The Perricone Prescription (Hardcover)

by Nicholas Perricone (Author) "Each morning I follow the same routine..." (more)
Key Phrases: noninflammatory food sources, improved facial appearance, firming technology, The Perricone Prescription, Three-Day Nutritional Face-lift, Flexibility Combination (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Healthy, vibrant skin depends more on what you put in your cheeks than what you rub on them, says dermatologist Nicholas Perricone. In The Perricone Prescription, fresh salmon tops the list of must-eat foods for total body rejuvenation. In fact, it is the star of Perricone's "Three-Day Nutritional Face-Lift," a convincing trial run for those who are a bit hedgy about committing to his 28-day diet and his supplement, skin care, and exercise regimen.

Perricone's clear explanation about the adverse effects of inflammatory foods persuasively argues for shunning destructive, low-fat favorites (including watermelon, carrots, and bagels) and "culinary horrors" like pizza, pasta, and beef. Better to eat anti-inflammatory choices (those with a glycemic index of 50 or less) like salmon, halibut, and trout. While the book's mega list of recommended supplements is a bit hard to swallow (literally and figuratively), the supportive information Perricone supplies about each is certainly helpful.

Another detailed grocery list--this time for topical anti-inflammatories--addresses skin care, and his wrinkle-free fitness plan promotes flexibility, muscle strength, and endurance. Finally, a handful of savory recipes offers respite to those who only know how to broil. So, despite all the salmon (and the angry kids whose parents have purged their high-glycemic kitchens), Perricone's prescription doesn't sound fishy at all. --Liane Emory Thomas

From Publishers Weekly
Perricone (The Wrinkle Cure), a professor of dermatology at Yale Medical School, believes that relatively simple changes in eating can effect dramatic changes in physical appearance and well-being. He has created a month-long program broken up into daily menus as well as a more restrictive three-day regimen designed to produce immediate results. Perricone's guiding principle, which he explains in some depth, is to reduce inflammation at the cellular level, which, he believes, causes the skin to age and is also linked to degenerative disease. Perricone suggests that protein and some fat is essential for everyone. He is particularly keen on the benefits of fish. Certain foods high in carbohydrates cereals, breads, bananas are taboo in this plan because of their high glycemic index; they cause a spike in blood sugar and prompt the body's insulin response, which stores rather than burns fat and causes inflammation. Perricone also recommends an exercise regimen, and nearly a third of the book is devoted to a discussion of antioxidants, vitamin supplements and creams. Some may question his nutritional theories, and others may find the diet difficult to stick to, with its almost total restriction of starchy foods. Still, Perricone is a proponent of Barry Sears's The Zone, and readers who have followed that book and Perricone's own bestselling earlier volume will probably appreciate this one.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1 edition (August 6, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060188790
• ISBN-13: 978-0060188795
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (126 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #235,832 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #70 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Beauty & Fashion > Skin Care
  #88 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Medical > Medicine > Internal Medicine > Dermatology
  #98 in	Books > Science > Medicine > Specialties > Dermatology

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

535 of 544 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Get a healthy glow in 3 days., July 1, 2004

By	L. Gonzalez (El Cajon, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is pretty much about eating clean, low glycemic carbs and healthy fats. Too many of the wrong foods (bad carbs, salt, sugar) cause inflammation (insulin spike) and cause tissues to become irritated (hold water, puffiness). After following the Three-Day Nutritional Face Lift Menu(without the supplements) my face isn't puffy when I wake, my eyes aren't bloodshot and my skin is J.Lo luminious.

LOTS of supplements are prescribed which to "make it easy for you..." he sells overpriced supplements on his website at the hefty price tag of $195 for 45 days.

This is a good diet to follow if you are do Body-for-LIFE, South Beach or Atkins. I can't argue that its a bad plan. The recipes are very simple, clean and delicious. Can get expensive, but if you live near a Trader Joe's you shouldn't have too much of a problem.

The program can easily be summed up below -- he posts this on his website. Or try the eDiets.com version which is very simple to follow.

The Three-Day Menu
You will be eating close to the same thing each day. Remember to always eat your protein first. Though this diet has some variety, a restricted diet is often easier to handle since you are not confronted by too many choices.

