Diet Health Books

I have just started this book and it is an easy read with great ideas.

I have only made a few recipes from this book, but they were great, easy and my family loved the food--especially the chocolate banana muffins, the blueberry banana pancakes and the chicken nuggets. This book is worth the money!

Not only does this book have great recipies, the information is just wonderful. I am always looking for new and up to date information about food and good recipies and this book has both. I am very happy I bought this book.

I love this cookbook. I usually cook out of it at least one time per week. I am trying to get my family to eat healthier and the recipes are healthy and very tasty. My son, who is 4, loves the meatloaf muffins. He says that it is his "very favorite dinner". I would recommend this to anyone who is trying to get there whole family to eat better, including your husband.

I refer to this book constantly. I love that it has "better" versions of typical toddler food. I've used the substitutions for macaroni and cheese (the boxed variety) and my kids gobble it up like there's no difference. I am glad to be feeding them something they will actually eat that's more healthy than it could have been.

I already feel better after a few days. I'm not thrilled about taking supplements all day long, and so I chose a few here and there from her lists to combat my symptoms. Thank God for natural progesterone! I really liked this book; it helped explain why I was having my symptoms and then told me what to do about them. Others have mentioned that they don't like that she gives references of where to buy her products, but I completely appreciated it because I live in a rural community and we don't have health stores here. Actually I didn't end up buying from her store because I went with a brand that Dr. Northrup recommended in her book, but it is nice to have another resource in case I want to try a different brand, etc.

Perimenopause is a marketing construct, intended to sell drugs, books and other products by instilling self-doubt and insecurity. Resist the effort to pathologize everything about women's bodies.

I had heard about this book from many of my friends, all of us just over the 50 Mark....and it turned out to be very informational and helpful and encouraging. There are so many books out on the subject of menopause and all the blood, sweat and tears that are part of this time in a woman's life....going into a bookstore is like going into Toys R Us and looking for a Barbie outfit....quite overwhelming.....this book is one of the smart ones to have and to hold and to keep.

I am just about to turn 40. For the past two years, I've had insomnia and severe PMS symptoms every month. I've been to a sleep specialist, an endocrinologist, the gynocologist, all to no avail except money spent on meds that didn't work. I threw the meds out when a friend handed me this book, tried just the vitamin and mineral supplement suggestions (one of the perizappers) plus the magnesium suggestion for insomnia, and got relief within two weeks. Make sure the magnesium you get has a high absorption rate (I use Albion brand). That made an immediate difference in a day. The only "symptom" I have is cramps the moment my period starts, and Advil takes care of that. No more raging, angry, dark cloud of gloom in my life for days before it starts. My husband and I laugh because now my cycle starts without warning. And I'm sleeping great. I am so grateful to God that this came along.

I'd been dealing with bouts of depression that would come and go so quickly that I would feel like a big dark cloud came over the horizon, settle over my life for two days and then went on it's way. A friend gently told me that, yes, I COULD be dealing with hormonal issues attributed to peri-menopause even though I'm only 43. I saw this book at my local health food store and read it cover to cover in one day. It was easy to understand and easy to see myself in the examples. I started trying her Peri-Zappers and the results have been fabulous--regular periods for the first time ever, more energy and best of all, no more dark clouds of despair.

Thank you for de-mystifying the whole process and taking the "Change of Life" from something to be sad about, to just seeing it as another phase of life. It feels wonderful to be in control of my hormones instead of the other way around!

I picked up this little book because my kids were so sick of PB&J or tuna sandwiches they were threatening to riot. I've also decided to make a change in our entire family's diet to a more healthful way of eating, especially since two of us could stand to lose some weight and my son has ADHD.

What some others found to be "weird", I actually found to be very inspiring. Tzatziki might sound weird or exotic at first glance, but if you bother to actually read the description, it is simply a delicious Greek yogurt dip found in any Greek restaurant, and my kids both love it! Frankly, I would have been very disappointed if there weren't some recipes in here that sound a little different and new -- what good would a cookbook be if it just contained the same ol', same ol' that my family is familiar and bored with. I'm excited at the idea of expanding my kids' palates and introducing them to new foods and tastes they haven't experienced before so that they enjoy a wide variety of foods and don't turn into picky adults.

