he's sitting right there with you, laughing here & there. It would have been nice if he included some before & after pix of himself, or others, for motivation. You know what they say about a picture's worth.....

The "Step Diet" is a much better book, full of useful charts and suggestions, & comes with a pedometer to get you started. Recording walks on a calendar is a great motivator, too. It isn't rocket science.

I was one of the fortunate people who could eat anything anytime. Then, my first kid was born and I hit 30 ... and before I knew it I didn't like what I was seeing in the mirror. I found this book by accident, read a few pages and said to myself, "Heck, yeah, this guy makes sense! I don't need to kill myself and make everyone around me miserable to lose body fat." I did what he said and have stuck with it for ten years. The result? I'm as lean and more muscular than I was in my early 20's and all it takes is one hour of walking and rocking out with my MP3 player five times per week.

Rives keeps the writing simple and straightforward. He's not insensitive to the difficulties of being obese, but he's a motivator because he's been there. The science he presents as part of this simple principle is easy to understand and common sense. And yet, he keeps things pretty concise. You'll want to finish it in a couple days and you'll find yourself on the sidewalks or tracks before you know it on the way to good health and happiness. I always recommend this book to people I think can benefit from it.

This book is an honest, refreshing guide on how to get started on the road to a new you. Well written and humorous with just the right dose of tough love when needed. I read it often for a quick "pick me up" and for ongoing inspiration. HIGHLY recommended.

I bought this book and the message is simple: Keep walking everyday, and don't stop. You don't have to be some fitness walker, but with time and practice you will add mileage to your workout. The cartoons or sketches are motivational and funny but they don't make one feel "silly" at any capacity, but it is the truth ,that if you want to improve healthwise-you have to walk each day and not give up. So find a partner if you need encouragement to walk every day or get the strength from inside you to go out and walk daily and improve your best present day life now. This book is recommended. Once you read the material read it again and again and again and just believe in yourself.
You can lose weight, and if you don't because of genetics, don't you worry because walking will help your body be more healthy-your body will be active. It is best to be active and not some coach potato doing Walter Mitty's(meaning one is a dreamer.) Get up, and start walking; life is beautiful, and create your own path to exercising. Author David Rives has written an approachable book on the subject of walking. Don't worry when you go out walking, just go forward in your exercising, don't worry about the rest. You are You and You can get there(in achieving your dream at being healthy.)

Very sound and accurate account of nutrition for pregnancy. Very concise and thorough in their discussion of each nutrient needed for pregnancy. Excellent discussion of special nutritional needs for vegetarians and diabetics. I would recommend this book to all my pregnant clients.

This book was interesting and informative... however I was disappointed because I was hoping for suggestions on sample menus and recipes.
I wanted it to help me get the nutitional changes by body needs during pregnancy.
The book tells you technically - nutrient by nutrient what you need... but I didn't find it to be translatable easily into my daily meal planning.

Good cookbook for someone looking to change the way they eat. The ingredients used are what many people would already find in their cupboards. I bought it for the George Foreman Grill recipes and was disappointed -- the only two recipes in the book specifically for the grill were already in the cookbood that came with the grill! Many of the recipes could be adapted for the grill, however, I was not looking to do that much work. Even though it didn't meet my need for purchasing it, this book was a good read and I'm looking forward to trying more of the recipes.

After being inundated by low-fat, no fat, no salt, no taste, vegetarian, whole foods, sugar busting and optimal health, it was finally nice to read a sane cookbook with easy to make, tasty, interesting, simple healthy foods . Even my 18 month old likes just about everything in here and I have made almost everything. Eagerly waiting another cookbook by same author.

Natalia Rose understands the concept of having more energy through healthy eating. Easy to read and full of practical advice. A great read for anyone wanting to improve their lifestyle and energy through better choices.

The short review: disappointing; appears to be an unedited rough draft written with a lot of enthusiasm but also with hard to follow logic and a few typos; great cover, but otherwise poor graphics (i.e., text layout); only 181 pages with large type and lots of spaces; overpriced.

