Review of Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills (Paperback)

It is almost a cliche in this day and age for someone to ask the waiter at a Chinese restaurant 'no MSG, please,' as is the waiter's knowing smirk in response. MonoSodium Glutamate (MSG), or 'The essence of taste' (as coined by the Japanese), is used as a 'taste-enhancer' in nearly every form of processed food on the market today, though 'taste addiction' may be a more correct term. But what exactly does it do? And how is it harmful?
Dr. Russell L. Blaylock answers these questions and poses some startling evidence as to the eventual consequences of a heavy MSG-diet in his book _Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills_. In basic terms, MSG (and other, similar agents) pierces the blood-brain barrier and over-stimulates the neurons of a brain to a deadly degree. Habitual intake among animal experiments has shown the development of tumors, memory loss, and a whole host of neurodegenerative diseases as the end result of excess excitotoxin intake, including Alzhiemer's, Parkenson's, Lou Gerhig's etc.
Walk into any gas station in the United States (or grocery store, for that matter) and, upon close investigation, you will find that 75%-90% of the available food has been 'enhanced' to some degree by excitotoxins. The chemical agents are often disguised by such ambiguous terms as 'spice' and 'natural flavors' or, my personal favorite, 'hydrolyzed vegetable protein.' A consumer society must have consumer slaves to keep it functioning; MSG is the crack cocaine of the food industry...and it is legally perpetuated by slush-fund advocates and a pork-glutted FDA. As proven again and again, money talks, ... [you can finish the maxim for me].
Blaylock's thesis is written in a technical style, but the use of repetition throughout each chapter hammer in his myriad points into the reader with precision and power. An important book for anyone concerned with the health of self and family. You are what you eat---but do you know _what_ it is you are eating, below the surface of taste/fulfillment?



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Review of The Food Connection: The Right Food at the Right Time (Paperback)

This is the first nutrition book that tells me why.Why do I need to fight free radicals, why do I need to drink water, why do starchy or highly processed foods make me feel the way they do,why are blueberries and other foods so good for me.The information is a bit scientific yet easy to assimilate and I feel I can incorporate his principles into the way I fuel my body.I highly recommend it for those who are looking to increase energy, get a sleep better at night and just plain old take care of your body.I know it's my bible.

Product Description
The Food Connection will show you:

• How to balance your hormonal system to positively affect weight, motivation, sleep patterns and cognitive abilities
• How to jump start your health with the seven-day "World's Best Diet"
• The 17 bioenergetic foods to eat daily
• How food affects your mood at breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Why men and women must take different approaches to ensure their hormonal health
• How to assess your Biological Age - and take quick steps to improve your health.

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Review of The INTENSE Trainer Program (Paperback)

This book delivers exactly what it says it does. This program is best for those that need to lose 15-20 pounds very quickly. I dont recommend the diet portion for life, but the self-discipline exercises are perfect for life. This program can make you lose up to 20 pounds in two weeks if followed exactly as it is prescribed. I highly recommend this book!!!!!

Product Description
If you're not able to stick with a diet, how will you ever receive intense results? Nationally certified personal trainer Shane Chattin asked himself this question when he had difficulty maintaining his own diet. His answer is The Intense Trainer Program, a thirty-day fat-loss program that targets the ability to strengthen self-discipline.

Chattin contends that self-discipline is the only element that prevents you from having your dream body. You have the ability to tap into this hidden power right now. It's entirely up to you to decide whether you're willing to take back the control once and for all.

The Intense Trainer Program takes you through each step required to strengthen self-discipline, as well as dramatically enhance your physique. When you have the ability to control your own actions, your life will radiate with confidence and certainty. This program is a must for anyone that has struggled to maintain a healthy, toned body. The results you receive over the next thirty-days will last a lifetime!



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Review of Shape Diet (Paperback)

I do not normally read diet books but this was recommended by a friend. It is actually a healthy lifestyle guide with the important distinction of having a system for figuring out your own specific needs. As the author states, "One diet can not possibly fit all".

The questionnaire is detailed and covers body shape, health problems, food cravings, the timing of your hunger and energy slumps, and personality traits. There are drawings as well to help you determine your body type. It took some effort but good things usually do. I tried out the plan for the Enthusiast type and quickly noted I had more dependable energy levels and fewer cravings for sweet or starchy foods. Even if you omit the body typing there is a heap of info on allergies, meal planning, and psychological strategies for achieving your health goals. The author is a TV cook as well as clinical nutritionist so the recipes have a lot of yum factor instead of just earnest intentions. Friends too have found this book helpful in finding out whether they were best suited to high protein or high carb etc. Some of them found the results transformative.



Product Description
This book goes way beyond the 'one diet fits all' philosophy. The Shape Diet utilises the system of four endocrine-based body types: Enthusiast, Driver, Sensualist, and Deliberator. The author has successfully used this method of weight control on clients for twenty years. The plan differs from others of its kind by focusing on differences in gender, body type, and personality. The Shape Diet outlines scientific, psychological, spiritual, and practical strategies to help you lose weight according to your body type.