Kids can be surprisingly adventurous eaters if they are introduced to a variety of healthy foods early on, and this cookbook contains a lot of excellent starter recipes to get them going. My kids will be so relieved to see some new and exciting foods in their lunchboxes this year! I also liked that many of the recipes would make perfect after-school snacks without much trouble at all -- a welcome relief from the prepackaged crackers and snacks we had come to rely on.

By the way, I also like the way the book is laid out -- it is extremely attractive and easy to read, and for each and every recipe, the prep times are given, as are serving suggestions and health benefits of the specific ingredients for that recipe! While there aren't photographs for ALL the recipes, there are plenty, and they all look delicious.

While I do agree that this book may not be for the pickiest of eaters, it has a great variety of tasty recipes that the whole family can enjoy. Also given are some sample menus for special diets and preparation times for recipes. One thing I particularly like about this book is that it also has recommendations for accompaniments to the recipes. All of the recipes are healthy and tasty, and while the variety may be experimental for some, you never know, you might get to enjoy something new!

For the bad news: First, this is a small paperback book -- as in approx 6 x 6 inches. And, disappointingly, there are almost no photographs of the recipes.

For the good news: After going brain-dead trying to come up with more variety for my kids' lunches, I needed inspiration. The recipes in this book are interesting and innovative. Some need a fair amount of preparation, but most are quick to put together.

As with all "healthy" recipe books, there are foods here that no kid would touch, but most of the recipes are sure to be kid-pleasers. If you're wanting to shake up the lunch-box routine, you're sure to find some helpful ideas here. There are some recipes that have even made it into our "quick and easy" dinner rotation.

If your tired of hotdogs and chicken nuggets like we were, and want to start fixing healthy lunches,...this is a very good cookbook. The recipes are very simple, and the food is very healthy. The only downfall I would say is that even though the food is great you may have a hard time with picky eaters. For example I could not get mine to eat Hummus or Tabboule. Thier are a few "wierd" ingredients but most recipes don't require very many ingredients. Btw, I make lunches for my hubby with this book too.

I bought this book trying to think of ideas my kids would like in their lunches besides the daily sandwich and apple. What I got in this book was quite a surprise. Unless your kids like really weird dishes, such as 'tzatziki' or 'vegi-samosas' your kids will probably not eat 1/4 of this stuff. Really this book offers maybe 10 good ideas, out of the 100 it promises. Don't waste your money!!!

I have read many books on body building, beginning with Arnold's and then nutrition related texts for support of what I am trying to achieve. This book has added what for me was a missing aspect in my attempts at success because with only two small changes in my methodology I have had good gains in only seven workouts.

Some of the principles in this books I've come across in random articles I've read on the internet or in other books I have on my bookshelf, but I never really understood the science behind it. It isn't so bogged down with scientific jargon that it is hard to decipher, however, it's not exactly a bedtime story either. A little background in fitness and nutrition may be helpful, but not entirely necessary. I believe this is a very valuable source of information for anyone with an interest in health and fitness whether they be a professional athlete/trainer, or a weekend warrior layman.

I purchased this book several months ago and was more than a bit confused when I read it the first time. The authors do a great job of providing the scientific evidence to back up their claims, but they failed miserably in making the book "user friendly" where it needed to be. Mainly in the guidelines for making your own drinks based upon; your weight, exercise intensity, goals, etc. I had to reread the book twice and then sit down with a notebook and paper in order to figure out exactly what I needed to take, in what quantities, and at what times in order to achieve the goals I was looking for. Now having said that, let's delve into the results.

