Diet Health Books

The book was in good shape. It provides more recipes to use if you attempt to follow his diet. After these recipes it was easy to cook foods I was used to in the Ornish diet style which is low or no fat.

This cook book is unbelievably helpful! We are excited to keep trying more and more recipes!

What a novel concept. Dr. Ornish and all his lofty little buddies pull it off quite expertly. And it's SOOOOOOOOOOOO easy!

I love the recipes in this book they are very easy to follow and my favorite is Spicy Arkansas Chili by Chef Martin Mongiello.

I am a big fan of Dr. Ornish and his vegetarian approach to treating and preventing heart disease. When I am trying a new recipe I surround it with simple additions so I can concentrate on the new fare, especially if it includes alot of ingredients. Most of the meal plans in this book are complicated, requiring alot of ingredients for each new item on the menu for that meal. I could not successfully use this book as written, except to try one item at a time.

The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook: Delicious Dairy-Free Cheeses and Classic "Uncheese" Dishes

These recipes are not only some of the easiest (a spoon or blender is the highest tech I have used so far), but the most delicious uncheeses EVER! I have tried many mac n' cheese boxed uncheeses, bottled uncheese, and block uncheese. These recipes don't have a lot of soy, and therefore lack the chalkiness you sometimes get with the uncheese you buy in the store.
The one drawback to these recipes is the unique ingredients. I love the cashew butter chedder, and the white bean boursin (with umi boshi paste to make it tangy!). Some of these ingredients can be pricey (especially if you insist on the organic options, but the flavor is awesome because you can feed them to your cheese eating friends as "white bean spread" or "cashew butter spread" and you won't get that puckered "Fake cheese?" face.
The best I've had!

I was very impressed by the uncheese dips in this book that I have made so far. I have been vegan for the last five years and the one food that I miss from my pre-vegan days is cheese. This cookbook is a great way to make tangy cheese-inspired dips that are flavorful, but not loaded with fat, the way cheese made from dairy is. So far I have made the Chick Cheez, Gee Wiz spread and the Red wine cheese spread (forgot the exact name). The Chick Cheez came closest to the dairy cheese taste that I remember. I plan to try the cheese blocks as well to see how well they slice and grate. I will continue to experiment with these recipes, as they are a tasty and healthy way to satisfy cheese cravings.

I've made a few recipes in this book. They have all been great! We make grilled "cheese" sandwiches, use it in wraps, on English muffins, etc. Tonight I made the Eggplant Parmezano. Excellent! I've also made the baked Mac and Cheese, which was also very good. I definitely recommend this book. It's cheesy, though it doesn't really taste like "real" cheese. But my meat eating, cheese loving husband has loved everything I've made so far and is impressed by the cheesieness.

This is a wonderful book. I recently decided to become a vegetarian/vegan and was resigned to giving up the comfort of cheese forever. I bought it for its novelty value and did not have high expectations. I was happily surprised. Not only are most of the recipes delicious but they are also a lot of fun. The Crock Cheese is addictive I must keep in the fridge at all times. I'm surprised I don't sleep with some under my pillow! It makes the most wonderfully decadent grilled cheese sandwiches when fried in a lot of veggie margarine. I prefer them to Velveeta! Thank you for the hard work, compassion and inspiration that went into this terrific book!

In the interest of becoming vegan, I bought this book. Cheese has always been the one thing holding me back from my conversion. Well, no more! This book is really good for those who love cheese and are looking for good substitutes. The illustrations and guides for gluten free, etc only enhance the versitility of this great book.

I love watching the show...but this book didn't really do it for me. Everything in it was very basic information, nothing new.

This book is a big motivator and easy to read. The success stories and tips keep your spirits up especially if you are not a size 10 or a size 14. I think it would be helpful to men as well

This compilation of hints and proven methods of weight loss and excersize was very helpful to me. I've tried several of the pieces of advice given by previous contestants and I am having sucess of my own. I love the show too!

It is nice to read about people who want to lead a healthier lifestyle and are committed to work on improving their body, their eating habits, and their exercise routine. It's also nice to read about their struggles, roadblocks, etc. and that the ultimate goal takes patience, change, and courage.

This book has proven really inspirational to me. It has a lot of things about fitness and nutrition that you would never know had you not read this. This book has lots of large colored photos, and is really organized compared to the other Biggest Loser books I have by the same author. FIVE STARS!

