Diet Books

I love Cooking Light mainly for their recipes, and picked up this cookbook about a year ago because of the blueberry crisp on the front page. As I hoped, there was an extensive section on desserts, from pecan pie to banana pudding and dozens of cake recipes - especially helpful were healthier baking tips and the occasional recipe makeovers.

In general, I found the layout of the cookbook convenient, with tips and photos on how to pick the best produce, and basic recipes on preparing them. The suggested menus are also great for planning dinner parties and for the holidays. The DVD, however, is more of an extra rather than a bonus - I didn't find it particularly helpful.

I already own one copy but needed a copy for my home in Arizona. I use it often.

This is a fantastic book for beginner cooks or accomplished cooks who want to eat healthier.

Every recipe we have tried we loved. The pictures and explanations make this a very user friendly cookbook. They have general information throughout the whole book to assist you too.

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone. Even if you don't want to cook lower fat - the recipes are still delicious!

Cooking Light publications are always of a superior quality. I have been a subscriber to their monthly magazine for decades.

I do a lot of shopping on the internet and you really can't beat Amazon for pricing, getting your product to you timely and whatever you are ordering is exactly as they describe it.
This cookbook was a 50th Birthday Gift to a dear friend and she was so thrilled. Thank you Amazon for making Barbara's Birthday as special as she is.

Drugs for Less should be on anyone's book shelf who is a user of prescription drugs. Michael Cecil, M.D., first of all explains drug pricing for name brand and generic drugs. He then offers seven strategies for lowering your drug costs.

* Learn prices
* Comparison shop
* Buy generic medications
* Slice medications
* Consider other medications in the same class
* Put your government to work for you
* Use pharmaceutical assistance programs

All are helpful and could immediately lower your prescription drugs bills, but two that you may be under-utilizing are the last two. Some states have pharmaceutical assistance programs with income limits much higher than poverty level and most drug companies have assistance programs. It's worth seeing if you qualify.

More than 600 of the most commonly prescribed medications are included. Part II, the Drugs for Less Listing, has nearly 100 medications with their alternatives and the manufacturer's contact number for their assistance program. A number of comparison charts on costs for other medications are also included. The books is loaded with resources; Dr. Cecil provides numerous Web sites and contact information throughout the book.

This is one resource you do not want to be without.

This is a one of a kind book. In today's health mire this gives concrete ways to assist family members and friends who struggle with affordable prescriptions. Every doctor, nurse, healthcare facility, social worker, and individual who needs a prescription should have a copy. I am buying several and giving as gifts. Thank you Dr. Cecil for this invaluable resource.

As a hospitalist, It's frustrating to see patients return to the hospital because they could not afford their medications. This book attacks that problem in a new and exciting way, by empowering patients. It educates and then provides numerous tools for getting affordable medications, like using generics, pill splitting, enrolling in assistance programs, just to name a few. Physicians also should read this book. The easy to read tables make it simple to compare medications within a class and prescribe the least expensive. I'm recommending this to all my patients and colleagues.

This is a wonderful resource for patients who have trouble affording their medications. As a nurse, I see this situation daily. I purchased this book for my father for Father's Day. He had already spent several hours on the internet trying to find this type of information and now it is right at his fingertips! This is a must have for people who need help affording their medications and for those who have family members who need help affording their medications.

This book is AMAZING!!! I had no idea there are such different prices for the SAME DRUG! Even common drugs like birth control pills - can differ in price - by a bazillion dollars. (Rough Estimate) DRUGS FOR LESS shows actual PRICE DIFFERENCES and saves you money. And because it is written by famous physicians - known for their common sense - you can trust it! This book tells you how to get your prescriptions for FREE if you make a certain amount of money or less...heelllloooo...as a Flight Attendant who just took a 40% pay cut due to airline woes...I am telling every Flight Attendant about this book! And my mother and father inlaw who use over $700.00 every month for prescription drugs also need to know about this book! This book should be in every library of every "SUN CITY" residential community in the world! And should be purchased by every Business in America for their EMPLOYEE HEALTH program. I heard about this book when I was doing a television interview for my new Flight Attendant tell-all FLYING BY THE SEAT OF MY PANTS - I was riveted by what DRUGS FOR LESS reveals! Now I can't stop telling everyone about this book. What a fantastic resource! I wish I could make a PA on every flight advertising DRUGS FOR LESS. (But, they don't allow us to sell drugs or books on board.) GET THIS BOOK TODAY and start saving money and living healthier TOMORROW! Then come fly with me!

