Diet Health Books

Recipes are oke, but I already have a lot of those. I wanted to learn exactly what is the mediterranean diet and what exactly are the benefits. I expected more background and scientific information.

If you want to know more about foodscience, you better read Good calories, bad calories, written by Gary Taubes.

I have a lot of heart trouble and I bought this cookbook specifically to look into The Mediterranean Diet as a means to benefit my precarious health. I cook a lot, every day, as I'm retired and it's my job to prepare a balanced suppertime meal for my wife and me each day -- she's still working full-time and, of course, she's pretty hungry when she comes through the door each evening. (If you want to see what my own chefing skill-level is, go to "Recipezaar" and look up "Bone Man" -- that's me and I have about 300 recipes posted there that you can view and/or print for free).

This cookbook is intelligently written, bulging with great and useful advice, and details of The Mediterranean Diet are clearly stated therein; however, one would be very hard-pressed to complete all the tasks which go with owning a home and raising a family, and balancing that burden with cooking the dishes found in here.

These are, in fact, fine recipes (I've made several of them), but my point is, they're too complex and ingredient-diverse to pull off every day and that objective is sort of the purpose of any particular diet. An example of the problem is that sometimes, one recipe refers you to yet another recipe, on a different page, for preparation. Another evaluation is that one would need to go to the grocery at least every other day as this author uses a LOT of different ingredients -- while conforming nicely to The Mediterranean Diet requirements, these recipes are very diverse in regard to ingredients. A final comment is that these dishes are not largely all that cheap to make and, over time, this becomes a problem for many of us.

One other criticism I have is that, while the book is nicely bound, it's inappropriately bound for a cookbook. It's fairly large and it doesn't lie flat. The paper is not of a "slick" variety and it's of a type of paper that seems to absorb every splash and stain that gets near it. All this is really just a minor complaint but I think that this was a huge oversight on the part of the publisher and certainly represents an inconvenience for the home cook.

So, my summary is this: if you have a helper in the kitchen who can also go to the grocery for you on short notice, this cookbook might be okay. I would also say that the recipes are quite worthwhile for folks (even non-dieters) who wish to prepare one of these dishes just once in awhile -- but to stick to the recipes herein, day after day, would be notably difficult and costly.

I read this cover to cover and enjoyed every delicious word! YUM. I love to cook this way anyway, and having just returned from the Mediterranean, I had a great appreciation for the menus and foods (which I just recently ate - double yum). I'm excited to have this in my inventory of cookbooks.

Has good recipes and provides a little history behind the mediterranean diet. I can feed my kids many of the recipes I find in here.

I bought this book because my Doctor recommended a Mediterranean Diet for heart health. It is a big book, full of recipies and asides about living in Mediterranean countries. That part was interesting. However, I found the recipies way too ethnic for our use. They use many ingredients that can not be found in our South-Western community. Also, most of them don't even appeal to me. I did read it cover to cover and tried to glean from it some basics of a Mediterranean Diet that I could try to apply to our circumstances. In that respect, it was helpful.

As always, Ann Louise Gittleman, clearly explains cause and effect in the world around us, and what we can do to be more proactive in our health. This book is interesting from start to finish and truly opens your eyes.

Ann Louise Gittleman is one of nutrition's superstars. It is impossible to read anything she writes and not learn something that will cause you to change your eating habits for the better. Because of one of her books, I added zinc supplements to my vegetarian diet and immediately felt more energetic. Her new book, The Gut Flush Plan, is no exception to her library of important and useful books.

This book provides a 21-Day Gut Flush Plan, with daily menus, easy recipes, nutritional information, and shopping lists. The program is designed to detoxify your body; fortify your digestive system against pathogens; flush your digestive system of toxins, pathogens, and parasites; and feed you nourishing GI-building foods. The book emphasizes building healthy intestinal flora that may have been damaged by antibiotics, steroids, other medications, dietary habits, or illnesses. It also teaches you why yeast is an issue, gluten should be avoided, dairy (except yogurt and kefir) should be avoided, colon cleansing is helpful, probiotics are important, and fully digesting food is important. The book also reinforces and explains how gluten, fructose, and lactose (milk sugar) increase the growth of harmful bacteria and yeast in the gut. Another reminder for me is that ninety percent of food allergies and sensitivities come from the most common reaction-producing foods: wheat, milk, corn, unfermented soy, and peanuts.