It's interesting to see how many diet books have come out in recent years taking portions of the wildly popular Atkins diet and tried to transform them into nicely packaged "new" diets. Sadly, most of these so-called diets greatly miss the mark of the masterpiece of the original.



Such is the case with Rick Gallop and his series of books on The G.I.Diet. It's an interesting concept that Gallop has capitalized on selling millions of his little books. But is the information he provides useful to people who are livin' la vida low-carb? Let's examine his latest book to find out.



It's called The G.I. Diet Express: For Busy People and is aimed to reach the active dieter. Isn't that ALL of us who are attempting to lose weight? Yep and Gallop knows that, too!



Looking at the "diet in a nutshell" outlined in this book, Gallop explains what the glycemic index is since most Americans haven't really caught on to it yet. It's all about the impact of foods on blood sugar and to choose foods that will slowly digest to prevent your body from making too much insulin which can lead to diabetes.



Here's a key point to remember: All low-carb foods are also low-G.I. foods, but not all low-G.I. foods are low-carb. This is too important to be overlooked as you delve deeper into this new diet. The ratio of carbohydrates/protein/fat is 50/40/10. Yikes!



Gallop bemoans saturated fat as "positively dangerous to your health and can increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and some cancers." Um, no it doesn't, Mr. Gallop! You're referring to the MUCH more dangerous and unhealthy trans fats found in many of those high-carb foods you love people to eat on your diet.



Using traffic light colors as symbols throughout the book, Gallop lists his approved "Greenlight" foods that I wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole on my low-carb diet--bread, cereal, margarine, pasta, potatoes, dairy, oatmeal, and rice. Is he joking? This can't be a seriously "healthy" diet!



Sadly, that's EXACTLY what he's trying to fool people into believing. What really got me was how much emphasis was placed on portion sizes, calories, fat, salt, fiber, protein and sugar...but nary a word about total carbohydrates! Very telling!



In fact, the more I read The G.I. Diet Express: For Busy People, it quickly obvious that this book was nothing more than a wolf in sheep's clothing as a front for the USDA-indoctrinated Food Pyramid. That tried and true failure of diet consisting of high-carb, low-fat, low-calorie, portion-controlled meals we've been forced to accept as "healthy" our entire lives! Not anymore!



Many of these "50 Speedy Recipes" included in the book are quite high in carbs, although most of them could be converted into genuinely healthy low-carb meals by removing the suspiciously high-carb ingredients. I wouldn't buy the book just to have to make all these changes to the recipes, though.



And I just about had to pick my jaw up off the floor when I saw Gallop RECOMMEND fast food restaurants for his diet. He gushed over Subway for their "broad range of low-fat products" and claiming they "deserve a G.I. Diet gold star and warrant your support" for offering such high-carb junk as ham, roast beef, and turkey breast subs. Wanna take a guess how many carbs that bread has in it, Mr. Gallop? Do you care?



McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Arby's, and even Pizza Hut all get the thumbs up from this brilliant diet book author seeking to help people find a way to lose weight. From the looks of these recommendations, that's probably the last thing he's doing.



Sure, some people will do this diet and think it's great because their body can somehow handle the same high-carb, low-fat diet which Dr. Dean Ornish has been pushing for decades. But not for people like me who react strongly to the presence of carbohydrate in our diet in any form--after all, it turns to sugar in the body just the same.



Finally, in the FAQ section of the book, we get the real agenda of Gallop and his opposition to livin' la vida low-carb when he describes low-carb diet plans such as Atkins as "diuretics" which only work "in the short term." Hmm, that's strange you say that, Mr. Gallop since I lost 180 pounds on that diet in 2004 and have kept it off ever since.



You're just a big fraud and I'm happy to expose you as such! But you don't care since you're laughing all the way to the bank with the millions of dollars you've bilked out of people who have bought your books. Shyster!

This book was my introduction to the GI diet. It gave me a quick and sufficient overview for how the diet works, and got me off and running. But it's not really intended for beginners unless you buy another more complete book along with it, which I eventually did. Now that I understand the diet better, this book serves as a quick way to refresh my memory about certain foods. I especially like the fast food section. There really is low-gi fast food out there!

