REVIEW: The SuperFoods Rx Diet by Wendy Bazilian & Steven Pratt

((NOTE: This book is still a diet, but it does talk about following your hunger signals, so I'm reviewing it here -- you can choose whether/not you want to get it and read it)). ;)

I found this book online, the other day, while searching for books about healthy eating & the Mediterranean-style of eating. It just so happened that my local library had a copy (at my branch, nonetheless), so I went and picked it up, and started reading it right away. I didn’t intend to read the whole thing, but it was quick and really interesting!

This book has an absolutely fascinating concept as far as a weight loss plan goes… it has the SlimDown, which is two weeks of more strict adherence to get you off to a good start, and then the FlexPlan to loosen things up a bit while still maintaining control. But, the most interesting part was the “Prep & Practice” week you do before the SlimDown. It’s where you start planning what you’ll do in your SlimDown, and you practice some of the meals & exercises. Very cool!

Now, when I talk about “strict adherence” for the SlimDown part, please don’t misunderstand me… this seems different than other diet books I’ve read where you have to give up all sorts of different foods and/or categories of foods. For this, it’s more about adding in the “superfoods”, and making sure you follow the plan. It’s not difficult, nor does it seem like too much.

Some of the “superfoods” listed are: Oats, Blueberries, Soy, Turkey, Oranges, Tomatoes, Broccoli, and Spinach… and a whole slew of “sidekicks” (other foods that are good for you, that you should add into your new plan).

I also liked that you basically make up your own meal plans, based off the SuperFoods categories (there are 3 main ones), and you can pick and choose what works best for you for exercise.

This plan is very flexible, and has some great ideas! The book even promotes listening to your hunger cues, so that was a big plus for me! (I’m a big fan of that!).

While there are still some points of this book that I don’t really agree with, overall I really like the concept, and think it’s a good thing to try out, especially coming into a new year! (the “Prep & Practice” week could be the last week of the year, and then you start the SlimDown come January 1st!)

Recommended. Rated B+

Heads-up...a new blog!

For those that are tired of reading all of my book reviews -- especially the ones that aren't SOLELY about Intuitive Eating ((grin))-- I've created a whole new blog where I review books from the "Health & Fitness" category. From now on, all of my book reviews will go there. If they are IE-related, though, I will copy them here, as well.

The new blog can be found here. Be sure to bookmark it!

REVIEW: Diet Fads by Barbara A. Zahensky (for TEENS)

DIET FADS by Barbara A. Zahensky

Okay. Yes, I am once again reviewing a somewhat *diety* book. BUT, I am only doing so because this was a book written for TEENS, and it wasn't so *diety* after all. There were a few parts that mentioned watching calorie-intake, or avoiding a lot of high-fat foods.

But, overall, the book encouraged teens to stay away from fad diets (while explaining WHY), and encouraged them, instead, to listen to their hunger signals, to do some research into why they think they overeat, and to get more exercise.

I would recommend this book, definitely. I might give a word of "warning" along with it ((grin)), but only to say that we don't necessarily NEED to count calories, or avoid any foods so long as we're truly listening to our bodies' signals, paying full attention, and allowing any food in moderation. Moderation is key. ;o)

REVIEW: The Skinny by Melissa Clark and Robin Aronson

The Skinny: How to Fit Into Your Little Black Dress Forever by Melissa Clark and Robin Aronson

While some parts of this book were still a little "diety", MOST of the book promoted the principles of Intuitive Eating -- hence why I am sharing the book with you here! :-)

Basically, the authors encourage you to:

• Eat when you're hungry


• Eat what you WANT (don't settle for less)


• Don't eat to please someone else


• Don't eat what you don't want

They also say you should eat at least one fruit, and/or one vegetable with every meal. And, they promote eating slowly, and eating sitting down.

I liked that they gave you two perspectives -- one author is a Food Writer, and the other is married, and a mother. They show that their "plan" is a good fit for anyone, as it can be altered.