The book's contents are:
Introduction: Food Fright
Part 1: Why You Need the Gut Flush Plan
1. You Can Fight Gut Grief
2. The GI's Good Guys: HCl, Probiotics, and Digestive Enzymes
3. Colon Corruptor #1: Yeast
4. Colon Corruptor #2: Parasites
5. Colon Corruptor #3: Superbugs
6. Colon Corruptor #4: Food Sensitivities
Part 2: How the Gut Flush Plan Works
7. Step 1: Fortify
8. Step 2: Flush
9. Step 3: Feed
Part 3: The 21-Day Gut Flush Plan
10. Getting Ready for the Gut Flush
11. Week One: Focus on Fortifying
12. Week Two: Focus on Flushing
13. Week Three: Focus on Feeding
Part 4: The Gut Flush Plan for Life
14. Gut Flush at Home
15. Gut Flush on the Road
16. Ensuring a Healthy Gut for Life
Appendix: The Gut Flush Recipes
Source Notes, Resources, Index

Whether it's a food you are allergic or sensitive to, yeast overgrowth, parasites, or some superbug, your body is being barraged by some enemy. This book will help you fight off any and all of these offenders and be healthier. Highly recommended! A great companion book is THE 3:00 PM SECRET: Live Slim and Strong, Live Your Dreams.

As a long time "Fat Flusher" I always look forward to to Ann Louise Gittleman's new books. And Gut Flush is a winner! I really like the healthy, nutritious food in this plan. The recipes are easy and delicious! I have not missed NOT having foods with gluten as there are many OTHER delicious non gluten grains I can eat like quinoa, rice, millet and buckwheat. In fact by eliminating gluten and dairy my constant sinus congestion is GONE!

I highly recommend doing the stool test that Ann Louise recommends as it is a comprehensive test that will help you target exactly what colon corruptor track you will need to follow. Finding out that I have a yeast problem has helped me understand some of my symptoms like bloating, itchy skin, and sinus congestion. By following the protocols I have eliminated these problems altogether!

For those of you looking to 'get healthy' this is the program for you! Just by following the colon corruptor track that you have chosen you can eliminate yeast, parasites, super bugs and tame your food allergies!

Ann Louis Gittleman's new book, 'Gut Flush Plan', is just what I needed to boost my health the next step. After almost 25 years with a chronic illness, a friend recommended her 'Fat Flush Plan' when I was unable to lose weight. That was over 3 years ago; I lost 70 pounds and have kept it off for 2 years. The Gut Flush Plan takes metabolic fitness to the next level for me, concentrating on the yeast connection and colon cleansing seems for me the key to building up a healthy intestinal flora damaged by years of repeated antibiotics, steroids, and other complications of chronic illness. I am looking forward to losing the next 70 pounds and moving forward with my life in a healthy way. The best thing about the author's books is that each is packed full of the latest information to help with not just the help to resolve problems, but also the keys to understanding what can build and maintain a healthy gut for life.

This book has made a BIG difference in my life! I have had allergy issues for many years that just progressively got worse! After discovering the foods that I am sensitive to and adjusting my eating I am totally off my allergy meds and thriving! But it's not just about leaving things OUT of my diet - it's about discovering other foods that I love and finding a whole new energy level! Who knew that I would find foods that satisfy AND taste great? And I have lost weight and inches as well! If you have had any ongoing health issues or just have chemical sensitivities or food allergies - this is a must read! Ann Louise walks you through a plan to deal with your issues - it's easy and effective! I plan to use this book as a way of life because I feel too good not to!!! Don't be afraid to try the recipes in the book - they are GREAT!