Marsha Marks

At first I was a little taken back by this book. From the postings I thought it would include a complete listing of restaurants and their nutrition charts. To my surprise it was "chunked" into different sections - Chinese, Thai, Italian, etc. From here, it went on to explain what's good to eat in each food category along with words to avoid (fried, alfredo, etc). It was helpful since pasta dishes use very different words to describe their food options than Chinese dishes.
Another tip I was provided in a seminar was to review the menu before you visit the restaurant. This allows extra time to review the nutritional value of the dishes you are interested in. This has helped me save a lot of calories!

"Eat Out, Eat Right" is a must-have for every person and family on the go. Hope Warshaw, Registered Dietitian, offers sound, practical advice that is easy to understand. This book covers everything you need to know about eating out, from Smoothies to Sushi. As more people dine out more often, it is nice to know that a true nutrition expert has spelled out how to eat out in a healthy way. The "Nutrition Snapshot" meal comparisons and "Special Requests" tips for modifying your food choices are what my clients find most helpful.

"Eat Out, Eat Right" is a great resource to keep using each time you eat on the go. It is small enough to fit most anywhere, yet packed with valuable tips and hints. I recommend it to all of my clients, because we all eat on the go. It is worth every penny of its very reasonable price!

I got this book along with "Eat This Not That". From the excellent reviews, I was expecting something that was a little more organized and informative without digging to find information. While there is some good information such as "red flag" and "green flag" words, the layout is boring... it looks more like a manual than a food guide. All of the print is black and white on white paper, so nothing really jumps out at you. You would have to read this cover to cover to get the info you're looking for.

I thought Hope Warshaw's previous edition was superb, then this one came along to do even better. It is an excellent summary of restaurant info and healthy eating tips for the average person. I especially appreciated her down to earth explanations of lingo for various ethnic cuisines. Because Hope Warshaw is a Registered Dietitian, we can trust that her information is accurate and balanced. On top of all of that, the book is physically perfect...the right size to fit in a purse or book bag, the right feel to make you want to hold it, and the right font to make it appealing to the eye! If you have this healthy dining book, you really need no other!

This is a handy book for anyone who eats out. My favorite part is the suggested meals to order for each type of restaurant (Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Pizza, etc.). The author's tips are practical and straightforward. I like that she makes it possible to eat well when eating out by choosing the right foods, instead of discouraging eating out altogether.

My husband loves Mexican food and so that chapter was especially helpful to me in finding healthier foods to order. It was also a good reminder to avoid the chips!

I like the Healthy Eating Guidelines at the beginning of the book that can be put into use at home as well as eating out. She includes tips for choosing healthy options for kids as well. With the increase of children eating out on a regular basis, this section is especially helpful. It's a great book full of useful information that I highly recommend to anyone!

First advice--don't try this (or any other type of diet therapy) without consulting the correct professionals--in this case, a neurologist and a registered dietitian. Having said that, my daughter began having severe seizures just before her third birthday. Medications helped marginally. We then started her on the Modified Atkins Diet, a spin-off of the Ketogenic Diet pioneered at Johns Hopkins by the authors of this book. This updated edition contains info about the Modified Atkins Diet. Long story short, my daughter has been seizure free for nearly a year and a half and we are weaning her off her medicine. THIS HAS CHANGED EVERYTHING--for someone with epilepsy, this book is of critical importance as a serious alternative to anti-convulsive medications.

This book contains up to date information in relation to the ketogenic diet and other seizure control options that is also easy to read and understand by non professional people.

I'm interested in unusual therapies, and know someone who has a child with multiple disabilities including a seizure disorder. I found a videotape about this diet at a rummage sale a few years ago, and while it makes the diet sound relatively simple, this book says otherwise and goes into detail about people who are good candidates for the diet and those who are not. Many testimonials and case studies are presented as well.

The woman I know was given this option and said, "We don't want to starve our child." After reading this book, I can see where she was coming from. The restricted calories don't concern me as much as the fluid restriction, which could potentially be very dangerous and the book addresses this problem as well.

For the proper person, this diet could potentially be a lifesaver and it's worth trying if all factors are appropriate.