One thing I hate about diet and exercise books is how they are filled to the brim with page after page of filler content. Filler content being long boring pseudo-scientific pontificating, or 50 pages of testimonials.

The mantra of the GI diet express book is K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple stupid!).
The book dives directly in and gives you the step by step instructions without having to wade through the drivel. I read the entire content portion of this book in one short sitting and I feel I solidly understand the system so thoroughly that there is literally no need to reference anything except the sample meal plans and recipes.

What a relief to have a short book that just says, here is how you do it and now get it done.

My only beef, if I had one, with this book is how it down plays exercise. It shows you a chart of the amount of aerobic exercise (not even mentioning anaerobic exercise). As if the only time you burn calories as a result of exercise is while your doing it. Not true as raising the metabolism, repairing broken muscle tissue, etc all work towards burning calories all day (and even while you sleep). The good news is this is only 2 pages of the book and really doesn't even need a place at all in this book.

I have heard for years that the Low G.I. way of eating is the healthiest to prevent heart disease and diabetes as well as control weight. This particular book is easy to follow and makes this style of eating much easier for me to follow than previous books I've seen.

This diet has really worked for me and I want to add some of my observations. There are some pretty comprehensive reviews on here already so I will not summarize anything from the book to minimize repetition.

Stats on me: I started in May of 05 and lost 5 pounds a week for the first four weeks. I only lost so much because I was well over 200lb (as a 5'5'' female). After that it was more gradual with plateaus and minor ups and downs. I have gone periods were I was only following it 50% faithfully and did not gain the weight back. I am moderately active: gym two to three times a week (usually for an hour water aerobics class) and I do not have a car so I walk everywhere.

Diet Pro's:

- Its Healthy. No doctor would be concerned if his/her patient ate veggies and balanced whole grains and lean proteins. Worst-case scenario: you try it and don't loose weight, but you will not have hurt your metabolism or raised your cholesterol in doing so.

- Its Not a Gimmick. This is not based on "eat all the bacon and cheese you want" or some other counter-intuitive nonsense. Its principals are in line with what is known and widely accepted in medical science.

- Cuts Cravings and is designed to keep your belly full. With three meals and three snacks a day of slowly digested food I am not hungry. Additionally, keeping my blood sugar stable stopped the need to binge eat.

- Not dogmatic. Ever read a diet book where you feel like the author is practically trying to convert you to a religion? Gallop certainly believes in this diet and he makes no mention that it might not work for every person (see con below), however he spends most of his time laying out simple science and practical guidelines. He even says your goal should be to follow it 90% of the time. If you have a cookie, big deal, the worst thing that can happen is it will take slightly longer to lose some weight.


Diet Con's:

- Unfortunately, as with all diets, this will work great for some people and not for others. Its more likely to work for you if you:
o Tend to carry your fat in the belly. i.e. "apple," "barrel," or "cone" shaped for women, or a guy with a "beer belly"
o Have major cravings for carbs - perhaps even binge eat on things like pastries, candy, pasta and bread.
o Have been diagnosed with insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, or even type II diabetes

-The recipes can be bland - more from the author not being a chef, not the principals of the diet, so if you are a practiced cook you can make alterations for flavor and texture that stay true to the diet. The book encourages you to go the author's website where there are recipes submitted by readers available for free and they are quite good.

-You will have to cook. I have been on this diet for nearly two years and like to cook, so its been great for me.

***UPDATE June 2008***

Make that 90+ pounds lost in three years. I still cook most of my food from the recipes found in Gallop's books. They have passed the picky boyfriend test, potluck test and the I can stick to this for the rest of my life test. Some points:

-During this time I have gone months and months with no weight loss but I was only *mostly* following the diet. I think I needed these breaks.
-I work out intensely for 60 minutes 4 days a week now.

I'm 55 with severe lower back pains, trying to avoid surgery. I've tried 2 different physical therapists and multiple chiropractors, so I've done a fair amount of stretching before reading this book. However, in the first section of this book (through page 18) there were several tips that are priceless (e.g., the difference between Active and Passive stretching; recommending several stretches for warm-ups and several others for cool-down; an analogy with "taffy" illustrating why warm-ups are important). In addition, for the next several pages there is a list of several issues people have (back-pains, hip problems, knee problems, etc), and which exercises are best for people with these problems.