There were a lot of tips outlined....how to handle certain situations (eating out; eating in the presence of coworkers; eating at parties), and what to do if you find yourself eating emotionally.

The "diety" parts of this book (mostly just the usual, "Skip the junk food -for the most part- and go for the veggies") weren't all that bad. They even go so far as to say you can HAVE the junk food, but just make sure you have the veggies first. ;o) They don't count calories (or anything else, for that matter), so it's not anything I'm fully against.

Have a look through their website first, if you want to know more about their style, without having to buy the book. And, if you like their website, get the book! It'd still be worth your while! ;)

REVIEW: Secrets of Successful Weight Loss by Diana Burrell

Title: "Secrets of Successful Weight Loss"
Author: Diana Burrell (with "Psychology Today" magazine)
Pages: 336
Rated: B+

Comments:
I loved this book. It was soooo full of great information, covering
almost every aspect of weight loss and healthy living:

- a brief overview of most of the diet plans out there
- how to design your own plan
- exercise & eating healthy
- what to do when you hit a snag in your plan, or go through tough spots
- medical conditions caused by overweight/obesity
- what to do when you hit the maintain stage
- how to think differently once you've reached your goal
...and SO MUCH more!

This book has been put on my wishlist, as I'd like to own a copy. It
really was helpful, and it'd be a great book to reference back to from
time-to-time!

REVIEW: 100 Days of Weight Loss

"100 Days of Weight Loss: The Secret to Being Successful on ANY Diet Plan (A Daily Motivator)"
Author: Linda Spangle, RN, MA
ISBN: 0-7394-8914-7
See Also: the Weight Loss Joy website

I just have to recommend this book to you all... And, don't be frightened by the word "diet" on the cover, as this isn't really a "diet" book, in my opinion.

Basically, the author gives you 100 "days"-worth of tips for how to keep yourself motivated, and how to make a plan that really works for you. On the very last day (Day 100), she also tells you to pick your Top 10 favorites from the book, and keep those as your "tools" to help you keep on track, or to maintain for the rest of your life.

I loved that soooo much of this book focused on the hunger-fullness principles, rather than on "diety" things. Ms. Spangle encourages you to pay attention to your body's signals, wait for true (physiological) hunger, stop at "satisfied", and be mindful while eating. Love it!

Some of my favorite "tips" were:

• Interested or Committed: "'interested' means you only stay with your plans until something better comes along; 'committed' means you stick with your plan...no matter what!"


• Half-Off Special: eat half as much as you normally would; never go back for 'seconds'


• Smaller Amounts, Less Often: don't feel deprived; no foods are 'forbidden'; just eat smaller amounts of your favorites, less often!


• The Eating Pause: when you naturally pause in your eating, you're usually at the exact point where you feel 'satisfied'; if you continue past this point, you'll probably find you've overeaten.

There are so many other good tips that I had a hard time picking *just* 10 for my "Top Ten". ;o)

Highly recommended book!

Read About the Author

SEE ALSO: the WEIGHT LOSS JOY Website!

REVIEW: Safe Dieting for Teens

SAFE DIETING FOR TEENS, 2nd Edition
by Linda Ojeda
Hunter House publishers
ISBN: 0-89793-502-0

NOTE: I volunteered to read this for LibraryThing's "Early Reviewers" program. Don't be scared off by the term 'diet' in the title... read my review (below) for more!

Ms. Ojeda has written an excellent book on dieting for teens. It doesn't give you a food plan, or recommend cutting out any food groups, or counting calories. Instead, Ms. Ojeda suggests that teens make up their own "diet" using some guidelines she provides.

I appreciated the fact that she doesn't tell you that you have to do it "her way". I liked that she often encouraged the reader to "listen to your body", and to just make healthier changes.

One of the best parts I thought was where she says not to try to change everything all at once... you do one new thing for a while, until you're comfortable, and then move on to something else.

