Of course, I want you to read this too.  I did, after all, read a whole book just for you.  As you may already know from my first book review, this is not all inclusive.  What I like to do is weed out the stuff I have heard before and just highlight the action steps and suggestions that are interesting, innovative, or critical (in my opinion).  I try to be objective, in my own biased sort of way.  I may not agree with these ideas either.  I just report on ‘em.  That said, here we go…

One of the reasons I chose this book is because, not only is it really good, but it disagrees with some of the stuff I read about in If It’s Not Food, Don’t Eat It.  I like a little controversy.  For my summary of that book, look here.  The first third of this book is all about why you should be healthy, how to get motivated, setting goals, and so on.  I like to skip that stuff and get right to the meat and bones.  He does, however, have some “do-it-yourself” quizzes that you help you figure out just how messed up you are.  They take in way more than just nutrition, though that is the primary focus of this book.

We start with weight loss:

• the typical western diet keeps us from losing weight.  Highly processed, energy dense, high-glycemic foods cause blood sugar to spike, which makes insulin spike, which makes blood sugar tank, which makes you hungry.  Then you turn to the same low quality food and the process starts over.  I call it “the insulin roller coaster“.  When insulin spikes it tells your body to store up all that sugar from your blood in your gut, or thighs, in the form of fat.  This concept is really key to this book.
• “Three square meals a day” is a bad way to live your life.  A big key is to consume six small, low-glycemic meals (to stay off of the roller coaster).
• PCMR or Portion-Controlled Meal Replacements are medically formulated, pre-packaged, fortified, protein mixtures that can become an integral (and well-documented) part of a long term healthy eating system.  (this is where Medifast comes in–see Susan’s link to learn more)
• PCMRs, along with lean meat and lots of veggies can put the body into a safe, effective fat burning state, so you lose weight, and fast.
• A typical day might look like this: 7AM-PCMR oatmeal, 10AM-PCMR chocolate shake, 1PM-PCMR beef stew, 4PM PCMR chocolate crunch bar, 7PM-6 ounce grilled chicken, 2 cups of salad, 10PM-PCMR banana pudding.
• Best protein (the key is lean):  Fish-cod, halibut, tilapia.  Meat/poultry-buffalo, deer, turkey.  Meatless- egg whites, egg beaters, boca burger.
• Best fats and oils:  canola, flax seed, olive, low-carb salad dressing.
• Best Vegis (the key is low carb): collards, romaine, celery, cucumber, radish, sprouts.
• Best snacks: 3 celery stalks, 1 sugar free popsicle, 1/2 cup sugar free jello, 3 pieces sugar free gum or mints, two dill pickle spears.
• Commentary:  So here is one fundamental difference between this book and the last one I read.  Here the ultimate decision maker is what a food does to your blood sugar.  The other felt that whole, natural food is supreme.  Here we use artificial sweeteners freely–since they show negligible impact on blood sugar.  The other says artificial is a form of poison.  Which is right?  You decide.
• Other tips: During the weight loss phase of this program:  eat one PCMR every three hours, drink tons of water, eat slowly, call your coach (like Susan), limit caffeine (I never touch the stuff myself), avoid alcohol (I never touch this stuff either), keep a journal.

There is more to this, but basically the idea is that your body can get by on a lot less calories so that you can burn the excess calories you have stored up as fat.  I did this for about 8 weeks and I lost 20 pounds.  Theoretically you have all the nutrients you need from the PCMRs and lean and green meal.  Your body gets off the insulin roller coaster and learns to not store up fat.

• Meals should be divided up like this:  50% vegetables and fruit, 25% protein, and 25% starch.  Forget the food pyramid.
• Fit it all on a 9 inch plate to keep your portions small.
• Dark Green:  these tend to be the lowest glycemic foods, so they are best for weight loss and optimal health.
• Fresh is better than frozen, canned, or in a jar.  Natural is better than processed.
• Shop the outer edge of the supermarket–avoid the processed foods.
• Organic is better–if the PLU bar code sticker on produce has five digits, and begins with the number 9, it is organic.

This gets me about a hundred pages in.  I consider myself fortunate if you read this much, so I will stop here for now.  Part 2 (and maybe 3) will cover more food choices, supplements, exercise routines, and more.  I bet you can hardly wait.  I hope you find this stuff useful.  Please comment below.

• Drink half your body weight in ounces per day (no surprise here), drink filtered, room temperature water.
• Eat fruits alone and on an empty stomach so that it does not get a chance to mess with your blood sugar and you can digest it better.
• Vegetables are the only food that are safe to eat in nearly unlimited amounts.
• Try to eat six different vegetables each day–preferably of different colors.
• Simple carbohydrates like white flour and sugar are fast releasing cause your energy to spike, then drop dramatically.  Complex carbs like whole grains, yams, and squash are slow releasing, provide sustained energy.
• Limit meat to 1-3 servings per week (I am not sure how I feel about this one).  Cook meat at low temperatures to preserve the nutritional value.
• The best oil is virgin coconut oil. Flaxseed oil is good, but you can’t cook with it.
• Allow 2-3 hours between meals or snacks, and don’t eat for 2-3 hours before bed.
• Don’t drink beverages with food, instead drink 15-30 minutes before a meal, and 30-60 minutes after.  This may aid in digestion because saliva and enzymes can be diluted, which can impede proper digestion.
• “Chew your juices and drink your food” meaning slosh juices around so that they mix with saliva, and chew solids until they are completely indistinguishable.  This will make the nutrients more available to your body.
• Eat protiens and starches at separate meals to aid in digestion.
• Eat light in the morning, biggest at noon, and nothing after 7PM.
• Eating certain fresh vegetables twice a day, instead of twice a week, can cut the risk of lung cancer by 75%, even in smokers.
• Some studies now show that eggs do not in fact raise LDL (aka ‘bad’) cholesterol.
• Soak nuts overnight (beans too) for easier digestion.
• Eating the same foods over and over can tax the system and deplete enzyme stores, which is how food intolerances can develop
• The most common food intolerances are wheat, dairy, soy, and (darn it) sugar.
• The gluten in wheat makes it sticky, which makes it hard for the body to digest.
• Dairy products are not that great a source of calcium.  It is just clever advertising by the “dark side”.
• Soy contains a protein enzyme inhibitor which prevents many nutrients from being properly digested.  (The last nutrition book I read talked about how soy is nature’s perfect food, with nearly all of the essential nutrients, in the right proportions.  If you look long enough I believe you can find an expert on any view you like.)
• Fermented soy (miso, tempeh, soy sauce) is less likely to cause an allergic response than soy isolates, soybean oil, and pretty much every form of soy that we like to eat.