I used the guidelines in this book for about 2 months now (as of the writing of this review) and have noticed increases in muscle mass where I expected and have lost some inches where I wanted. Whether this is entirely due to the NTS is questionable, but what is not in question is that the combination of using this system and the weight training schedule I am utilizing has shown results. Admittedly, had my diet been better I am sure I would have lost weight as well. However, as it currently stands, I haven't lost any weight perse, but I know that my body fat has gone down while my lean muscle mass has increased.

I would recommend purchasing this book, however please keep in mind that you will really have to sit down and figure out the right formula for you as the book just doesn't cover it.

To sum up the book: Drink a quickly digesting protein/carbohydrate drink within an hour of training. 40 grams protein, 60 to 80 grams carbs. Whey protein with Dextrose, Waxy Maize, etc.

All the rest is just the science which you really don't need to know about.

If you know less than nothing about nutrition, spending five minutes on Google will give you more useful information than reading this book. If you want to buy a book, this one would be at the very bottom of my list.

It's misleading and dishonest in the way it promotes itself.

It says the nutrient timing can be divided into 3 phases. It describes the first phase, it then goes on to describe the 2nd phase but forgets and carries on describing the first phase. As far as I can see all three phases are roughly the same.

So I propose a new "revolution" as the authors call it: Nutrient timing can be divided into one big phase and I'm going to call it "Life" and it's exactly the same as the Phase 1, 2 and 3 of this silly book. What I propose is you eat adequate carbs, protein and fat, before during and after working out. I'm going to call it a revolution and publish it in a book. I'm going to pad it out with schoolboy essays about the different nutrients to make it look like it's backed by science when it isn't.


I got this book half price and feel like I've been robbed, it's really that bad. Badly written, misleading, dishonest and just not worth even half the price.

This book has great picture illustrations to compare certain foods and view how making the right food choices can be most effective when reducing caloric intake. I use the illustrations to point out smarter food choices to my patients on weightreduction diets.

It has been a very good investment. The book had been recommended by a doctor in Switzerland and I am very happy I followed her advise. I am sure that my eating habits will be changed for life.

Lucila Sotomayor

This book contains valuable information to assist anyone trying to shed the pounds. If you are a diabetic, you must be reminded that this doesn't compare carbs but calories. That said, it allows you to visualize portions and values of food.

If you are a visual learner like I am, "Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss" and Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss 30 Day Plan can really help you to become more aware of the relative caloric density of different foods. I've tried many diets in the past during which weight came off, usually through self-denial, but then came right back after reaching my goal and eating "normally" again. Often, even more pounds piled on afterwards, a sure sign my body wasn't about to risk starvation again. I've followed Dr. Shapiro's books for only a month now and have already lost over 12 pounds without any feeling of sacrifice at all and I haven't even increased my physical activity yet. As he states in the first book, Dr. Shapiro does not want you to think of this as a diet but as "food awareness training." While I don't care for the resulting acronym, I have to say that this visual learning method has worked beautifully for me. I use my newfound knowledge at home as well as in restaurants and have no trouble making choices that are great for me. While no food is "forbidden" on this plan, I now know how to balance my caloric intake for little "indulgences" and am still losing weight. Best of all, I believe I have finally found a way of eating that I can live healthily with for the rest of my life. Thank you, Dr. Shapiro! Would that there were more books this Picture Perfect!!!

I'll be honest with you, when it comes to nutrition, I am illiterate at best and just plain lazy at worst. I have never had to pay much attention to my weight (so I thought). I pretty much ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. When I weighed 140 pounds and the military told me my maximum weight was 189 pounds, I remember telling soeone that if I ever reached my maximum, there would have to be something wrong with me. Well guess what? Something must be wrong with me.

In 2003, I topped the scale at 202 pounds (my ideal weight is 176). I knew I had to do something. I read Dr. Shapiro's book, and on September 25, 2003, I began his program. By November 20, 2003, I weighted a sleek 182 pounds. That is 20 pounds in less than two months. The funny thing is that I was never hungry. In fact, I ate more on Dr Shapiro's plan than I was eating before. My exercise consisted of a daily morning walk, and I cut processed sugar and sodas out of my diet. That was it. With his help, I was simply able to make more healthy choices.