There are 2 issues I've got with the book, which kept me from giving it a perfect 5. First, there is no clear indication of which stretches are "Active" vs "Passive". Second, this book would be as close to perfection as possible if there were icons indicating which exercises were Active, which were Passive, which were particularly recommended for warm-up or cool-down, and which were specifically useful or contra-indicated for people with the various issues such as back-pain, neck problems, hip problems, knee problems, etc.

Even with these 2 issues, I heartily recommend this book for anyone who needs to who is ANY age who wants to start or continue stretching but has the slightest doubts about how to proceed.

I hope the author fixes these 2 issues and either posts the keys on a website or publishes a new version of the book. I know I'd buy it!

A terrific book. It helps to clarifiy what your body needs in general at any age.
Sally baker

Well written, common sense approach to stretching and avoiding injury due to common misconceptions about technique. Highly recommended!

Very nice, very clear. VERY gentle mild stretching for beginners, good idea, feels good. good photos too. I'm not an "expert" in stretching, and there may be some instances where "perfect form" is neglected. But this is so gentle and elementary, nobody's going to get hurt here. We enjoy it.

Maybe i am too young or too healthy for this book,though i am neither, i am going to put it aside for next ten years.

This little booklet is wonderful in that it has all the foods listed, but if you're a nonsecretor, you have to go on the website and look up all the foods to see which ones are different from the secretor values. Then you have to hand-edit your copy. Examples: For a secretor, blueberries are neutral, but for a non, they're highly beneficial. For a secretor, pumpkin is an avoid, but for a non, it's neutral (thank goodness!). That was one star off.
It lost another star for the price because of the print quality, which is not what it could be, some of the pages being blurred and somewhat difficult to read. (And yes, I checked my eyeglasses and ancient eyeballs before making this statement.)

Very quick, easy to deal with, would order from the seller again without a doubt.

If you follow the Blood Typing diet, this little pocket reference is indispensable when you go shopping or out to a restaurant. It's the 'Reader's Digest Condensed Version' of the teachings of the book series. If you can't remember whether a food is a beneficial, neutral, or avoid, you just whip out your little paperback and you're all set.

The book was everything I expected. I'm very satisfied

If you buy into the possibilities, it can be beneficial. Both my husband and I have felt better since trying to follow this. I can't say any real weight loss, but definitely feel much better!

One will understand this book much better if he or she has read Braverman's over book, The Edge Effect: Achieve Total Health and Longevity with the Balanced Brain Advantage. This book covers how different Chemical species effect health and how one can alter their body's biochemistry.

This book is a complement to the Edge Effect. If you want to feel better,look better and increase you health, this book along with a good doctor will make it happen. Don't forget you have to also give 100%. It will happen as I am living proof.

I found this book to be not much more than an informercial, filled with dubious "science" and endless recounting of patient testimonials. The basic concept of eating a rainbow diet is good, but you don't need to buy this book to know that.

A few years ago I read The Edge Effect and got impressed with the work of Dr Braverman. Now in "Younger You" I found even more evidence that feeling younger... and getting younger is a feasible option for just about everyone. Each of us can reach for a longer and healthier old age by applying what Dr Braverman outlines in such eloquent way.
The AgePrint worksheet in this book is incredible useful and directs you immediately to the core problems or pauses you may have in aging. To go beyond what is in the book, I found it useful to download the more elaborate AgePrint Worksheet from www.pathmed.com.
Reading this book made me feel younger and has changed my priorities!

As the majority of our society strives to keep going and not allow age to slow them down-The Younger You shows in detail how to feel and look years younger with simple and healthy tips from the inside out.

We all basically know what we should do to lose weight and obtain good health - eat right, exercise and have good genetics. I liked this book for the mantras for motivation and the good advice and inspiration from Bob and Julian. It got me back on track and I have lost 21 lbs in 30 days, by doing the exercises and eating properly. I'm even back to drinking 8-10 glasses of water, just like my track days in high school. I liked the illustrations and photos, the 'before' and 'after' shots, and the recipes. Millions of people watch the NBC show and I can see why. The program works and causes you to get off the couch and to make life-altering, living-longer changes. An excellent book! Good to re-read many times and stay inspired....

If you have been watching The Biggest Loser and you want to know how they lose so much weight, this is a good place to start. However, I feel that this book could have easily been combined with the Fitness Program book.

