Customer Reviews

The New American Diet: How secret "obesogens" are making us fat, and the 6-week plan that will flatten your belly for good!

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having heard that Stephen Perrine was one of the country's leading experts on environmental factors leading to obesity, I pre-ordered this book in November -- also hoping to avoid the usual holiday weight gain. Already slightly obsessed with feeding organic food to my children, I decided it was time for me and husband to start eating this way, too. Learning more about which foods actually make you gain weight and the surprising ones that don't has been a revelation. Since receiving this book two weeks ago my husband and I have each lost five pounds. We also feel better, and not just because we're carrying less weight. Our bodies just feel healthier. Even more interesting is that we haven't been religious about following Perrine's diet plans; we've simply been more mindful of what we put into our bodies -- and what we will never put in them again. The research that went into this book is exhaustive and revealing, and it really will change the way you think about food.

I'd recommend The New American Diet to people who want a simple path to changing the way they eat, and also the way they feel. Parents who want to help guide their kids through the myriad of bad food choices that confront them starting in preschool will also benefit from reading The New American Diet.

I purchased this book at the recommendation of my Mom, who saw it featured on the CBS morning show. I've long been concerned about improving my family's diet, and getting more bang for the buck in terms of energy and nutrition. I have two children, ages 7 and 11, and I believe it's important for them to make smart choices about what they eat. My own motivation for reading the book include a sluggish metabolism and hyperthyroidism that has lasted for 25 years. I watch my diet carefully, and my weight is fine, but I struggle with lack of energy at times. After watching fine documentaries like "Food Inc" and reading the works of Michael Pollan, I am VERY concerned about how toxins, hormones and pesticides do a number on our metabolism, and have diluted the nutritional value of many staples in the American diet. So...the book does a fairly good job of explaining the science behind the decline in the nutritional value of many foods- and how additives confuse the body's hormonal levels. However, I could definitely have done without writing style. It reads very much like a 'Prevention' magazine advertising sales pitch that many of us have received in the mail, making big general statements and promising bigger results... ("...but WAIT, there's MORE!") I found that this writing style substantially dragged down the book, and it was repetitious at times. If you're a fan of the 'Eat This, Not That' books, you will notice the same writing style at work there. Those folks should get a bonus dividend every time they use the phrase "flatten your belly". This dumbs down the critical importance of a healthy diet for everyone. (My children aren't worried about flat bellies yet!)

I would have found it more helpful if it was written in a less breathless tone and got to the point more quickly. There are helpful recipies and an exercise plan that I skimmed through because nothing about it seemed unique or compelling. Some pictures of the recipies would have been a nice addition.

I think the points behind this book are very worthwhile but some may be put off by the way it is presented. I also read Jillian Michael's 'Master Your Metabolism', and found that she went over many of the same points in greater scientific detail in just a chapter or two.

Your eyes may glaze over when any writer tries to give too in-depth an explanation of the dangers of additives, hormones and the havoc they wreck upon our bodies. So this book does fill a niche with it's more basic explanations of what's wrong with our food. I'm deducting a star because of style points.

With the explosion of obesity in the US, it had to be more than just the calories we consume. Yes it's true feasting on fast food will make you fat, but it's not just the calories.

I've fought with weight all my life and even though I was always careful about what I ate, I couldn't lose the weight unless I starved myself. Yo-Yo was all that happened. I got up to 348 lbs at one time in my life.

This book goes a long way toward helping me comprehend what we've been hearing all these years about what's in the food we eat.

The info is well put together and organized and now, what I've heard makes sense. Our food is reengineered, genetically altered, pesticide filled and loaded with artificial hormones. Cattle are fed junk and must be treated daily with anitbiotics just to keep them alive, chickens too, pigs too !!!

The powerful food lobbies are running the show and the FDA allows them to do very bad things...

This book might scare you a little, it will probably make you mad, but it will certainly make you smarter about how to eat much healthier and how to lose weight.

I've lost 30 lbs. in 2 1/2 months !!!

Get this book... You won't be sorry.

While browsing at the bookstore, I came upon this book and was immediately hooked in by the blurb on the front and back flaps. Everything I thought I knew about dieting and eating healthy was wrong! New American Diet will open your eyes to some of the myths of the food industry--the obesegen stuff is very eye opening! I've already started using the book's helpful tools like "The Meat Lover's Guide to Meat", the recipes, workouts and simple tips to staying healthy and on track in Chapter 7. I also love that Perrine and Hurlock use studies for almost every point!

This is the most informative "diet" book, ever. I could not put it down. I've eaten, mostly, organic for a very long time but I was surprised & delighted at what I've learned from "the New American Diet". I would recommend this book to everyone who's looking to improve their eating habits, as well as their over-all well being. Hats off to Heather Hurlock & Steven Perrine.

I've known for years about the poisoning for profit that goes on in this world but I just didn't realize that taking care of my family could be this easy. This book is great. The ideas make sense. It's a way of eating we can all live with and hopefully, by following these cues, we will enjoy better health and fewer medical problems. I'm even giving this book to my sister-in-law and this is a first. Enjoy the read. Enjoy the food and enjoy the health.

I thought I had my family's diet pretty well lined out until I watched Food Inc. last month. I was shocked to learn how off-kilter our food system is and I was left feeling overwhelmed and wondering what to do next. How do you avoid the rampant endocrine disrupting chemicals that are well-documented as causing obesity, cancer, heart disease and developmental disorders? It's difficult to find your way in a world full of pre-packaged, processed convenience food. Food that routinely contains untested chemicals that are legally hidden under the "artificial flavoring" label.

This is where the New American Diet came to the rescue for me. The authors laid out a doable plan for avoiding chemical pitfalls based on current research. I learned when buying organic produce is truly necessary, the difference between naturally raised meats and factory farmed meats, how high fructose corn syrup (which is found in 70% of all prepackaged food) can effect our sensitivity to leptin, resulting in false hunger, and so much more than I could ever list here.

I've already passed the book on to family members and recommend it to anyone looking for a way to move toward a real food diet.

This book is an easy read with great tips about healthy eating. The book shows that thinking about what we eat, when we eat, how to combine different food groups is a way of life that makes us feel better. The authors clearly explain, without hype, why some foods should be avoided. We can set good examples for our kids by following this healthy diet. The recipes are good and easy to follow. I recommend this book!

The New American Diet gives practical ways to reduce harmful, fat-causing chemicals from our diet. While the main point of the book is to eat more organic food, they give great tips like: which foods are full of pesticides and hormones and should be purchase organic VS those which you can buy conventionally and save money. The also give tips and workouts that will help you lose some extra pounds as you try this new diet.

The recommendation isn't so much a 'diet' as it is a new way of eating altogether. They authors give very good reasoning for their claims. This is one to buy and keep on the shelf for the reference of tips, recipes, workouts, etc....

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn how to change the way they look at food and how to change their poor eating habits. It clearly explained why junk foods and processed foods are making us sick and fat. We now no longer crave unhealthy food and sugary snacks. We now bake with whole grains, buy organic food, free range chickens, grass fed meats and we can see the difference on the way we feel and look. I learned you are what we eat and when you eat foods full of sugar, chemicals, preservatives, antibiotics and growth hormones you are affecting you and your family's health and your weight.