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Review of Linking Nutrition to Mental Health: A Scientific Exploration (Paperback)

Linking Nutrition to Mental Health is an essential book for anyone working in the mental health field. It will be best understood by dietitians, but is written so that everyone can understand the science. I recommend the book to all those living with mental illness and their families, as well as the professionals. The topic of nutrition and mental health is covered so thoroughly that I now have a great resource always at my fingertips.

Product Description
To truly live well-to feel good, engagein productive activities, enjoy fulfillingrelationships with other people, and beable to adapt to change and cope withadversity-Americans must start addressingmental health with the same urgency asphysical health. With that in mind, registereddietitian Dr. Ruth Leyse-Wallace gathersbreakthrough scientific research from aroundthe world to demonstrate how powerfullynutrition can affect our mental well-beingas much as our physical well-being.
Dr. Leyse-Wallace reports on the latestand most compelling findings about theways in which diet, supplements, genetics,and health conditions can make a differencein mental health. She explores how theshort-term and long-term intake of vitamins,minerals, essential fatty acids, proteins,carbohydrates, medications, alcohol, andcaffeine can potentially influence mentalfunctioning, and she explains her emergingTheory of PsychoNutriologic Person.
Far greater than an evidentiary summary,Linking Nutrition to Mental Health givestailored recommendations to individuals,healthcare providers, and scientists forputting these groundbreaking researchdiscoveries into practice to achieve avastly improved quality of life.

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Review of Virgin Coconut Oil: How It Has Changed People's Lives, and How It Can Change Yours! (Paperback)

This book has opened the eyes of skeptics who believe that coconut oil is bad for you because it is saturated.Until I read this book, I didn't realize how healthy coconut oil is.I've loaned this book to my friends and they have started using coconut oil.I only use coconut oil for cooking and coconut concentrate for spread on bagels or toast instead of butter. It's very yummy!Tropical traditions's coconut products are excellent!
If you want to learn about coconut oil, then read this book.This book will enlighten you.
Marina, Bremerton, WA


Product Description
People losing weight when nothing else worked, new energy and increased body temperatures from those suffering from hypothyroidism, skin rashes and other problems clearing up: these are a few examples of the testimonies from people using Virgin Coconut Oil that you will read about in this book. The book contains over 100 testimonies to the healing properties of Virgin Coconut Oil, and also contains over 75 recipes showing you how to incorporate Virgin Coconut Oil into your diet. Virgin Coconut Oil: How it has changed people's lives, and how it can change yours! is the most practical book written on the health benefits of coconut oil. Based on years of research and the experience of Brian and Marianita Shilhavy, this book documents how tropical cultures eating a diet high in the saturated fat of coconut oil enjoy long healthy lives. It also shows how a premium Virgin Coconut Oil has changed thousands of lives outside the tropics, in helping with obesity,hypothyroidism, diabetes, Candida, infections, digestive disorders, skin problems, and more.

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Review of The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess (Hardcover)

"Lift like a man, look like a Goddess" says the book. But is it true?I believe it is, and this book is right on the money. It is cleanly divided into three parts.

The first part discusses the similarities between men's and women's bodies as it pertains to weight lifting- and why they should train the same. I agree with the book on this point entirely.While women's muscles won't get as big as a man's from lifting weights, the stimulus to make a woman's muscle bigger and stronger is identical to that of a man's- overload the muscle with progressively heavier weights.

Part two, "You aren't what you don't eat", is the eating/diet section of the book. A lot of wisdom is also packed in here as the book gives the reader a lot of basic nutrition info, such as calorie needs, protein intake, etc. The reader is also introduced to the four "Ironclad Rules" which include: you must eat breakfast, you must eat a total of 5 meals and snacks a day, you must have a post-workout recovery shake on the days you lift, and you must have more calories on workout days than the other days.Meal plans are nicely laid out for the reader in this section as well.

Lastly comes part three, "Resistance is vital." Of course this is the section that discusses the workout routines and the exercises. Without going into details, you work out 2-3 times a week, and the workouts are divided in 7 stages (each with a certain goal) which roughly give you 6 months worth of workouts- which I might add, are all highly detailed in the book. Pictures of warm-up exercises and the resistance exercises are included and very easy to follow. Weight lifting exercises are nothing crazy, with a lot of them being sensible, basic exercises such as squats, deadlifts, and various presses.

As a trainer, I found this to be a very sensible weight lifting book for women. Yes it does invovlve some work, but then again that is the only way to make a muscle stronger, whether you're a man or a woman- which is the whole point of the book. Based on a lot of sound science, I give it two thumbs up for a very helpful, effective, and "doable" book. Also recommend Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff for readers who have a shoulder problem that interferes with their training.

Product Description
If you believe what most women's magazines tell you, muscles can be "shaped," "toned," and "sculpted" with nothing more than a little dumbbell that weighs less than a can of peas. But muscles aren't modeling clay, and the only way to transform them is to strengthen them. The New Rules of Lifting for Women is for the woman who's ready to throw down the "Barbie" weights and start a strength and conditioning program that will give her the body of her dreams.

The book puts to rest the shop-worn notion that women who train with heavy weights will bulk up. Nonsense! Women simply don't have enough testosterone to pack on muscle like a bodybuilder. Here's the truth: lifting weights not only makes you stronger, it also makes you leaner. In fact, most women would have to run twice as long to receive the same fat-burning benefits as weight lifters.