Well, I got lazy (yep, I figured out what my problem was), and I put all of those pounds back on--they actually came back slower than they came off. Four years later, I am back over 200 pounds. I plan to implement his plan once again. This time, I plan to stick with it for life.

The only criticism I have is the same one that some others have mentioned. Dr. Shapiro does advocate a vegetarian diet, so there is no information in there about meats. But, in reading his book, you get the principle, which is most important, Then, it is just a matter of reading labels and making healthy choices.

Unless you have a medical reason for your weight, I truly believe that anyone who is willing to commit to Dr. Shapiro's plan will see the pounds literally melt away. It won't happen overnight, but you will begin to see results in as little as 1-2 weeks.

I purchased this book for a class I am taking called Multicultural Food Habits. I am very much enjoying the textbook. The theories, etc. are written in such a way that it makes the reading very interesting. I highly recommend it. Also, for people who do travel globally, it is a great resource for foods from various cultures, with an extensive glossary.

If you are looking for a resource on food and culture look no further! Food and Culture by Pamela Goyan Kittler and Kathryn P. Sucher sets the gold standard.

The book contains excellent background information beginning with an overview of how food and culture relate to each other, followed by chapters on traditional health beliefs and practices, food and religion, and intercultural communication.

Following these rich and fascinating foundation chapters, the book devotes separate chapters to specific cultural groups. In each of these chapters, the specific group's history in the US. and their worldview (including religion and family) are presented. Also included are each cultural group's common foods and ingredients, typical meal patterns, and foods served on festive occasions. Additionally, the meaning of what culturally specific foods mean to the group and therapeutic beliefs and practices surrounding their consumption are included. Each chapter ends with how the group has adapted its food habits in the US and the clinical implications for dietitians and other healthcare workers who work with members of the group.

Increasing cultural competence is the cornerstone of this extraordinary book. Thus, it is much more than a cultural nutrition textbook. Anyone who works with culturally diverse groups will find the book as an invaluable resource, including nurses, physicians, dietitians, nutritionists, public health professionals, food service professionals, health educators, teachers, and diversity trainers. In fact, Food and Culture is a fascinating read for the general public interested in why different groups eat different foods.

Many discussions of cultural difference gnaw on intangibles. Communication styles, values, equity, political correctness and globalization strategies may be cut up to be analyzed or chewed with passion, but often remain abstract, easy to deny, hard to concretize and forever shifting. Not so food. "You eat what you are," exclaim the authors of Food and Culture. The visible variety of the table gives a rich taste of the history, habits and behaviors of people, and often provide handles for grasping the less concrete aspects of culture.

Kittler, a nutrition consultant, and Sucher, a professor of Food Science, have ostensibly written a textbook for health and food service professionals. Food and Culture, however, reaches far beyond ingredients and dishes on the table in diverse US households, cafeterias, restaurants and hospitals. Food in almost every instance transcends simple nourishment. It has inevitably interpersonal, aesthetic, social, religious, demographic and even political implications. Food is the staff of life in the fullest sense of the word, whether it be anchored in bread, rice, tortillas or taro root. It deserves more attention from interculturalists and diversity trainers in general than it usually gets.

The diversity of diet found among the various groups in the USA is the meat of this book. However, starting with Native Americans and moving through the waves of immigration, this means just about everybody in the world. The authors distill this breadth and complexity by a clear focus on health, broadly understood as physical, psychological and social. They describe how the diverse US population, both by ethnicity and region, express their traditional culinary preferences as well as lift the lid on what is being cooked up in the stew pot of assimilation. In all this they never lose sight of how the health care practitioner like a good maitre d' can competently interpret, assist and advise.