This books is for anyone who is considering losing weight. It gives you help with the food part of the diet and it gives you a fitness program. I am so glad I purchased this book. I have already loss 10 pounds, just by altering my diet and exercising. This book is very helpful. I highly recommend this book.

I don't watch the show but thought the information that I previewed in the book was good, sound advice so I bought the book. I'm not trying to lose weight just wanted a new perspective on food choices and recipe ideas as well as advice and a fresh perspective on exercise. This book gives it!

I love all the products from Biggest Loser! I wish I could do more than just read the books! Ha Ha

Let me say from the outset that if I were evaluating just the book then I may have been inclined to give it a much better rating. Unfortunately the book is touted to be based upon the hit TV series of the same name which I find to be shockingly irresponsible in its design and message. I understand that in order for a TV series to be successful it has to generate high ratings but to promote fitness programs that risk permanent damage to the participants and implicitly suggest that this is the best route to rapid and permanent weight loss is absolutely unacceptable from where I stand as a physician. When I see massively obese people being coerced to jog at full gallop; jump on trampolines with already injured limbs: punch heavy bags that a pro-boxer would find challenging, I have to raise some serious objections to the message being conveyed.

One of the most important points for those starting out on a weight loss program is to start off slow and avoid injuries. The injuries you sustain in an effort to lose weight too quickly can rapidly derail a weight loss program and can lead to long term damage that can come back to haunt you.

Sure, anyone can lose weight in a concentration camp environment; but to lose weight, and keep it off in a normal life setting is an entirely different situation. Having personally lost almost 60 pounds in less than six months and kept it off for over nine years, I can attest to the fact that you need to integrate a good diet and exercise program into your everyday lives and begin with a safe and effective program. I implore people to ignore the "boot camp" type approach to weight loss and instead incorporate a realistic program that does not risk permanent injury to the joints, tendons, spine and heart.

That said, I do believe that this book has some very useful information, which I might add, is quite different from the message conveyed in the show. I especially like their emphasis on a combination cardio and circuit training.

Marc L. Paulsen, author, Dump Your Trainer

I tried to like this book, but it truly is for fans of the show. If you cut out all the references to participants from the show, it's about 1/2 as long! (And since I wasn't a follower of the show, the names have no meaning for me. Diet and fitness books always have an overabundance of "success" stories anyway. That's great, but that person's work schedule, lifestyle, food preferences, health history and body type aren't mine, so I can't relate.)

But what bothered me was the misnomer "time-saving," because it definitely isn't, and for any workout to succeed for me, it has to be one I have time to do. People on the show worked out for hours each day. (And why do personal trainers think finding a couple of hours to work out every day as no big problem for those of us in the real world?) Nowhere in the book does it ever say how long you can expect these workouts to take. By my estimate, 45 minutes to 90 minutes, at least 3 times a week - more days a week if you add a separate cardio as suggested). In fact, as you get more fit the workouts take even longer. This is neither time-saving nor time-efficient. If this is the block of time I have available to work out, that time isn't going to increase just because I'm fitter, and this book doesn't account for that at all.

One other note: although the book lists the equipment you need, they left out a step or bench. You'll definitely need that, too, for one of the exercises.

All in all, this is book for fans of the show who have very flexible schedules. For everyone else, I'd suggest looking elsewhere.

THis is the best of all thier books. THe details are just perfect for someone who is applying these changes to his life.
I hope they release new books, with new and very detailed advice.
I believe, the phase of convincing the people of harmful food habits, is way gone. We are at a phase, where we want to do something about it. Just give us the details how. The positive energy from this book is superb. THe effect it has had on my families life, and my peers is astounding. I highly recommend it.