This is the first book I've read by Natalia Rose. On a positive note, it's clear that the author is enthusiastic and passionate about the topics covered.
I ordered it through Amazon Marketplace after seeing a copy of the Raw Food Detox Diet at a friend's house. While the front cover looks polished and professional, upon opening the book I immediately noticed that the text looked like something from a large-print version, with odd blank spaces between paragraphs or sections.
I had a hard time following the logic presented, and admit that I skimmed over "Chapter 3: Light Takes Shape", partially because I didn't find it that interesting, but I think primarily because I wasn't convinced that Natalia Rose really knew what she was talking about. The book is sometimes rambling and redundant. I also had a hard time with some ideas and/or the way they were presented. For example, Rose writes, "Everyone thinks food nourishes and gives you energy, but it doesn't."(p.78) She then talks about the sluggishness of the intestines, and 5 paragraphs later writes, "The body's fuel is not food stuff or even vitamins and minerals. The body's fuel is electromagnetism." (p.81)
Later she writes, "...don't give the label "organic" more credit than it deserves! That too means nothing."(p.84) ("Nothing"? That's what she wrote.) But she follows 4 sentences later by saying, "You do not have to eat exclusively organic foods, but you do need to eat the highest quality food you can find under the circumstances and avoid all junk and junk disguised as healthy food. Pay attention and look out for purity in anything you are going to ingest. Processed packaged foods will rob you of the experience of your new energy body!" (p.84-85)
I really wish she had enlisted the help of an editor. None is noted, nor is a publisher. I'm sorry to say I can't remember reading a book more poorly written than this. In all fairness, I put it down on page 105, and don't plan to finish it. Maybe I missed something...

i've read both her books on nutrition and LOVED them! this one takes a different turn, but is equally as fabulous and i give it my highest reccomendation. i dont usually write reviews (i think this is my first) but this one absolutely needed to be recognized.

Too complex for me! Especially with three kids a job a husband pets and god knows what else. I do believe in his theory, though, and I'm certain it works. Maybe when my last baby goes to college I'll give it a try.

Wish I'd read this book before moving to Seattle, one of the darkest cities in North America, and living there for 17 years! Each year when the rains started and lasted for months and months, I'd typically gain 15-25 pounds. If the sun came out long enough in the summer, I'd sometimes lose most of my winter weight. When the sun was out, diet was easy. When the sun was not shining, I could not stop eating. I arrived in Seattle weighing a petite 103 pounds and wearing a size 5 and left Seattle barely able to sqeeze into a size 14-16.

Now I've moved to a sunny state and have quite a few pounds to lose. The high-carb, low-fat diets left me hungry all the time. The low-carb diets left me feeling depressed. The carbohydrate addicts diet was too restrictive, no carbs except at one meal per day. On the Circadian diet, I don't feel an overwhelming urge to eat all the time. In fact, last night, after a very small dinner, I felt more full than I usually do after a very large meal. The diet is palatable, too. While protein is emphasized during the day, a little bit of carbohydrate is allowed, and it makes the meals a lot more appetizing. So, I can have a few chunks of pineapple with my cup of cottage cheese when I'm in a hurry and have to prepare a quickie lunch. Or I can have a piece of high fiber bread with my omlette at breakfast. And I can have some protein with my carbs at dinner. Eating out is easy. After failing at high-carb, low-carb, Weight Watchers, Diet Center, et cetera, I finally have a satisfying way to eat and am losing weight. In fact, I easily lost three pounds my first week on the diet. I learned a lot of useful information from other diet books but could not stick to the diets. After reading The Circadian Prescription, I find losing weight is pretty easy! With the other suggestions in the book, I overall feel much better than I have in years!

This guy makes a lot of sense. check it out.

I had dimly begun to suspect the reasoning myself - advertising bombards us with "Carbohydrates Are For Energy", but they always seem to put me to sleep during the day when I need to think clearly. Peeking inside, Dr. Baker says effectively 'duh you idiot that's right save the carbos for dinner'. Liking this reinforcement of personal intuition, I immediately bought the book !

"Protein-in-day, carbs-at-night" is of course not patentable, but it seems to work, and the details are worth $1.00, plus which it is fairly information-dense, not one of those padded tomes.

This book is a literally a lifesaver! For years I have struggled to stay awake, alert and function with ADD, Candida and other health problems....the diet that is recommeneded allows me to feel alert when I need to be alert and relaxed when necessary by eating differently at different times of the day,and not be famished and weak with hunger in-between. This concept is radically different from anything else that I've ever read..but it works! I've always assumed that somehow each individual was so unique that we needed different diets ....this is a diet that seems to work for everybody, regardless or age, sex, health or lack of it...The breakfast shake in particular is a gem..and can even be used for lunch if needed..it gives me lots of energy and carries me to lunch without the usual mid-morning hunger that usually plagues me.
I have even introduced a friend to the concept and she was blown away too. Thank you Dr. MacDonald, from the bottom of my heart.