Fat Free, Flavor Full: Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Guide to Losing Weight and Living Longer [Hardcover]

Gabe Mirkin (Author), Diana Rich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1995 | Series: Fat Free, Flavor Full (Book 1)

A collection of 250 appetizing, meatless recipes provides a plan that lowers cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes by cutting down on fat intake without compromising on taste and variety. 35,000 first printing. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Ever since the Rubenesque standard of beauty for both sexes was abandoned, there has been a love-hate affair with dieting. That is one reason why more Americans than ever are overweight, a situation that propelled former surgeon general C. Everett Koop on a health crusade. Mirkin is certainly no newcomer to the U.S. obsession with food; he understands the diet mentality (or lack thereof) and bases his answers and regimen (prepared with coauthor Rich) on a program much less dictatorial than, say, Pritikin's. Also, his explanations of why fat must be reduced, of exercise options, and of food facts and fiction, among other medical-nutritional topics, reflect a kind and gentle era of doctoring; harsh words will not change lifestyles. Examples of his patients' successes--and the 250 recipes--just might. Mirkin cares a great deal about all of us winning the low-fat game. Barbara Jacobs

Product Details

• Hardcover: 331 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown and Company; 1st edition (January 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316574406
• ISBN-13: 978-0316574402
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #853,469 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only thing that has ever got me to lose weight, April 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fat Free, Flavor Full: Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Guide to Losing Weight and Living Longer (Hardcover)

I lost 30 pounds in 6 months on this diet and kept it off. The reason this book succeeded for me where all other diets failed is that it supplied me with lots of recipes for food that I could stuff myself silly with. There is no limiting portions or stopping at one serving (with the high fiber, low fat recipes). I can make a whole pot of stew and eat the whole thing at one sitting if I want. It works for me because I find the recipes absolutely delicious. This book won't help people who dislike grains, beans or the exotic flavors it uses. But if you like this type of food, this is THE weight loss book to use!

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easiest diet I've ever done., January 28, 2000

By 

Michelle Berkovitz - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fat Free, Flavor Full: Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Guide to Losing Weight & Living Longer (Paperback)

The book is inspiring, and I highly recommend it. What made this diet extremely easy for me (as a working mom with a nursing 1-year-old I have little time to cook) is that there's a company near me called Diet-to-Go that delivers Mirkin Meals to my home. I feel like I could eat this way forever. I have lots of energy, and after just two months of eating Mirkin-style, even my pre-pregnancy clothes are all loose on me. For people who like whole grains, beans, veggies and fruit, this way of eating is extremely satisfying. The food is filling, and it seems like I'm getting a very nutritious diet every day, with enough protein, complex carbs, vitamins and minerals. I find that I really don't crave the fat, and that 20 grams of fat per day is plenty. I think this type of diet also boosts the immune system, because even though others in my household (who are not on the diet) have been coming down with colds and viruses, I've stayed healthy. Mirkin recommends exercise, but with so little time, the best I can manage is to wear a pedometer and try to walk 10,000 steps each day. But, I've found that even walking an average of 4,000 steps seems to be sufficient to cause weight loss on the Mirkin diet.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sensible look at food, dieting, and exercise., December 29, 1998

By 

Levi (Reston, VA, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fat Free, Flavor Full: Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Guide to Losing Weight & Living Longer (Paperback)

Dr. Gabe Mirkin and Diana Rich (his wife) have a talk show in the DC area where they discuss nutrition, diet, medicine, disease, etc. This book covers mainly his philosophy on eating. However, half of the book is a compendium of his low-fat, high fiber recipes, most of which are vegetarian, but some of which involve fish and shelfish. Basically Mirkin's philosophy involves eating low-fat, high-fiber foods. You are supposed to eat no more than 20 grams of fat per day. And you are allowed only 2 or 3 serving per day of low-fiber foods (like milk, jam, bread, pretzels, etc.). This may seem a harsh regimen, but Mirkin includes some leeway as well: for one or two meals a week you can have whatever you want, which makes eating out much easier; and you can have as many whole grains (whole wheat, barley, oats, etc.), beans, fruits, and vegetables as you want. The idea is that you will never feel deprived because you can always go to the cupboard and eat two cans of beans, a pineapple and a pound of broccoli. Mirkin emphasizes that his eating plan won't take pounds off unless you exercise, so this is no magic formula. What I liked so much about this book was how Mirkin describes the science of how fats break down and are absorbed into the body and used, the chemical differences between saturated, mono-saturated and poly-unsaturated fat, and how curbing fat and calorie intake can not only elleviate many of the health problems that we already associate with obesity (such as heart disease), but can actually cure other problems such as adult-onset diabedes. If you're not into dieting or healthy eating, it's at least interesting as a scientific look (albeit at a layman's level) at food and how the body is affected by it.