The book opens with an overview of how food and culture relate to each other and to traditional health beliefs and practices. Kittler and Sucher recognize that counselors, educators and healthcare professionals need interpersonal cultural competence, and provide them with a high-caloric chapter on intercultural communication, geared to their specific needs and activities. While many diversity initiatives avoid the treacle of religion, it is an essential ingredient for digesting the topic of eating habits. Food and Culture contains not only an introductory chapter on Food and Religion, but returns to the theme whenever discussing a specific group requires it.

Kittler and Sucher have a set menu for serving up each cultural group. They ready the table with its history in the US. As an aperitif, they describe its "worldview," in particular the institutions of religion and family. The entree is a buffet of the group's common foods and ingredients, laid out to show how meals are composed and served daily, as well as on festive occasions. This is followed by a main dish, the story of what various foods mean to the group and how therapeutic beliefs and practices surround their consumption. Finally, there is a digestive look at how the group has adapted its food habits in the USA and the practical implications for dieticians and healthcare workers dealing with members of the group.

Offering "international food days" in company cafeterias by featuring various cultures or highlighting them in catering events have often been pooh-poohed as "diversity lite" or at best, icing on the cake. Certainly this need not be the case if one were to enrich such events with an educational surround drawn from insights provided by Goyan and Sucher. In any event, this book has a place in every corporate diversity library and trainer's bookshelf. Its contents should be used to provide educational nutrients as well as spice to diversity programs and presentations.

Finally, despite its systemic organization and somewhat reference-book appearance-almost 500 pages of text, charts and images-this new edition of Food and Culture is simply a good read. I was able to finish this review only because there were no recipes included. Otherwise I would still be cooking!

This book is a very good one to use if you are doing regular studio pilates with an instructor. I am really emphatic that form is critical and this book is a useful reminder of the sequence of exercises once the precise form issues are explained by your instructor. For relatively experienced pilates students it provides useful guides to establish a home-based routine to support work with your instructor. Recommended.

I highly recommend this book. It has so many ways to optimize your pilate's workouts. My trainer is also using many of the ideas from this book.

I think this is a well done book and it is useful. However, the reason I ordered it was for the bonus chapter about the springboard and the book I received did not have this chapter in it. The information about the book did and still does indicate that this chapter is in the book. I was very disappointed.

This is a fun book--at once, simple enough for at-home use by average Pilates doers if you will, but also a good reference for shaking things up (ok, entertaining) when you teach.

This is an excellent Pilates props book. I guess it's the best one, since it may be the only one.

More importantly from my perspective with a chronic rotator cuff problem, it has the best exercises on the topic. Rotator cuff exercises are majorly boring. I never got the point of using therapeutic bands since I couldn't feel anything happening and the repetitions are tedious. I think that's the case with all the stabilizer muscles, except for those in the abdomen. You can't really tell when they're working, although you sure know when they aren't.

Anyway, this book definitely has the best rotator cuff rehab exercises and some good variations with photos. There only are a few books on the topic or that show such exercises. Trust me that this one is the best, since I've dealt with the wretched problem for years and am starting to show more patient improvement now.;-)

There also are very good back and knee and other exercises for recovering from joint or spine injuries, as well as for general fitness. I like the back stuff better than some of the books devoted to that topic, including a few that come from a yoga perspective.

As usual, Amazon has the best prices and shipping policy. Ordered on a Thurs, arrived on Mon morning with standard, free shipping. Amazing!

I thought I would get many pages of images of eyes -- but instead I got pyscho jumble text that is useless.

Karl Loren

Back in 1993 my mother saw this book and skimmed through it. She found several symptoms that I had been exhibiting. She took me to that allergist and found I was allergic to Milk, Corn, and Sugar. My allergist was so impressed with the study that he bought several copies and lent them to his other patients.

The book is easy to read and easy to understand. It shows that allergy symptoms can very greatly with every child. Even though the book was published in 1991, I still apply it to my diet to this very day.