If you have or know a child with epilepsy, THE KETOGENIC DIET: A TREATMENT FOR CHILDREN AND OTHERS WITH EPILEPSY is a 'must' for your consideration: it offers a solution beyond medication which provides a doctor-supervised diet high in fat and low in carbs and proteins, which limits calories - and is proven to control seizures. There've been many advances in the field, so this updated 4th edition is essential even for library holdings with prior editions. Besides the latest research, this book includes a new section on the Atkins diet and other alternative nutritional therapies. Very highly recommended as a top alternative to medication for kids with epilepsy.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I bought this book for my daughter who has a child with epilepsy. It was very imformative and helpful. Reading the case histories and the mistakes that were inadvertently made, diet-wise, helped us lookout for the same pitfalls. I would highly recommend this book.

Good for allergies, not intolerance. If you're looking for information on food intolerance, look for a different book.

Last year I discovered that I'd developed a severe IgE-mediated tree-nut allergy (and I'm in my mid-20s!) This book helped fill in the blanks of all the questions I didn't get a chance to ask my allergist.

One of the best parts is that the book is written by a peanut allergic allergist, because in a lot of other books you get the sense that the author, even if s/he is a doctor, doesn't really *get* what it's like to actually live with a food allergy.

The book is easy to understand but with plenty of good info and I never got bored or felt like I was being talked down to. I've read a few other food allergy books, but this is the one I usually turn too when I have a question. I only wish I could get everyone I know that doesn't understand cross-contamination to read it!

This book was a great resource for determing what food allergies you may be suffering from. It provides useful insight on how to diagnose your allergies through various diets, how to mediate the ones you have, and alternative food sources.

A good book for beginners to the world of food allergies. Otherwise too basic with little new information.

Finally a book that gives me all the answers and then some. I checked this book out of the library, but will purchase my own to keep. The information is invaluable!

Clever use of the 13 full moons in a year with interesting side notes from cultures all over the world. This book will help guide anyone trying to make healthy food choices, but the author also provides an explanation as to why these choices make sense nutritionally and several recipes at the end of each chapter. A must read for anyone interested in improving diet and overall health.

This book is written with heart, soul and spirit. A book to use and refer to as well as delight you along the way.

This is an incredible resource for those hungering to find a more complete, more functional way to eat than low-carb or low-fat.

Prentice weaves information about food and nutrition with myths, legends and indigenous practices as well as her own impressions as a chef and food activist. It's packed with cooking and food history from around the world. But it also reads like a very personal, relatable journey. I especially appreciate her including the struggles with food she had as a young woman.

This is on my Christmas list to give to everyone this year.

A great book!
The vegetarianism essay alone is worth the purchase price, but other parts of the book are just as engaging.

I've never met the author, but after reading this book I feel like she is an old friend.

Jessica Prentice does a beautiful job with both her writing in each chapter and her recipes. I love learning about various cultures, the thirteen moons and the environment. Her recipes are also delicious and a real help to someone who's trying to eat based on the seasons and local produce. I first checked this book out from the local library but had to have it for the recipes. Definitely a good book!

A must have book. I recently found out I have a dairy allergy. Not being familiar with allergies, I wasn't sure what my options were with food, and I came across this book and it has made the switch so easy. It has been a major blessing to me. From all the research she has shared with all the wonderful recipes. Thanks Alisa for all your hard work and making the switch to dairy free so easy. Couldn't have done it with all your great resources.

Go Dairy Free is a cookbook chock full of information- not just recipes. Author Alisa Marie Fleming has created a generous, go-to resource for living well without dairy. From milk allergy symptoms to dairy-free ingredient choices Alisa shares a wealth of knowledge milk-allergic, lactose intolerant and vegan readers will find useful, enlightening and inspiring. Tempting recipes include Coconut Fudge Brownies, Perfect World Whipped Coconut Cream, Almond Buttery Stir-fry and Rawesome Nut Dip. Especially recommended for cooks new to dairy-free cooking and baking. - Karina Allrich, Karina's Kitchen: Recipes from a gluten-free goddess

This well researched and well organized book is an excellent resource for dairy-free living. In addition to providing nutrition tips, a guide to dairy alternatives, and 225 tempting recipes, it also includes several creative ways to make dairy-free ingredients such as vegan cheese. The book also contains an in-depth health section on dairy-related illnesses, helpful shopping information including food allergy and vegan-friendly resources, and much more. Anyone who avoids dairy products can benefit tremendously from this book.