A better workout in less time may sound too good to be true, but champion trainer Alwyn Cosgrove creates six months' worth of workouts that will build strength, burn fat, and rev up the metabolism. His total body workouts target all the major muscle groups, and each exercise is accompanied by clear black- and-white photographs that illustrate proper technique and form.

A nutrition plan is another key feature of the book. To gain strength you have to feed muscle, and nutritionist CassandraForsythe has designed a regimen to achieve this goal. She strongly recommends small, frequent meals and offers meal plans, along with fifty recipes, to satisfy women's special needs through breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. The New Rules of Lifting for Women will become the standard for smart women who take their fitness goals seriously.

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Review of Thera-Diet (Paperback)

A very good program that helped me understand and change my eating behaviors. A lot of these principles can be applied in many areas of improving life through changes. Excellent hypnosis audio.

Product Description
Don't read this book unless you serious about losing weight. This program is different in that it utilizes a non diet based approach. Unlike the majority of diet based programs that often have high failure rates, this program raises awareness of the internal self belief system and its influence on ones eating behaviors. There is a reason that you have been disappointed upon losing weight, only to regain it over and over again. Now a true life style change will emerge upon recognizing the influence and reframing those self harming internal beliefs that effect ones eating behaviors. This book can also be a resource for the Lap Band & other weight loss surgery recipients. This is an eating behavioral modification program that will impact your life. Now you have discovered the power to set yourself free from the imprisonment of fat and live life to the fullest. As an Added Bonus, one can download a motivation hypnotic audio program onto a blank CDR disk. This can be done from my website with any computer. This will assist in motivating a person to adhere to my weight loss program.

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Review of What to Eat: The Ten Things You Really Need to Know to Eat Well and Be Healthy (Paperback)

Is it any surprise to learn that American consumers are being conned by the USDA? Dr. Luise Light's book, "What to Eat; The Ten Things You Really Need to Know to Eat Well and Be Healthy", reads like a detective novel, exposing scathing secrets of corporate and government malfeasance. During her career as the nutrition director for the USDA, Light witnessed the blatantly cozy relationships that existed between the USDA and the food and agricultural lobbies and lobbyists. Not only did she witness the cover-up of an important study linking diet with major chronic diseases, she also witnessed dangerous changes that were made to the 1992 US Food Pyramid Guide to satisfy corporate interests rather than to protect the public's health. In fact, she warned the USDA that those very changes would cause an epidemic of obesity and diabetes, a warning that looks more like prophesy, today. According to Light, "One thing I learned working in the government was that there are no gratuitous acts. Actions and reactions are designed to control the agenda, limit public access to potentially dangerous (to lobbyists) information, and protect under-the-radar arrangements between commercial interests and government agents."

In her new book, Light explains the connection between nutrition and many of the life-threatening chronic diseases prevalent today. Now that she is no longer held back from exposing the truth, she describes the numerous illnesses that are connected to what she calls, "nutritional malaise," including memory loss, loss of balance, depression, sadness, anxiety, pessimism, "road rage", low energy, "mind freeze", eye strain, generalized aches and pains, migraines, abdominal discomfort, frequent colds and flu and massive weight gain. According to Light, these are all indications of "biochemical chaos" that can be corrected with good nutrition. The choice is clear -- you can start eating a balanced diet, based on real food, or you can let your symptoms progress and develop into devastating chronic conditions such as, heart disease, obesity, gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, osteoporosis, asthma, arthritis and many others.

Light has her own testimonial to share about her struggle to regain her health after collapsing with a chronic, disabling illness. Her very inspirational story helps to reinforce her message about the interconnection between nutrition and physical and mental health. Her story will resonate with many individuals struggling today with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, hypothyroidism, depression and unexplained, massive weight gain.

Even though the book tackles a very serious subject, Light manages to imbue it with humor, pointing out the irony of conventional medical approaches. "Don't worry about your diet, we have a pill for that!" Light's book offers practical advice not placebos to cut through the confusion about what's good to eat.

Light assures you that you're not alone if you're having problems understanding the convoluted messages of the government's Dietary Guidelines. She offers simple but easy to understand science-based guidelines of her own, such as these three (out of ten) lucid examples, along with the rationales behind them: Eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables; eat whole-grain pasta, rice, breads, and cereals; eat certified organic foods.

Also, she provides her own food pyramid, which is much easier to follow than the one published by the government. Her book is loaded with solutions the USDA didn't offer in their own Food Pyramid issued in 2005. You will learn how to transition to real food in her chapter, "Your Diet Makeover Tool Kit". And, if you're at a loss for how to prepare real food, she also has several, quick, idiot-proof, delicious recipes in her chapter, "What to Cook".

Although her book gives a detailed, easy to grasp account of the problems inherent in the American food system (pesticides, GMO's, acrylamide, MSG, processed foods etc...), she also manages to focus on straightforward and realistic solutions-from what to stock in your larder, to a week's worth of menus, meals and recipes, and practical tips on eating on the road and dining out. Light assures us that real food is not only more nutritious than food out of a box or bag, it tastes better and is more pleasurable and satisfying. Food is meant to be enjoyed, she reminds us.