The negative reviews seem to be all the same and don't seem to have tried it and maybe even haven't read it. There's nothing unhealthy about eating fruit in the morning. Eating anything you want after noon is hardly a fad diet. The book just suggests eating things separately like a big steak and greens rather than adding a bunch of fillers like potatoes. It suggests eating all the starches you want but just not with the steak as it complicates the digestion process. I like to eat that way anyway. Give me more meat and less potatoes any day! The book suggests exercise. That's not a fad. It's just common sense. The book suggests not drinking coffee. If you eat fruit, you can really pound the coffee and still come out feeling good. I like Fast Food Friday's more than most but eating more sensibly is nothing but a positive. If you are a runner or some other athlete and have plateaued, you should consider their suggestions. You won't hit the wall so easy if you eat the fruit.

One August morning in 1988 I got off a bus on (I think) Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles. I was on vacation, and it was a beautiful day. But I felt lousy, lacking energy and feeling generally sluggish. What's more, I'd had a "good" breakfast -- eggs & toast. After finding myself on Wilshire Boulevard, I noticed a Crown Books & thought, there must be something here to help me. I picked up a copy of FIT FOR LIFE, the first one. Where I came from it wasn't easy to get avocadoes, let alone distilled water, which was only used in irons. But for the next three weeks I was able to give it a try. I shopped at the Erewhon health food store, I remember. I adhered strictly to the Diamonds' regimen -- not following every meal instruction, but not infringing the rules either. I returned to my native country, and about four weeks after buying the book, I noticed that my pants were falling off me. I was perplexed for a while, because losing weight wasn't in my calculations. I just wanted to feel good. But after a bit the penny dropped, as had the fifteen pounds that I could obviously afford to lose (along with my pants, which I couldn't). By the way, I also felt a hell of a lot better.

It may or may not be that the Diamonds get carried away at times. They would not recommend diet alone for the treatment of cancer or a broken leg. Use your common sense. I have not remained fully true to the program over the years but as they recommend, do what you can.

My nephew and his friends and I have been following the Fit for Life philosohphy for two months and find that they have dropped 15 to 25 pounds. I have followed the philosophy for one month and have dropped fifteen pounds. I was following the South Beach Diet and find eating the live foods agrees with me more. I have more energy than before. My joints are feeling better. My entire body is more alive it seems.

I have recommended this book to many others in the hopes that they too will feel better.

I bought and read this book years ago. At the time, the Diamonds seemed to make a good case for their viewpoint. After researching their claims over the years, I have discovered that most of what they claim is pure fiction and has no basis in the real world. They seem to know enough about their subject to be dangerous but not enough to actually offer sound advice.

Take what they say with a grain of salt and research their claims before putting any of it into practice.

This is a wonderful reference guide for all Gluten challenged eaters! It can be really difficult and discouraging to try to figure out what is alright and isn't alright when you are on a gluten restricted diet! Thanks so much for offering this item.

My only unhappiness comes from the high price tag. I think $14.95 is about what it should be. But It is really a one of a kind helper. The size is great for taking along to the store with you also.

I gave this book five stars bc I have not found another book like it. It is a great resource if you are in the supermarket and not sure if something is gluten free. This book lists only the products that are gluten free. It is small enough to fit in a large purse.

The only thing I am not happy with is the organization. It is easy to use. I just would have organized it differently. For example, instead of listing all of the Tylenol products together it is broken down by sleeping aids (for Tylenol PM) and cough/congestion section (for those Tylenol products), etc... I also feel like there are products missing that are gluten free, so I do not completely rely on this book. One example is Starbucks. Certain Starbucks products are gluten free but this book makes no mention of them in the coffee section.

My 3 year old daughter was recently diagnosed with Celiac and this book is one of the best items we've purchased to use as a reference. I just ordered a second one to give to my daycare provider and may end up ordering more for relatives. I have used other guides, and this one is BY FAR the easiest to use.

The book is a common sense approach to the physical and emotional clutter in your life. Peter doesn't give you "3 easy steps" or "17 ways to fixing things" but rather knowledge that we all have already and for some reason choose not to focus in the right direction. i never associated clutter with weight gain before and it has some merits :)

Love this book. Humor and a quick kick in the pants all wrapped up in an organizing weight loss book.

