I purchased the original _Eat-Clean Diet_ book when it came out a few years ago, and used the principles in it to lose sixteen pounds (two dress sizes). Recently, I've been a little more lax in my eating, so I purchased this book last week to help motivate me to get back on track with my eating for the new year.
Before purchasing this newer edition, I was worried that it would be very similar to the first version of the book, but, as Reno explains, it contains over 100 pages of new text. While there are some chapters that are similar in both books (like chapters on the importance of drinking water and eating breakfast), there are a lot of new ideas. If you are trying to decide whether to purchase the older, original edition of this book or this one, I would recommend buying this one since it contains more recent information about nutritional studies. If, like me, you already own the original book, I think you'll still find the ideas in here useful and inspirational.
I find Reno to be very motivating, and, if you're struggling to lose weight, you will probably find her books really helpful. The idea behind clean eating is that you eat foods that are as close to their natural state as possible, without adding in extra sugar, chemicals, etc. Eating six meals a day ensures that you never go hungry, and you don't have to worry about calorie counting.
Another great feature of this book is that she includes a vegan meal plan in it. The first edition was very centered around meat, which made it difficult for me (as a lacto-ovo vegetarian) to see how I could incorporate all of her suggestions since I wasn't about to gnaw on a chicken breast as my morning snack.
Reno also focuses much more in this edition on the environmental effects that our food choices have, citing Michael Pollan's work and the principles of films like _Food, Inc._. Since I am concerned with environmental issues, I really liked this new focus on eating locally and sustainably.
This book also contains 50 new recipes. I have not tried any of them yet, but will be sure to update my review after I have tried a few. The inclusion of quite a few vegetarian recipes is another nice feature.
I first discovered Reno in _Oxygen_ fitness magazine, where she is a monthly columnist, and last year was happy to see that Robert Kennedy Publishing (the group that publishes Reno's book and _Oxygen_) began a new magazine called _Clean Eating_. If you want even more seasonal, healthy recipes and nutrition tips, I definitely recommend subscribing to it. Just be warned, however, that it contains a lot of ads promoting Reno's books -- to an annoying degree. If you can look past those ads, it makes a nice addition to a clean-eating lifestyle.
UPDATE ON 3/1/10: I've made a few of the recipes, and all of them have turned out to be really good! In my original review, I accidentally said that the book has over 15 new recipes, but it actually has 50 new ones. If you have the original version of this, you definitely don't *need* this newer version, but the updates and success stories make it a nice addition to my collection of health books.
