Age-Proof Your Body: Your Complete Guide to Lifelong Vitality [Hardcover]

Elizabeth Somer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1998

Comprehensive, lively, and easy to understand, this is the definitive guide to living a longer, healthier, happier life -- packed with practical programs, strategies, and tips that will defy the aging process.

New research shows that we can easily stretch our life expectancies from the current seventy-six years to as long as one hundred years by making a few simple changes in what we eat and how we live. And it's never too late to start -- that's where Age-Proof Your Body comes in.

Elizabeth Somer, MA., R.D., has assessed literally thousands of studies, and in this genuinely vital guide she shares the diet, recipes, fitness, and supplement plans that will add years of healthy, happy life and foster the mental outlook that promotes longevity and vitality.

No other book is as comprehensive as this one. It combines current nutrition research with practical dietary/health guidelines that you can use immediately to age-proof your body -- from sneaky ways to meet your body's need for fruit and vegetables to a dietary strategy that protects your eyesight . . . from mood-enhancing snacks to midday energy boosters from avoiding kidney stones to averting Alzheimer's with your diet and environment. . . even how to sift through the facts and fallacies about the latest anti-aging pills from DHEA to growth hormones . . . and much, much more.

Learn to lower your risk for many diseases, heighten your sex life, sail through menopause, and enhance your immune system. Discover how to beat body fat, improve your appearance, and increase your stamina. The secret of a long and healthy life is in your hands -- Age-Proof Your Body!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Aging, one could argue, is the great triumph of our modern society. "In this century alone," Somer writes, "women have increased their life expectancy by 71 percent, while men's life expectancy has improved 66 percent." That would be wonderful news, except that increased longevity brings with it so many things we don't want, from wrinkles to memory loss, from increased body fat to decreased hearing and vision.

Researchers have been looking at these problems carefully, and Age-Proof Your Body is a first-rate guide to what science knows and how to use that knowledge to age gracefully and energetically. Since Somer is a nutritionist, the book's best and most specific advice is in that area. There's good information on exercise and lifestyle choices, but the strongest sections show specific ways to eat better for the purpose of heading off age-related diseases and dysfunctions.

Commendably, Somer points out where strong science ends and guessing begins. For example, she recommends eating many small meals throughout the day, rather than two or three big ones, but notes that researchers haven't figured out why this works to keeps weight down--only that it does. --Lou Schuler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

While the grandiose title may seem to promise the unattainable, Somer actually offers realistic, easy-to-absorb advice on how to prevent the early onset of age's infirmities by eating and exercising wisely, taking appropriate dietary supplements, coping with stress and enjoying life. A regular on ABC-TV's Good Morning America, Somer (Food and Mood, 1995, etc.) knows her sound bites. Pithy sentences ("Skipping breakfast is a big mistake"), lots of self-quizzes, handy lists, tables and liberal use of perky quotations ("Never eat anything at one sitting that you can't lift"AMiss Piggy) lighten her commonsense message on healthy living. She presents the latest research, even when it is inconclusive, on growth hormones, melatonin, coenzyme Q10 and other popular anti-aging potions, and she separates fact from fiction in a chapter on foods as aphrodisiacs. An appendix provides a week's worth of menus with directions for making simple dishes; recipes for more elaborate ones are in a second appendix and include analyses of calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat and fiber content.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company; 1st edition (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688151515
• ISBN-13: 978-0688151515
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,814,134 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

My "thing" is that I keep up with the current nutrition research. I've been reading 100s of research studies for years, then packaging that information into news-you-can-use for magazines, books, national and local television and radio, presentations to the general public, and continuing education seminars for health professionals. I specialize in understandable and practical information on how to eat and supplement and why to prevent disease and premature aging, promote health, and attain and maintain a healthy weight. For the past two decades, my aim has been to be the source of nutrition information that people can really trust to be accurate, up-to-date, and sound. I passionately love the science of nutrition, as well as cooking and preparing healthy meals, and believe with all my heart that if people just nourished their bodies with high-quality fuel, they would be rewarded a hundred-fold with health, energy, vitality, longevity, clear thinking, a fit figure, and improved moods.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accurate, understandable information on aging and nutrition, February 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Age-Proof Your Body: Your Complete Guide to Lifelong Vitality (Hardcover)

I browsed through this book and found that I could not put it down. As a gerontologist, I know Somer has researched her material thoroughly. She includes interesting facts and inspirational quotes about aging that make her information easy to read and understand. I trust her research references and she gives good advice without preaching. The book also contains valuable, practical information about popular herbs and vitamins. I recommend it for anyone interested in solid information on aging as well as nutrition.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!, October 21, 1999

By 

BR (Lexington, KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Age-Proof Your Body: Your Complete Guide to Lifelong Vitality (Hardcover)

This book is better, in my opinion, than many other health books on the market right now. This is because the author focuses not only on the practical side of what to eat and so on, but focuses also on the emotional and spiritual side of health. There is more to being healthy asnd youthful than simply eating enough veggies and working out. Excellent.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent, informative, comprehensive, easy to read, October 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Age-Proof Your Body: Your Complete Guide to Lifelong Vitality (Paperback)

This book is a comon sense wrap-up of the nutrition and diet books out today, plus a good look at our bodies and how they change as we age. Being a "zone" reader and reader of many other nutrition/diet books, this was more "mainstream" for a 40+ mother of three. I did learn alot that I can use in my life.

I was wondering-- what is the difference between the hard cover original and the newer edition in paperback? Can the author respond?