Boy, if I can follow all the step-by-step instructions Peter recommends, life would be so much simplified! This is a great book and anyone who picks it up will benefit in some way, big or small, depending on how far you follow his lead. Just the idea of PLANNING what you are going to eat instantly rids you of bad choices resulting in loss of weight and increase in self-esteem.

Peter Walsh has produced another great How To book, this time drawing a connection between the clutter around us and the clutter ON us. What he has to say makes great sense to me--enough so that I'm quitting dieting, getting rid of my clutter and letting my efforts just spill over into helping me achieve my weight loss goals.

I bought this book along with his other one "It's All too Much!". I suggest reading the first book, then this one because it sets the ground work and you'll get an understanding of where he's going. It was so freeing to get rid of stuff in my cupboard that "maybe I'll make someday". I had pudding in there that was 10 years old. I then made menus, and did grocery shopping. I made what I shopped for, and with the exception of buying fruit /veggies and sandwiches one night, we had enough for a week and a half! This is because in the book he tells you not to bring in anymore stuff until you finish what you have, or use it to plan the next week's menus. This is a great way to save money and be more thoughtful about what you're making. I've only had the book for a month, so whether I'll lose anything remains to be seen. I have dieted since high school. I know tons about nutrition, portion sizes, fat, calories, exercise, etc. This book is not going to give you the latest and greatest fad. It is about getting to the bottom of what's in our kitchens and clearing our heads to focus on what we all know about healthy diets and nutrition.

With all of the 100's of cookbooks out there, don't bother with this one. The recipes are uninspired (although the pictures do look nice.)
My major disappointment with this book was the super moist chocolate cake. I love almost anything with sugar in it, and her cake was nearly inedible. It was rubbery, and had both an odd texture and an odd flavor.

I was looking for a healthy cookbook with quick and easy recipes and I stumbled upon this one. It is excellent!! She includes a lot of easy to understand information and tips in the beginning of the book. The recipes are super easy and don't taste like you're eating diet or health food. Specifically, "The Gazpacho Monterey" and "Spicy Potato Tacos" are delicious. I've even tried a few seafood recipes, and really liked the "Oven-Baked Catfish". I also tried the "Roasted Basil-Pork Medallions with Red Grapes" and was impressed. I never really thought of pork as healthy, but all the meat recipes in the book use the leanest cuts of meat and aren't prepared in heavy, fatty sauces. As for my favorite chapter, dessert, I found the "Triple Raspberry Brownies" are great anytime when I want to indulge. And I recently made the "Berries with Champagne Sabayon" for company and everyone was impressed. Great book overall!!

Sandra Lee's Cooking Made Light has helped my Mother who has to watch what she eats----and since I am the one cooking for her this cookbook has made it a breeze. Thanks Sandra for this one.

I completed my set of Sandra Lee books and this one was a surprise. I adore the recipes and tired of the chefs adding tons of butter and sour cream-this one is a relief.

My cancer nurse recommended this one to me & glad she did. Chemo exhausts me & I am able to shop for these easy recipes with the recipe cards & then the photos inspire me to eat.

I love this cookbook! I love Sandra Lee and her show, Semi-Homemade Cooking. I tape her show daily and I have a few of her other cookbooks. I love the idea of light recipes. I am trying to eat great food, but still enoy great flavor. Many cookbooks have "light" or "diet" recipes that include tons of ingredients, take hours to make/prepare, or have really expensive ingredients. Not to mention they often taste gross! This book has lots of ideas for great tasting food that is not going to kill your budget or your schedule. The recipes are practical and easy. I have tried a few of the recipes and I really enjoyed them. My husband didn't even realize he was eating "light" food. I had some friends over and made a few of the recipes and they all asked for the recipes afterward. My favorites include the mango and black bean salsa, sweet potato fries, the pizza recipes, and pears with almond and chantilly cream. I have to admit though, being a huge dessert person, I wish there were a few more light dessert recipes that didn't include liquor.