I bought this book as well as Jillians book and I thought this one was good but I had already read Jillians and I thought hers was Awesome. If your only going to read one this will do.

The book speaks for itself; it is chock-a-block with sensible advice about sensible eating habits.

I ordered this book to look at the diet recommended. The recipes were easy and tasty. I could recommend blending these foods into your diet to control calories and help cut fat. They were tasty and filling and there is appropriate information about portion size.

Often diet recipies are awful. I also bought the cookbook is the series that has a broader range of food choices. Well worth the money.

This audio product is just great. It is calming and you don't have to concentrate on anything, but the weight just began to fall off. It is awesome.

I have several meditation CD's by Kelly Howell. I go to sleep at night listening to one of them. It works for me. It works while you are sleeping. You don't have to be awake for these meditation CD's to work.

Please note that this version of the CD is abridged and perhaps that is why I feel it sucks and doesn't do 1/8 of all the wonderful things other people report after listening to their versions. It's just loud chimes. It is not guided meditation or anyone speaking at all. Just annoying chymes. Save your money.

I gave three stars because it's somewhat relaxing to fall asleep to, but I have lots of music that's better for that. I listened to this for three months straight, sometimes more than once in an evening and have not noticed any changes in actual weight, attitude, etc. I am not giving up and realize it takes more than a cd to get one going, but I did expect to notice something by three months.

This is a subliminal reprogramming theta wave program. You can hear the pulsing sound waves mixed with beautiful soft and calming piano music. It is a vibratory CD, lasting one hour. (Theta is an excellent wave vibration to use for meditation. I personally like theta for certain meditation, especially meditation programs designed to implant knowledge.) The CD is by Kelly Howell and released by Brain Sync Corp. The music is by Robert Schwimmer. The cover claims that Kelly Howell is acclaimed for her pioneering work in healing and mind-expansion.

A tri-fold paper is included, which explains that Brain Sync generates whole brain synchronization and that listening with stereo headphones adds the ability to balance both brain hemispheres. Although it says you can listen to either of the 2 tracks anywhere, I do NOT recommend you listen in the car, unless you are a passenger and are using headphones. I find these types of programs are optimal for quiet meditation time or bedtime, and optimal with earphones. Depending on your job, you can play the CD at work (but, again, I do not recommend playing it if you are operating machinery. Sometimes these types of programs can make you sleepy.) I also firmly believe that you can play a subliminal CD at bedtime and fall asleep with it. Your subconscious mind should pick up the reprogramming, whether you are asleep or awake.

In this CD, you do not hear the 20 subliminal messages with your conscious mind. They are apparently imbedded in the background and are listed in the trifold. Some examples are: "Every cell of my body exudes beauty and health; I relax into my perfect weight; I burn fat; I am active and full of energy." The trifold advertises a couple of other subliminal CDs, if you are interested, including "Stop Smoking and "Deep Sleep". There is even one called "Attract Love" (ooo la la!) The trifold suggests that you listen to the CD every day for 6 weeks.

What do I think? I'm so glad that you asked. I am a firm believer in high-quality subliminal programming CDs. I have had a good deal of success with some of them. BUT, I have found you need to listen to them EVERY day for at least 30 days to effect a behavioral change. That's 30 days in a row, folks, so be ready to do that. Would something less work? Well, there are no finites (all things are possible), but, I think probably not. (The company recommends 6 weeks, so I would suggest you go with their recommendation because it is likely based on their studies with this material. )

Is this high-quality? I just started it myself, but I believe so, based on the vibration I feel and my past experience with these types of programs. That's why I am rating it a 5. I will be back with a follow up comment about the end of May 2008 or sooner.

By the way, these programs do usually start to work before the 30 day/or 6 week period concludes. You generally notice subtle differences in the way you think/react/behave. That is your indication that the subliminal material is beginning to work on you. But, one more time, in order to set patterns of behavior change in place, you really need to commit to the one hour a day, every day for the full period. If you listen more that that, you will probably achieve results faster.

There are no short cuts to losing weight that I am aware of. The "lose weight fast" pills that I have found, and the special diets, are only good for a few pounds, especially as you gets older and your metabolism is less active. Exercise helps a great deal, as does eating less calories and good foods (veggies/fruits/proteins). A CD like this one can help re-program your belief system to do the right things and keep you motivated in the right direction.