If you're wondering how our food system deteriorated to the current level, you'll be asking the questions that Light asks and answers in her book, and then wonders, "Why isn't national nutritional improvement getting as much of our attention as a space launch or fighting terrorists?" As a nutritionist she's as upset and disappointed with the situation as you are. She points out what you can do on a personal and community level. Get involved, she says, to protect and preserve your health and your community. Many people are doing just that. Much to the dismay of highly paid lobbyists, efforts are underway to get the junk food out of schools. Some schools are even feeding children fresh, home cooked, organic foods. Imagine that! Despite the myths, children will eat and even come to prefer delicious fresh foods, and reject factory-made fast foods, given the chance, Light tells based on her experience.

For seventy years, the USDA has stood by the theme that "All food is good food". As more and more "chemicalized" foods line our supermarkets shelves, it is less and less true. Light's book is a very fresh and reasoned account of why this concept is flawed and why we need to go back to the basics, choosing whole nutritious foods instead of synthetic designer food products that are designed to sit on a shelf for seven years. Eating well is the solution to many of the health problems we face today, says Light. Buy this book and become part of the growing consumer lobby that is rising up and reclaiming what is rightfully ours - nourishing food.

This book will give you chills but also give you hope that you can eat better, feel better and finally, get straight talk about nutrition.


Product Description

Eating for optimum health and longevity is easier--and tastier--than you ever imagined!


With all the conflicting information about what and how to eat for good health, is it any wonder that the majority of us are both overweight and undernourished?


In What to Eat, internationally respected nutrition expert Dr. Luise Light cuts through the confusion created by misleading advertising, fad diet doctors, and the big food lobbies to answer all your nutrition-related questions. Even more important, she arms you with a simple, research-based eating plan guaranteed to help you look and feel better than ever--without having to sacrifice taste or turn your life upside down.


A no-nonsense nutrition guide, What to Eat supplies you with:

• Ten simple rules for healthy eating--customizable for your tastes and lifestyle
• A new, simplified food pyramid
• A step-by-step eating plan
• Guidelines for eating out
• Fast, easy, and delicious menus, meals, and recipes
• Surefire strategies for making kids want to eat healthy foods

"From her experiences inside the USDA, Dr. Light brings new insights on how powerful agricultural and political forces have created the recipe for our national diet. Readers who care about their health will find much to learn within these covers."
--Walter Willett, M.D., Dr.P.H., Chair, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, and author of Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy

(20060101)

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Review of Give It To Me Straight! Questions & Answers for No-Nonsense Nutrition (Paperback)

Dr. Dalzell pretty much covers all of the questions of the day...right up to the concerns about mercury contamination in fish in her "A Healthy Catch?" topic. Don't let the clever topic names mislead you because the content is evidence-based and explained very clearly (and briefly....that's a good thing.) It is very informative and easy to read. You'll like that in answering each of the questions posed, the 'why' is also explained. This book is appropriate for women's health resource centers and would be a good value-added resource to include in nutrition and diet classes. It is a quick and interesting read and promises to clarify a lot of frequently asked questions.

Product Description
This valuable guide tackles your toughest nutrition questions and tells you everything you need to know to make the best nutrition decisions. Get solid facts, practical tips and healthy product suggestions to help you eat smart, reduce your health risks and evaluate popular diet and vitamin claims. From the author of award-winning Challenge Cancer and Win!

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Review of Amino Revolution (Paperback)

A very good manual on how to use amino acid supplements and their co-factors for achieving wellness and combating aging. All the important areas are covered, like dosage, combinations, the exact vitamins and minerals to take at the same time, as well as foods that contain aminos. The description of the metabolic pathways and how amino acids work are extremely interesting. Areas where amino acids can help are discussed under stress, anxiety, depression, immunity, cancer, heart disease, allergies, digestion, herpes, alcohol, smoking and looking and feeling young. Perhaps the book is a bit outdated, since there is no mention of the wonderful amino NAC (N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine) that protects the lungs and mucous membranes and is especially recommended for smokers. The lack of general index and an index to conditions treatable by aminos is a bit of a drawback as this book could be a handy reference work. But four stars overall for an interesting and illuminating text providing much needed information to those who want to take responsibility for their own health.



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Review of The Bikini Diet (Paperback)

I have been dieting for 25 years and am now down to 100 lbs. (my goal) due to calorie counting and exercising.I do get hungry and this book is my guide to what foods are good and bad and it is also a blueprint for my daily menus.
I think this is an excellent resource for the serious dieter.

Product Description
Based on the latest nutritional findings, The Bikini Diet is the perfect all-natural, high-speed slim-down program that will have you ready to hit the beach in just 30 days. The simple daily menus in the book can actually speed up your body's metabolism through certain food combinations. Then, using a special fat-burning supplement that research has shown to naturally decrease fat from the abdomen and thighs, you'll be swimsuit-slim and ready for summer!

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Review of What to Eat (Paperback)

Every now and then a book or two comes along that makes me want to get on the phone to friends or email friends to tell them they must read the book.This happened this past week when What to Eat by Marion Nestle and Gone Tomorrow the Hidden Life of Garbage by Heather Rogers arrived at my cottage.