I read this book many years ago when my now 14 year old son was an infant. As a baby he exhibited odd behaviors, cried most of the time, and had horrible tantrums. He had frequent ear infections and I was reluctant to continue prescribing antibiotics for fear they would destroy his immune system. It was very difficult to parent him and I was left exhausted, lonely, and desperate to find the cause of his problems. I found this book and began reading it in the bookstore; I was very emotional because so much of what I read rung true for me and my son's condition. When we began to implement suggestions and diet changes outlined in the book, we saw dramatic results immediately. This book turned our lives around, honestly.
I now buy this for friends when they are having a hard time with their children. It is ALWAYS worth checking out the allergy/behavior/health connection. Who knows, it could make all the difference for you as it did for me.

This book has long been considered the bible on allergies. Dr. Doris Rapp explains how allergies can present as ADD, learning disabilities, headaches, poor writing or writing backwards, hyperactivity, aggression, and many other health and behavioral issues, not just the traditional snotty nose.

She tells you how to recognize unsuspected allergies such as:
· Excessive ticklishness
· Excessive perspiration
· Unpleasant foot odor
· Pale face, expressionless face
· Red nose tip
· Bags, dark circles, and wrinkles under the eyes
· Red ears, recurrent ear infections
· Bright red cheeks
And those are just a few of the signs.

She explains how to do an elimination diet so you can determine what foods your child is reacting to, and how to keep a detailed log of reactions. She covers allergy testing, the pros and cons, because it is an imperfect science. She talks about reducing exposure to allergens, the yeast connection, the rotation diet, and food drops.

The book is overwhelming to some due to its 600+ page count, but if you or someone you love suffers from allergies, it is well worth the effort.

For anyone with allergies I also recommend He's Not Autistic But...: How We Pulled Our Son From the Mouth of the Abyss. While the title may not sound like an allergy book, both the boy and the mother in this true story suffer from numerous environmental and food allergies and they both make a full recovery.

I liked this book because it explains that allergies are so much more than sneezing and a runny nose. For children it can be fatigue, inability to concentrate, hyperactivity, really just about anything. She shows amazing examples of how artwork and writing change after a child is exposed to an allergen. She tells incredible stories of how children's behaviors change as they get their allergies under control.

I was pleased to hear from an expert that the scratch tests are wildly inaccurate, and that only the difficult, and sometimes traumatic p/n testing can be trusted.

She talks about how babies that hiccup in the womb are allergic to something the mother is eating or drinking, and that toe-walking is a sure sign of allergies. She provides an immense amount of information about food allergies.

In 1998, I lost over 50 pounds on the original Atkins Lifestyle diet, the book I am reviewing now. In 2004, after the birth of my child, I needed to lose the 20 pounds that I gained whilst expecting. I went back on the original diet and lost in in about 4 months or less.

The original tried and true Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution allowed me to lose about four pounds to kick the diet off in the first week, gave me a ton of energy, and gradually allowed me to lose the rest of the weight after the introduction without problems or cravings.

I have lived on this diet for nearly 10 years and have never gained back the weight that I had lost (except for expecting a child). It's been easier to maintain weight loss with this lifestyle/diet than any other diet I have been on.

Some people have a very difficult time following the diet. If one is a vegan, this diet will really never work, if one is addicted to processed wheat flour and sugar...there's hope. In about a week one loses that addiction.

This diet/lifestyle has been given a bad name by various groups, physicians and people. I believe that those whom disagree with this diet only focus on the "Induction" period.

Here's a glimpse inside this diet: It's basically knowing how many complex carbohydrates your body can handle on a daily bases (instead of calories) and it's about cutting out all processed foods. It works on the premise that sugar carbohydrates make a person fat, not fat.

I tried the current, Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution. It is my understanding that this diet was modified by a corporation that purchased Dr. Atkins products and rights when he went into retirement. This diet focuses on promoting their bars, shakes, and other convenient items. I really didn't care for that. Those things slow down one's progress and keep you dependant on convenient foods that really aren't that good for you. I also went on the official Atkins site and joined their message board. There's a lot of very crabby people on that message board. I'm guessing that this new diet isn't working very well for them either.

I bought this Dr Atkin's Diet Revolution book for a gift for someone. The person seemed to be happy to get the book.