So you have food allergies - you're destined to a life of boring (and few) foods, right?? WRONG!! With this guidebook, you'll read about/discover so many substitutions for "forbidden foods/ingredients," recipes, and other vital information that you'll never suffer from hunger again - well, you'll at least never go hungry because of your allergies ;-)

If you are considering giving up milk and other dairy products for health or ethical reasons, but are not sure how to wisely go about it, then I highly recommend Go Dairy Free by Alisa Marie Fleming. To help you ease into dairy-free living, this excellent book provides you with tips and resource information for revamping your daily diet, restocking your kitchen and medicine cabinet, changing cosmetics and body care products, and, very importantly, handling eating away from home. It also provides readers with insights and answers to many of the common concerns and questions associated with dairy products, such as milk allergies and lactose intolerance, effects on weight and cholesterol levels, ties to autism and ADHD, and various forms of cancer, just to name a few.

Those not used to diligent label reading will really appreciate the author's lists of obvious and hidden dairy ingredients and derivatives. And before delving into the recipes (yes this book contains over 225 of them!), she offers up advice on spicing up yours meals and snacks without relying on dairy products, shopping and money-saving tips, and kitchen gadgets that will make it easier to go dairy free. If you are new to living dairy free, you will be thrilled by the extensive dairy-free (and egg-free) substitution section, which includes both store-bought and recipes for homemade items like beverages, spreads, cheeses, sour cream, and yogurt.

I'm still working my way through the many recipes in this book, but thus far I have enjoyed the Effortless Overnight Oat Milk, Pillowy Whole-Grain Pancakes, Cheesy Broccoli Soup, Sesame Soba Noodles with Calcium-Rich Kale, Lightly Herbed Pasta Alfredo, and Simply Vanilla Frozen Yogurt. With the winter holiday baking season in full swing, I am looking forward to trying out many of the cookie recipes with a glass of Coco-Nog. So if you are a vegan like me, lactose intolerant, or just looking for some additional dairy-free recipes to add to your repertoire, this book is perfect for you, and your tummy will be very happy!

My husband was told to lose weight after knee surgery, and I was told in December that I was borderline Type 2 diabetic. We bought this book (I also recommend 'The Wisdom of Menopause'), and Dr. Strand's knowledge of my situation and his solution makes total sense. Since January, my husband has lost 55 pounds, and I've lost 35 pounds. It seemed effortless, and both of us have no intention, desire or craving to go back to our old ways. I have purchased over 10 of these books from Amazon for friends. So many of them have seen similar results from the book and the usana.com nutritional supplements. [...]

This a wonderful book for anyone who wants a healthier lifestyle and for anyone who wants to lose weight permanently! It is an easy read and everything is explained in simple terms.

This is a well researched approach to losing weight in a more permanent fashion. It gives hope to all those people who have been dieting forever and not getting lasting results. Excellent read.

The whole idea behind this book is wonderful and helpful. I will re-read it and use it as a reference book because this is a subject I really need help with. The only thing that was surprising, and it is an important observation, is that there were so many grammatical and spelling errors. This always gives me a negative response to a book, especially since the author is a doctor. Then I have the tendency to doubt his or her credentials. Maybe we are entering an age when grammar and spelling are not as important as they used to be.

I read a borrowed copy of Releasing Fat: Developing Healthy lifestyles that Have the Side-Effect of Permanent Weight Loss. It wasn't until after I ordered a copy for myself AND and copy of Healthy for Life... that I read the blurbs about them on Dr. Strand's website. You can't tell on the Amazon site that the books are virtually identical. The only difference is that Releasing Fat includes Usana products (meal replacements, snack bars, and vitamins and minerals) in its meal plans. Healthy for Life just has low-glycemic foods in its meal plans. If you want only one copy, you just need to get one or the other, not both. HOWEVER, I wasn't bothered by having two copies of what amounted to the same book because I've learned so much about insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, killer (abdominal) fat, carb cravings, cellular nutrition, and the benefits of a low-glycemic diet that I wanted to recommend it to all my friends and relatives.
There are a lot of low-gycemic diet books out there now, but this is the only one I've seen that goes into such detail about the specific negative health effects that result from the way most Americans eat and how a change to a low-glycemic diet will counteract those health problems.

I was so happy with this book. I learned so much from it and the author is very good at explaining things to you in easy to understand terms.
The author also did an excellent job of making good energy saving suggestions and ideas for home improvements.

This is a book I would give to family and friends. Highly recommended. ++

A thorough review of everything you can do to save money and make your home energy efficient. Helpful photos, illustrations and charts. Good resource for understanding and maintaining major systems of a house such as heating and cooling, electric and appliances.

The first third of the book is general information about energy, how it is made, how to count it, how to work the numbers. It should be a required class textbook for High School seniors. This background information is very well written and easy to understand. But, that is not why folks should buy this book.