Starting with this book 'What to Eat' the author does an excellent job of explaining the psychology of food from its invention (since so much is man made or processed), to the thousand mile journey it makes, even if organic, to most grocery stores, and the vast amount of waste that is involved in getting even organic fruits and vegetables to your local grocer.And that local grown fruits and vegetables are often turned down for local sale in grocery stores, but packed and shipped across country, all as part of a man made game plan.As is the label game and how many label issues are voluntary and not mandated like for genetically modified foods.

Her section on dairy is good.Personally I buy organic milk from here in northern California and no matter where we have lived I have sought out locals who would allow me to make a 'donation' for their raw milk, since I prefer to make my own yogurt, butter, cheese etc.The taste of regular homogenized milk from the store tastes horrid to me. Probably because its altered so much to allow for weeks on the grocery shelf.How I wish people would demand that their grocer carry dairy products from humane farms that are also whole and healthy.

Her section on meat is equally interesting. As she notes well, those who cull (kill, slaughter) the meat Americans eat work for low wages in very dangerous conditions, with the buyer all to willing to ignore just what happens to get that piece of meat on ones dinner table or fast food meal.Page 139 'Raising cattle also consumes vast amounts of nonrenewable energy. According to figures in the June 2004 National Geographic, it takes more than 200 gallons of fuel oil to raise a 1,200 pound steer on a feedlot. ... You pay the costs of loss of environmental quality in taxes, not at the grocery store.' What is interesting to me is I come from a family where we hunted in the fall and wasted little of any animal we got.We did eat some beef, chicken etc but this was home grown either by us or friends. But when I did my own homework and found out what the local slaughter house near a town we lived in, I knew how unhealthy commercially raised meat can be.And having a son who has worked in the grocery business I admit I wasn't surprised when he told me that the clean cold cases that you buy your meat from are called meat coffins in the business.

Her section on eggs is good and basic but I also urge people to read up on humane egg production because the fact is, most eggs are from hens crammed into cages, beaks clipped to prevent hurting other chickens, and eggs not laid in straw nests but on a slopped cage floor that allows them to coast down an egg gutter where workers come by every few hours and collect them.No matter where we have lived, even in suburbia Dublin CA in the 70's, and now in the Sierras we have had a few free range laying hens, for eggs, not meat.I think its inhumane to buy eggs from caged animals.

I also agree with her frozen food section, that if you cannot buy fresh fruits and vegetables, then buy frozen. But as she notes, you still need to read labels and buy only those items that have a single ingredient i.e. frozen beans, whole strawberries. Rather than whole strawberries in sugar.

I smiled when I read on page 356 'The huge SG Superstore in San Gabriel, California, caters to a largely Chinese speaking immigrant community. The store prints all its signs in Chinese characters as well as English, and the one over aisle 14B says: SPEAR ASPARAGUS, MUSHROOMS, COOKIES, CANNED FISH, and --get this-- JUNK FOOD.'Honest advertising to say the least.

And as the author notes, if we shoppers would set aside a few hours to just walk up and down the aisles and honestly read labels and see how many 'foods' are processed and loaded with cheap sugars and other flavorings and little real food, and then stop and ask ourselves how much of our hard earned money are we throwing away on 'food' that isn't healthy we might be shocked.

As Dr Mehmet Oz notes in his books, shoppers need to stop and read labels as if they were reading a medical prescription.If it has sugar or ingredients you cannot pronounce steer clear of the item.Consider Pepsi, Coke and other manmade beverages.Most six packs around here are around $2.50.What do you get for that $2.50?Water, sugar, caffeine and flavoring.Yet it costs less than .25 cents to make that six pack that has NO nutritional value! None. Same if its sugar free.

And as the author notes, we as a nation are paying dearly for the obscene profits the food manufactures are making. In poor dental and physical health. Diabetes and obesity levels are higher than they have ever been.Now I am not one to simply blame the food manufactures since I think as adults we have the obligation to grow up and act like adults and NOT allow unhealthy things into our lives.I actually am proud to be a food snob!But how do we get others to be food snobs to?

The book is helpful in how it also points out that eating whole healthy food need not be expensive, if we learn to eat fruits and vegetables in season, and if we substitute beans and grains for meat.

On page 489 she gives an excellent example of commercial sliced bread, and their ingredients, fiber and health claims with her comments. As an example there are 22 ingredients in Wonder bread, including enriched white flour, malted barley flour, and various minerals and vitamins ALL added, and not naturally occurring.Compared to home made bread that is easy to make and has less than six ingredients like whole wheat flour, salt, honey, yeast water, milk.

The section on infant formula should be read by any parent who isn't breastfeeding.Page 459 'Beyond the difference in cost, does it matter which level of convience you choose in an infant formula? It might. Powdered formulas are not sterile. ...In 2002, the FDA warned pediatricians that powdered milk formulas could be contaminated with Enterobacter sakaskii, a type of bacteria that causes rare but terrible and sometimes fatal infections in infants, especially those who are premature.'Considering the high number of preemies being born here in the states I wonder how many parents were told of this serious situation.She also has a good section on baby foods.I remember making my own, because commercial baby foods until the 1980's were heavily laced with sugars, and fillers. And as she notes commercial baby food is mainly for convience.But I think buying a $5 baby food grinder and simply taking some of your own steamed vegetables or fruits and grinding them at the table is much easier in the long run and you know the food is fresh.