Even though I'm well past my 'teen' years, I found this book to be helpful, in some respects, even for me. So, while it's directed at teen readers, it's good for anyone looking for some quick tips on how to put together a working healthy-lifestyle plan.

The only 'issue' I had is that she still has a lot of focus on calories. Being a nutritionist, that's understandable. And, I'm somewhat biased, as I've been into "non-dieting" for the past 2 years, and will never diet again. ;o)

Overall, though, this book was very good, and if teens are going to look to "dieting", I'd recommend this book, as it's very 'safe', and very sensible.

Rated: B (enjoyable)

*** One more NOTE: While the book still focuses a lot on calories, the fact that the author still gives a lot of push toward the "non-dieting" style of changes makes me feel that this book is "okay". Hence, why I reviewed it here. ;o) ***

REVIEW: "The Best Life Diet" by Bob Greene

The Best Life Diet by Bob Greene

Much as I'm no longer into "dieting", I requested this book from the library because I read (in my book club flyer) that it supposedly talks of the "hunger scale", and "eating only when you're hungry". I was curious.

And, I hadn't intended to read this book. I'd only intended to skim it. But, it was an easy read, and there was lots of good & interesting information inside.

My problem with it is that it's still a diet -- he asks you to follow calorie-counts (but not necessarily to COUNT calories), and to cut out foods. But, otherwise, it's a decent program. He is only leading you to a healthier lifestyle, by choosing foods that don't have a lot of sugars, trans fats, or salts. Closer to "natural", I guess.

REVIEW: "You: On a Diet" by Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen

Now, before you get freaked out, YES, I'm going to review --sort of-- a *diet* book. But, not to worry -- there are parts of this book that are helpful to the Intuitive Eater, and such is why I present the following information for your reading pleasure. ;o)

A while back, Dr. Mehmed Oz, and Dr. Roizen (authors of You, On a Diet) were featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show to promote this book. I watched the program --though I rarely watch TV -- because I wanted to see if there was anything that I, as an Intuitive Eater-in-the-making, could use. :o) And, voila! there was. :o)

I'm not going to mention the parts that were "diet-y", because that isn't the purpose of this blog. But, here were the parts that meshed well with IE:

* There is something in everyone called the Omentum. It's hooked to the bottom of the stomach.... it's function is to pump chemicals through. The omentum causes the hormones that make us feel hungry.

Two Hormones That Regulate Our Eating:

1) Ghrelin --> hormone that tells us we're hungry

2) Leptin --> sends the satiety signal... tells us we've had enough to eat

* Eat/chew your food slowly --> this allows the Leptin signal to be clearly 'heard'


I didn't take any further notes on these, so I will leave you with two links to more information:

Wikipedia: Ghrelin

Wikipedia: Leptin

REVIEW: Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink

This is a very interesting book! I read it because it was featured in the
November 2006 issue of "O" Magazine, and I wanted to see how it meshed with Intuitive Eating. It sounds like they would go together really well because it's all about making changes to your environment. It's not a step-by-step plan, either. It gives you 10 "suggestions" of things you could do to cut back 100-200 calories per day, and you get to pick which of the suggestions would best work for you... which would fit with your life. And, much as you're cutting back "calories", you're doing so in a way that isn't really focusing on the calories, themselves. Mr. Wansink talks a lot about hunger & fullness, so I believe that he's a supporter of the Intuitive Eating method.

REVIEW: "The Secrets of Skinny Chicks" by Karen Bridson

I recently read a book called "The Secrets of Skinny Chicks: How to Feel Great in Your Favorite Jeans When It Doesn't Come Naturally" by Karen Bridson. I got it out of the library thinking it would be a book about Intuitive Eating -- on the back, it talked of waiting for hunger, and eating just 'til satisfied. Well, upon reading it, I found that it's not *truly* a non-diet book... The author repeatedly encourages you to count calories. (True Intuitive Eaters know that you don't have to do this! You don't have to count anything!)