In the late 90's my weight ballooned to 205 pounds while I drank 1/2 a gallon of Coke a day.

The revelation that I was fat came when my students began calling me "Drew Carey" and my uncle called me butterball.

I started Atkins Thanksgiving 2000. By April 2001 my weight had gone from 205 to 165.

This diet, in conjunction with proper exercise, will probably enhance weightloss for many people, unlike any other apporach they have tried.

After the publication of "Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution," this older version seems to have been neglected. Mostly this is good because while it's a great book and I enjoyed reading it, Dr. Atkins' understanding of things has come a long way since he wrote it.

For example, the old version recommends almost zero carbohydrates and doesn't take fiber into account. The new book recommends no less than 20g of net carbohydrates, and fiber can be subtracted from the total count for any food since it doesn't raise blood sugar.

In the old version, the first phase was simply called "Phase 1" and lasted only one week; now it is called "Induction" and lasts 2 weeks. Since it includes more carbs, it can be adhered to for up to six months.

Dr. Atkins puts a big emphasis on ketone strips. The new program includes using them, but downplays them. Many people - like me - have trouble getting even light pink on our best days. I think downplaying, while still leaving the option there, is the best thing to do.

Other differences just have to do with the passage of time. 30 years ago Splenda wasn't on the market, so there is no mention of it. Same with cyclomates. Who today has heard of this sweetener? And the cure for constipation then was a mild laxative. Nowadays fiber supplements are on the market and are the recommended thing.

The only part of the book I skipped was the recipes, though if you are into cooking it would be a really awesome part to look through. It takes up significant space, so if you are looking for low carb recipes, the book might be worth the price just for that.

I loved the end of the book and wish that section had been included in the new one. It's Dr. Atkins' statement to the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition of Human Needs on April 12, 1973 (very early versions of the book do not include this). He does a wonderful job of defending his diet to the naysayers. I highly recommend reading this section of the book.

One last thing, the weight chart at the back of the book is not realistic in today's world. It's based on the old version of the Met Life charts. The new version allows people to weigh more, and I know my body just stalls out my weight loss at 145. On the old Met Life chart that was too much. On the new one it is a perfectly normal weight.

I recommend this book as a good history lesson in how the diet began, but to lose weight I recommend "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution," which has the advantage of 30 years' worth of learning that the doctor didn't have when he wrote the first book.

I'm assuming you're reading this because you want to know if this book is worth your money and time, and whether or not you should read it.

If this is not the case, you can skip the rest of this review, and read most of the others - which I have found to be largely testimonial, and will tell you what those reviewers think about the diet.

If you want to know something about the book: read on.

Firstly, I had a very difficult time reading this book - in fact, I skipped most of it, because a very large portion of the book is made up of extended testimonial-like cases. This made the book feel like marketing - and even if you're not as suspicious of marketing as I am, it wears on your nerves quite quickly if you approach the book wanting to learn something about the diet. Additionally, Mr. Atkins' tone made it sound like the diet was a religion or a cult. This made me want to try it even less.

Secondly, Mr. Atkins also seems to be encouraging a sedentary lifestyle. In the portion of the book that I read, he never once mentioned physical activity of any sort other than eating. This turned me off, as I believe that one of the major sources of obesity, especially in highly "industrialized" countries, is lack of physical activity. In short, he does not promote a balanced lifestyle any more than a balanced diet.

Thirdly, Mr. Atkins makes several factual and logical errors. He mentions our ancient hunter ancestors, but fails to mention that they were also gatherers: fruits, roots, nuts, seeds, honey ... all with lots of carbs. And people 200 years ago may have consumed much less sugar than we do now, but he doesn't think that perhaps they weren't obese because of their diet, but because of the amount of physical activity demanded of the large majority of the population just to stay alive.

Fourthly and finally, the book gave me no information I could not have found on the internet.

To sum up, is the book worth your time and money? You be the judge, but for me, it wasn't; I can recommend neither the book nor the diet.