Also appreciated her health food and supplement section and because I think those of use who strive to eat healthy need to be reminded to read ALL labels no matter where we buy our foods.As an example.I would buy the 100 calories Power Bars thinking they were 'healthy,' until I started taking my own advise and reading the labels. Now I reach for piece of fruit instead.

There is so much helpful information in this book and its a book I think anyone interested in healthy food should own or at least read.You may even want to donate your copy to your local library so hundreds of other people can also become informed.



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Review of Diets in a Nutshell (Paperback)

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who has tried and failed with the "fad" diets. It really helps you learn to make bettter food choices.





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Review of Get Out of the Diet Trap (Paperback)

This is a great and outstanding book. Finally a book that makes sense and is easy to follow diet wise. Its a diet plan that will fit everyones lifestyle. I would recommend this book to everyone.

Product Description
Have you ever wondered why those famous weight loss diets can pay millions of dollars for advertising year after year? If these diets would solve weight problems, wouldn't they have sold themselves out of business by now?

Some weight loss diets may actually contribute to the overweight problem. Poor nutritional advice may leave us undernourished. We may feel the urge to overeat because we do not get the proper nutrients when our body needs them. Meaningless diet rules are a poor substitute for natural instincts and common sense.

The book Get out of the Diet Trap guides the reader in reaching and holding normal body weight, simply by following his or her instincts. Most of us had this ability early in our lives. We were able to control our weight before we had problems and we should be able to do it again. Those without a weight problem still have this natural ability.

At the Time/ABC News Summit on Obesity in June 2004, the nutritional experts attending the summit agreed upon thirteen recommendations. The basic concept of this book supports eleven of these recommendations. The remaining two recommendations are being challenged.

I am writing about my own experiences. I tried many diets and always gained the weight back that I had lost and then some. Finally, I quit diets and did what common sense told me to do. My weight dropped and stabilized simply by letting my body tell me when, what, and how much to eat. Eating for me is now pure pleasure again.

Whenever I get hungry, I let my appetite lead me to the foods I need in order to be satisfied and to stay fit. I eat small portions of a variety of appetizing, nutritional foods. I enjoy every bite by giving the food undivided attention and by chewing well. I stop eating when the hunger stops.

Enjoying a large variety of appetizing foods (nothing is excluded) in small portions and chewing well is satisfying and gets rid of the cravings, a major reason why we overeat.

Can it be that simple? - Yes - Get out of the Diet Trap tells you why.

Walter A. HansThose who are searching for answers in a world abundant with misleading information may find them by joining the non-profit organization The Common Sense Cause. It provides a forum for those who are motivated by humanitarian concerns and believe in the moral responsibility of assisting the general public in pursuing practical and common sense solutions in the field of nutrition and the preservation of health.

Write to: The Common Sense Cause
P.O Box 2220
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-0167
commonsensecause@aol.com


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Review of Sugarettes (Paperback)

I like to read motivational books on eating healthy and was lucky enough to get this book.Dr. Olson's style of writing kept me captive as I sat and drank my coffee (with sugar.)After finishing the book instead of feeling guilty about eating sugar, I find I'm more "aware" of when I consume it.I think Dr. Olson is surely on to something when he writes about the fact that there are no "real" or "official" studies that link sugar to obesity or diabetes...similar to smoking vs. cancer (in the 50's and 60's.)

Having a grandmother who had diabetes and required insulin shots every day, I never knew what it was actually doing for her.This book cleared that up for me and explained it in such a way I actually understood without having to re-read that chapter again...meaning it was written with language I (and most non-scientists) could understand.

I'm glad I read this...and it sticks in the back of my mind when my grocery cart starts gravitating toward high-glycemic foods in the store. Great motivation for anyone who is trying to eat a more healthy diet.

Product Description
Can sugar really be as addictive as cigarettes? Sugarettes, by Dr. Scott Olson ND, explores our obsession with sugar and its resulting health consequences. The average person eats an astonishing half-pound of sugar a day. For many of us, we don't eat that much sugar because we want to, but because we have to—much like any other addict. While the taste might be sweet to the tongue, the effects of this sugary compulsion are not. Sugar addiction is a contributing factor to the worldwide epidemic of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity and other health problems. With such a tempting enemy, is it any wonder we are losing the health wars? Dr. Scott's Sugarettes forces us to look at our sugar addiction and what consequences it has for our health. It details specific and actionable steps every individual can take to master their diets and take control of their addictive relationship with sugar, empowering consumers with the tools to change their lives and their heath.

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Review of The Ram Nut Diet (Paperback)

The Ram Nut Diet offers a new approach for weight loss that incorporates nuts in the diet as a means to reduce carbohydrates, control hunger, and decrease calories.Decreasing calories is the key to all weight loss diets.Given the current obesity crisis in the U.S. and worldwide, with no end in sight, there is a pressing need for innovative approaches to weight loss.There is an urgent need to help people lose weight by restricting calories and increasing physical activity (which results in negative calorie balance and weight loss).The Ram Nut Diet takes a new approach by recommending nuts, a nutrient dense food that contain heart healthy fats, to help control energy intake by controlling dietary carbohydrates.