I started reading this book with the hope of losing some weight. I got much more than that. The information is presented in a logical and progressive format. The writer prepares the reader for what lies ahead very well. She lays it out so that you do this and then this and then viola you are past the one day detox and are into the 3 day support phase. I followed the process and really enjoyed it. Plus, I plan to incorporate many of the ideas into my new "seeking health" lifestyle.

One of the best detox diets I have done. I lost a total of 10 lbs and have increased energy. The book also motivates you to continue to eat healthy after the detox is completed. I highly recommend this book!

This detox plan really seemed to help me. The only real problem I had was that some of the things you need to get for it are a little hard to find.

Despite being on medication for 3 months for Hashimotos hypothyroidism, I couldn't lose weight EVEN WITH diet and vigorous exercise daily. On this plan, I lost 8 pounds in 10 days. I also use the Fat Flush Plan for recipe ideas. I'm staying organic, staying healthy, and staying slim with The Fast Track and Fat Flush! Thanks Ann Louise!!

Did the 1-day detox (which is actually 11 days) and lost 8.5 lbs, and 4 inches! Lost 1-1/2" of my abs. It is really simple to follow, with some really good recipes. Try it, it works.

This has changed my dietary habits forever. After I read this book, I purchased a juicer, and now enjoy wonderful-tasting apple and other juices.

Comprehensive, even though spread out a bit--you do have to pull all the information together, but it's all there.

It is truly exciting to find a therapy that works for seriously ill people, especially when the medical establishment had given up on them. This book presents the core of that therapy.

This is a very informative book.Well written and for the most part easy to read.
I refer to it often. Even though we do not have a very serious medical condition it has helped in focusing on various aspects of our diet and lifestyle.

Were I so unfortunate as to find myself with a cancer, this is the only program I would follow. Forty years ago my prognosis was a life expectancy of maybe 3 months -- if I was lucky. Arteriosclerosis was then considered by medical doctors as irreversible, yet here I am, 40 years later, because someone pointed me in a different direction, one very similar to Gerson's. I bought several copies since you run into the incurable all the time. We live in a sick society -- in more ways than one.

i love food and this cookbook is great! The food is easy quick and tastes great - the frozen chocolate blueberries are absolutely dreamy!

This is a wonderful cookbook that just happens to be low-carb. The Tequila Chicken recipe alone is worth the price of the book. Hmm...I think I'll make it tonight!

You can't go wrong with George Stella's cookbooks. Every recipe is amazingly good. When I first started on low-carb, my husband got out his own frying pan and was going to cook his own food, certain that I was going to be making things that would taste like sawdust. From the very first recipe, he was hooked and now we both happily gobble up this food. We've lost weight, we feel great and best of all, we're eating like kings! Thank you, George, and keep 'em coming!

The first of this book tells how George Stella became a chef. It also chronicles how and why he became obese. He tells the reader how he came across the low carb style of living and how it changed his and his family's life. Him and his family lost over 500 pds. I really enjoyed reading his account of his weight struggle and final triumph.

The remainder of the book is recipes. Given is a little background and advice at the beginning of each section and each recipe.

Stella style is eating food you like and not worrying about how much you eat. And as George says in the book, you want your recipes to come from a chef, not a doctor.

As for the recipes, there are a few that have always been low-carb but most are remakes of recipes substituting items for their high-carb counterparts. WARNING: Stella relies heavily on soyflour and Splenda so if you live in an area where you cannot get soyflour or do not want to use Splenda then most of the recipes are not going to be for you. This is also not for those watching your fat or calories.

I like the make-over recipes, its nice to be able to enjoy things again like fried chicken, pizza and lasagna.

Overall, it is a good addition to your low-carb cookbook library.

The book is excellent
However the "shape" that the book came is not. The pages are falling out!
The back of the book was broken