But, I continued to read, because she *did* talk about hunger/fullness on the back... there had to be *something*...

And, sure enough, there were many instances where the women profiled talked of only eating when hungry, and stopping just at satisfied. There was also almost a full chapter that talked of "mindful eating" (same thing as Intuitive Eating -- listening to your body's cues). And, I loved the parts where the author talked about loving your body for its uniqueness, and about loving yourself for YOU. She talked quite a bit about overcoming Emotional eating, too.

So, I am going to recommend this book! But, I will do so with a WARNING: ** This is STILL a "diet" book! Do not read it with the intention of a "quick fix"! No diet is going to work for you forever... they just don't. ONLY Intuitive Eating will keep you going for life because you don't have to count anything, you don't have to restrict anything ... it's something you can live with for the long haul! *** ;-)

STAY TUNED for more! I'll be posting my NOTES from the book next!

REVIEW: "Intuitive Eating" by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch

Intuitive Eating by Tribole, Resch

This book details the steps you need to take to become an "intuitive eater" -- a person who follows their body's natural cues of "hunger" and "satiety" in order to eat in moderation and shrink down to their natural body weight.
(10 Keys)

I especially liked the chapters called: "Challenge the Food Police" / "Make Peace With Food" / & "Respect Your Body". Challenging the "Food Police" means undoing the "diet mentality" that's been so ingrained in us by society, and substituting positive statements every time you hear a negative one regarding food or your eating (in your head).

Making peace with food reminds us that NO food is "good" or "bad" or "forbidden", and we need to give ourselves "unconditional permission to eat" the foods that we love and that satisfy us.

Respecting our bodies means not having negative things to say about yourself when you look in the mirror, and it means buying clothes NOW (not later when you've lost X number of pounds, first) that make you look and FEEL great!

This is an awesome book that I'll be recommending to a ton of people! :o)

REVIEW: "Super-Size Me" [DVD]

Today I watched the movie, "Super-Size Me". Very interesting, and very true! The part where the guy gets the Super-size meal, and proceeds until he's so stuffed that he pukes ... case in point that we eat TOO much!

Here are some notes I took from the movie .. stuff that I found really interesting:

"In the ER, people who've overdosed on heroine to the point of a comatose state are given a drug called "Noloxone" (sp?). This drug blocks the opiate receptors in the brain, thereby stopping the heroine and 'waking up' the addict from his comatose state....
If you take a chocoholic ... someone who eats chocolate like it's going out of style, and you give them this same drug, Noloxone, they will lose interest in chocolate!
--> it's the drug effect of the food on the brain that keeps us going back again & again." (Neal Barnard, M.D.)

"in the last 20-25 years there's been a doubling of overweight children & adolescents -- this is linked to countless health problems for them later in life."

* "If current trends continue, 1 out of every 3 children born in 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime."

* "17 million Americans have Type 2 Diabetes -- that's one out of every 20 people." (Tommy Thompson, Secretary of Health & Human Services)

* "If Diabetes starts before the age of 15, you lose between 17 and 20 years of life span." (William Klish, M.D.)

* "20% of obese children have elevated abnormal liver function tests ... now doing study... biopsying... 1/2 of these children already have scaring of their livers and cirosis...
--> If their habits don't change, they'll end up with liver failure, or require transplant -- or face death."

* "The cost of a healthy school lunch program is the same as an unhealthy school lunch program" ... only reason the schools don't switch is because the junk food companies put up too much of a stink!

* "The average American child sees 10,000 food advertisements per year on T.V. (95% for sugared cereals, soft drinks, fast food, and candy)." (Kelly Brownell, Ph.D)

* "The most heavily advertised foods are consumed the most."

* "Americans eat out for 40% of their meals."

* "McDonald's is the worst because they aim at the kids (big advertising -- clown, Happy Meals, birthday parties, etc)."

* The "Biggie" drink at 7/11 is 1/2 gallon .. contains 48 tsp. of sugar (approx)!