Dr. Ram recommends a sensible approach for incorporating a wide variety of nuts in the diet - portion control is foremost in the recommendations put forth in the book.Unlike numerous diet books on the market, Dr. Ram recommends a program of physical activity in conjunction with his weight loss diet.There are many scientific studies that have shown the importance of physical activity in maintaining sustained weight loss.Other strengths of the diet program include: a balanced diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables, and healthy carbohydrates; a support system (e.g. coach); and daily self-monitoring of food intake, exercise, and attitudes and life's events that affect adherence to the diet program.The 14 day meal plan and menu and recipes are an added bonus of the book.Collectively, the Ram Nut Diet recommends a healthy weight loss diet, physical activity, and behavior modification, all of which are current recommendations of many different professional organizations for healthy weight loss.

A distinguishing feature of this diet program is the focus on nuts as part of a weight loss program.Nuts are a powerhouse of nutrition including unsaturated fats (both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats), plant protein, fiber, vitamin E, folic acid, vitamin B-6, niacin, magnesium, copper, zinc, and potassium, all of which are important for health.Often times, weight loss diets lack essential nutrients because calories are reduced.Including a handful of nuts (about 1 oz.) helps meet nutrient needs in a calorie-restricted diet.Nuts also include a variety of bioactive compounds including ellagic acid, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and isoflavones that have been shown to have beneficial health effects.

Readers who follow the Ram Nut Diet will benefit from the many health attributes of nuts.Also, by following the Ram Nut Diet, readers will be able to lose weight, and maintain lost weight with a sensible nutrition program.



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Review of The Nutrition Solution: A Guide to Your Metabolic Type (Paperback)

A key tenet of Dr Kristal's book is that no specific diet is right for everybody and that one's optimal diet can be determined by metabolic typing. His book builds upon information slowly developed over more than 40 years by a variety of practitioners. Another key tenet is that a healthy body has an ideal blood pH of 7.46, varying only within a narrow range. One of Dr Kristal's personal contributions is the development of simple and inexpensive quantitative procedures to determine a person's blood pH and metabolic type. They avoid the previous invasive taking of large venous blood samples over 14 hours by standard phlebotomy techniques. Instead he takes 4 drop-size blood samples from the finger over about 2 hours during a modified fasting glucose challenge test. He also tests samples of urine and saliva, measures blood pressure and pulse, both standing and lying down, respiration rate, time of holding one's breath, body fat, and weight. He also records self-reported observations at specific times during the glucose challenge, and takes a short personal history. The book explains how this information is used.
While the reason is currently unknown, each individual has a dominant mechanism controlling their metabolism. The two most fundamantal control mechanisms that regulate blood pH are the rate of oxidation and the actions of the autonomic nervous system. Each of these two metabolic types has two sub-types: fast or slow oxidative-dominant, and sympathetic or parasympathetic autonomic-dominant. From the test information, one's dominant metabolic sub-type can be determined, which then determines the optimum diet.
A major discovery is that most food items will have opposite effects on the blood pH of the major metabolic types, oxidative and autonomic. A food or drink that acidifies the blood of one type will alkalize the blood of the other. This is also true for many vitamin and mineral supplements. This knowledge, which has been verified by tests and clinical results, runs counter to bothorthodox and alternative medical beliefs.
Fast oxidizers and parasympathetic autonomics have blood that is too acid; slow oxidizers and parasympathetic autonomics have blood that is too alkaline. Because of the opposite effects mentioned above, nutrients are catagorized as Group I for slow oxidizers and sympathetics and Group II for fast oxidizers and parasympathetics. To greatly oversimplify (read the book for details), Group I people should have a diet dominated by complex carbohydrates and Group II should have a diet dominated by protein and fat. Each type emphasizes specific vegetables, fruits, and proteins. Thus no popular weight-loss diet can work for everybody, but by chance may work for some.
Using vitamin C as an example, ascorbic acid will acidfy oxidative metabolic types and alkalize autonomic types, while calcium ascorbate does the opposite. Group I requires the ascorbic acid form because it acidfies the slow oxidizer, but alkalizes the sympathetic. Group II requires the calcium ascorbate form because it alkalizes the fast oxidizer and acidifies the parasympathetic. Among foods, brocolli is a Group I food and cauliflower is a Group II food. Again, see the book for details.
The first three chapters of the book cover the theory and practice of metabolic typing. The next four cover weight control and other health issues; cancer (Dr Kristal recently discovered that nearly 80% of his clients presenting with cancer were Group I, and nearly 80% presenting with diabetes were Group II); general nutritional information; and dental toxicity (his training was as a dentist). The book includes an appendix explaining the details of metabolic typing, and another in which an MD examines cancer and metabolic typing.
The book discusses literature published in 2002. The authors acknowledge when they don't know the answer to some issue, and they discuss rate of success. When I was typed, Dr Kristal discovered that I was insulin resistant and on the verge of being diabetic. My HMO had not found this. His book is much like him: unpretentious, caring, very knowledgeable, and not driven by a need for fame or money. He is 77 years old, still works 5 days a week, and gives seminars on the weekends. He plays tennis an hour a day and works out in the gym another hour. Using his own recommendations that he gives to his clients, he put his own injury-induced liposarcoma into remission 4 years ago. He practices "Physician, heal thyself!"