The real meat starts at about page 93 with some very important electrical power safety tips, followed by an appliance-by-appliance list of items that use energy in a typical North American home. It is alphabetical and organized like an index.

Each item listed includes information about the amount of energy it uses and tips on how to save money using it. The "what to do" information is very specific and easy to put into practice. It starts with Air Cleaners and goes right through to Well Pumps.

Some items get just a sentence or two and others get a whole chapter. The biggest energy users get the most page space. Hot water, heating and air conditioning get their own chapters, as they should.

Like most grouchy old engineers, I read the book looking for details to disagree with. That approach was rewarded with frustration. In fact, there is so much good stuff in this book that I put it on the shelf next to my desk where it will be a handy reference.

I am forever getting questions from folks wanting to know how much they save when they shut off the item in question. The book has a handy chart, as appendix C, which does a good job answering that question.

More importantly, it provides focus for action by letting you identify the big energy users in your home. I get too many questions from people worried about the cost of running a computer when they should be focused on their heating, cooling and kitchen energy use.

The book is targeted at folks who own a house, but renters should read it too. If you pay the energy bill at your home this book will pay back the cover price many times over.

Consider starting with "Insulate and Weatherize: Expert Advice from Start to Finish" by Bruce Harley instead which is a more practical "Go Do It" book with lots of photographs.

This is the best book I've read on the subject of improving household energy efficiency. Many of the books I've read in the past go through the basic things that homeowners can do to improve efficience, but this book explains the hows AND the whys.

The book surprised me when I first started reading it. I expected another "easy reader" on the subject. I was pleasantly surprised to find detailed explanations on why things should be done, situations where a particular improvement may not be the best, and how to approach the many different systems in a house - air heating and cooling, envelope, insulation, water heating, ventilation, etc. It was also refreshing to find different ways of examining the same system - for example, amount of fuel used for different heating systems, amount of heat generated for a particular type of fuel, and all the relationships between them.

As you start reading, you will find a lot of sidebars and short stories to highlight the discussion in the chapter. One thing I found slightly annoying is the number of Math Boxes that interrupt the flow of the book early on. These are sidebars that present sample calculations for the various topics, e.g. efficiency, fuel used for different heating systems, etc. I'd prefer the Math Boxes to be contained in an appendix with references in the main body of the book, but that's just me. Other readers may not find this annoying, and it's certainly not enough for me to reduce my rating of the book.

I highly recommend this book if you are serious about exploring ways to improve your house's efficiency. It's not an "easy reader", but it's well worth the time to read through it.

This book had so much great information I could not believe it. It is easy to find virtually any subject matter that is related. While, during and after reading this book I went through my house and eliminated many bad things that I never knew could be harmful to my family. I has really helped us change our lives in a very positive way. If you have anyone you love in your home including yourself read this book and get educated for your own safety! I leave it on the kitchen counter and refer to it often. Some times I even shock a friend or two that visits with some of the information in there and they have gone on to change the way they live as well after having some very important facts given to them. Awesome and worthy of a read and the cost. This ones a keeper :)

This book covers a wide range of topics, from building/remodeling materials to cleaners and personal products. Mine is already earmarked, underlined and highlighted, and I've purchased more as gifts for family and friends. Debra Lynn Dadd is an expert and her work is also very readable; succinct and not dry.

This book is a great read for someone who wants to learn about environmental issues in the home without the fear factor. It's factual and articulate, without being overwhelming or emotional in a way that makes you doubt the information.

This book had a lot of info in it. Worth the read.

This book was a real eye opener for me during my first read--EYE OPENER!. I went through every chapter with a fine tooth comb and to tell you the truth I was shocked. Shocked because I have been assuming, up to this point, that the products I was using, in my household, in my hair, on my skin (the stuff I grew up on, the stuff Grandma always used--oh ya during WWII maybe...) were safe. Now I know this is USUALLY NOT the case. I learned later on that most of the crap I was used to using belonged right in the trash can. That is where everything eventually ended up. The next day I decided to start from scratch. I have used this book as a continuous reference, a Bible if you will. I have also purchased a cosmetic dictionary to help me understand all of the chemical yahoo they put in body products as well. The best thing I learned to do is read labels--READ THE LABELS! Now I know that I am doing the best for myself and my family. If the FDA cannot protect me--by George I am doing something to protect myself and those around me! This book changed my life and gave me an excellent education about how toxic our homes and body products REALLY are. Now...I rather dislike the companies who make toxic cleaning products, makeup, body produts and food. My hope is that someday this world will stop supporting the bad stuff and move on to the good.