Product Description
What constitutes healthy eating, and a healthy weight, has become a hugely complex - and too often vexing - question for those looking to discover, attain, and maintain their ideal weight. The Nutrition Solution takes a fresh approach. Based on the idea that no single diet is universally applicable to everyone, the book first shows readers how to determine their body type. Next, Dr. Kristal, who runs a nutritional clinic, outlines the appropriate diet for each type, including which foods to include and which to avoid. Dr. Kristal worked extensively with William Wolcott, the originator of metabolic typing, and draws on scientific studies to show struggling dieters the way to practical, healthful eating for each metabolic type. Included are detailed strategies for finding freedom from out-of-control food cravings - the downfall of many a dieter.

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Review of Keto Kid: Helping Your Child Succeed on the Ketogenic Diet (Paperback)

I bought this book after my son started the ketogenic diet.This books has great recipes and suggestions.I make waffles which are his favorite.I learned where to buy products.This books makes the diet easier.

Product Description
For more than half of all children with epilepsy, the only reliable way to control seizures is through the ketogenic diet, a rigid regimen that strictly limits both calories and liquid intake. Keto Kid details the daily management of the diet - where one extra bite of food can have serious repercussions on a child's health - while also addressing the emotional struggle children encounter with the loss of their favorite foods and the necessity of learning rigorous self-denial at a very young age. The book also provides recipes for keto-friendly meals and tips for making this limited diet more interesting; time-saving strategies such as pre-weighing and freezing meals; and a day-by-day account of life on the ketogenic diet; and more. Calm, direct, and above all, hopeful, Snyder helps families successfully adopt the diet while making the experience as pleasant as possible for both child and parent.

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Review of The Great American Detox Diet: 8 Weeks to Weight Loss and Well-Being (Hardcover)

I found "Supersize Me" to be one of the great documentaries (of sorts) in quite a while, not the least of which was the healthy dose of irony in that the girlfriend of star Morgan Spurlock, Alex Jamieson, was a vegan chef witnessing this diet he went on.

Well, the movie's a huge success, Morgan and to a lesser extent Alex are mild celebrities, and they both took the time to write books.Admittedly, this wreaks of commercialism, but remarkably both turned out good pieces, Spurlock's a companion to "Supersize Me", and Jamieson's revolving around the "Detox Diet" that she put Spurlock on after his month of McDonald's.

The book essentially is broken into three parts-- the first part is sort of introductory/background material-- Jamieson describes her journey from confessed junk food nut to vegan/health maven.It makes for an interesting read, but I felt the level of repetition (and endless reinfocement about processed sugar, etc.) that get to be kind of a drag.

The second part is the "detox diet"-- a week by week transition plan for abandoning the many processed and chemical additives that are throughout our food.

The third part is a series of healthy vegan recipes, some of which look quite interesting, and while I've used none of them, I've stolen a couple ideas for my own cooking.

My thoughts on this-- before I go further, I'm not a vegan, nor am I likely to become one anytime soon, but I derived a lot of value in this book, in particular from its advice in reading food labels and what's missing from them, and its advice in checking ALL food labels-- for example, we all know High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is a corn-based sugar syrup (and at least some of us know that the body doesn't seem to register it as consumed calories and so hunger isn't effected which is why many folks can down ten cans of soda and still eat a full meal-- but if you didn't know that, Jamieson points it out to you).But what I don't think I knew is how prevelent it is-- on advice from the book, I read labels of seemingly innocent product-- bread.In my local grocery store I read about two dozen bread variety labels, and most of them (including a number advertized as "whole grain" and "multigrain" and "healthy") contained HFCS.In fact, I STOPPED looking when I found one that didn't have HFCS.And that scares me.

She also spends a lot of time talking about the flour enriching process, oil processing, water chemical additives, and so on-- I found all of this quite valuable in its own way as well, and armed with this knowledge, I made some subtle changes in my purchasing habits.

Mind you, Jamieson also recommends against plastic, I don't suspect I'd ever purge my life of plastic, and against caffeine, another thing I don't particularly want to go without (while I can and have gone weeks without my morning coffee, I enjoy the taste and decaf never tastes right to me).But its certainly all worthwhile to read, the more knowledge you have, the better.

One thing to point out-- adhering to the changes wholesale she advocates would get rather expensive-- there's a reason HFCS is all over the place, its cheap.This is true of all sorts of things from enriched flours to hydronated oils.While I'm certainly not hurting for cash, I think it'd be a bit too much of an impact on me financially to move in this direction.One other thing is that Jamieson recommends a wholesale purge of your diet of negative substances while overlooking that a number of people love this kind of stuff.I'm not advocating any behavior, but I know personally that when I restructured my diet about a year and a half ago, I still had to make room for the occasional deep fried takeout order to keep myself sane.

The recipes like I said look very interesting-- I haven't tried anything (yet), but I may, and like any good recipe book, there's a lot of worth-stealing suggestions in here.

Its a good book, packed with information, and well worth the read.Recommended.



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