Wake Up
8 to 12 ounces spring water

Breakfast
3 egg whites and 1 whole egg and/or a 4- to 6-ounce piece of broiled salmon
½ cup cooked oatmeal not instant)
4 oz cantaloupe + 1/4 cup fresh berries
8 to 12 ounces spring water minimum, more if desired)

Lunch
4 to 6 ounces grilled salmon or tuna packed in spring water
2 cups romaine lettuce
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste
4 oz cantaloupe + 1/4 cup fresh berries
8 to 12 ounces spring water minimum, more if desired)

Mid-afternoon snack
2 ounces low-salt, sliced chicken breast
4 raw, unsalted hazelnuts
½ green apple
8 to 12 ounces spring water minimum, more if desired)

Dinner
4 to 6 ounces grilled salmon
2 cups romaine lettuce
1 tablespoon olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste
1 cup steamed asparagus, broccoli, or spinach dressed with a little olive oil
4 oz cantaloupe + 1/4 cup fresh berries
8 to 12 ounces spring water minimum, more if desired)

Before-bedtime snack
2 ounces low-fat low-salt turkey or chicken breast
1/2 pear or green apple
3 or 4 almonds or olives
8 to 12 ounces of spring water

423 of 433 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It just works, January 21, 2003

By A Customer

... One late night I saw Perricone on PBS. I was definitely skeptical, but what he said made sense at least; it didn't come across as a mind-numbing infomercial. Inflammation, insulin reaction, antioxidants, importance of protein vis-a-vis carbs, it was a nice and clean model with enough detail and did not come across as a fad of the month. It was based on off-the-shelf products some of which I was already familiar with. And I was getting desperate physically, mentally, and emotionally and was getting burnt out at work.

... I started small and incrementally took what he recommended.

It all started with DHA, more water and no caffeine - Costco sells a product called Senior Moments which has that and "cerebral phospholipids". I felt so poorly that despite the fact that I was once a religious caffeinator, I went off caffeine almost cold turkey within a couple of weeks. The results were astounding and dramatic all within a few days of doing so (the caffeine started to give me an unwanted buzz as I took the supplement, which just got me off caffeine faster). I began to think very clearly again, memory and focus was incredible, and I was multitasking like never before. Plus mood and emotional stability returned ...

Another star is alpha lapoic acid (ALA). Talk about skin rejuvenation. My girlfriend took it and within a few days her severe acne problem cleared up entirely without having to use ... expensive skin lotions, lathers, soaps to manage it. Now, she has ...natural products that work much better at 1/10th the cost. With that and a CoQ10 facial cleanser, my skin has turned out great as well.

I take most of the supplements Perricone lists (which *is* a laborious process that takes 5 minutes in the morning and another 5 in the afternoon, but combination supplements like Calcium-Magnesium-Zinc and Centrum help a lot... I also eat a bulk of foods as proteins and save carbs for last. Now, I am super energetic, mental clarity (thought process, memory, plain ol' solid thinking) has been astounding, and physical fitness (endurance, strength) has been super-incredible. And, the more I work out and sleep, the better I feel.

Plus, the mood swings have gone away, I feel no stress ... I credit most of that to GLA (gamma linoleic acid); the more I have taken, from initially 150mg a day from primrose oil, to now 600mg from borage oil, the more I have been rendered stress free - entirely gone are the back and chest pains, headaches, and emotional up-and-down rollercoaster ride throughout the day.

... his book presents in a succinct and necessary way (though the segue between chapters is a little choppy so I could take a star off for that; it takes at least 2-3 reads to understand the big picture more fully) the why's and how's of good health and consequently great skin. You have to have patience to read through a rather dry topic that most people have been made to be rather skeptical of.

In any event, I'd imagine the drug companies and fast food companies ...- wouldn't be all that happy if everyone discovered the basics again, and that's what the "prescription" is. It goes back to basics, and leverages supplements (most of which are already produced by our own bodies, albeit in limited amounts) and ol' fashion good eating habits to reinforce the machinery in our own bodies to work optimally. I make sure to eat proteins first, drink my tea and water too. If only the prescription could be simplified to a one-sentence tagline so more people would jump aboard like me. ... I strongly suggest for those of you with a lot of stress ...), with stress symptoms physical or otherwise, feel lethargic, overwhelmed and have been going through a brain-drain, to go out and get the book. If you're not the book reading type, see about making a pledge to your local PBS station and get the VHS tape. That's a more expensive option but well-worth it - help PBS and getting the info someway, somehow.

...There's actually a lot of pills, which are relatively cheap if you buy at vitamin shops ... and buy bulk quantity bottles. You also have to work out on a regular basis though workout quantity is not super important. ... Also, be aware the supplements work together and I would suggest an incremental approach. If you get into it, don't get into the fallacy of DHA is for smarts and GLA is for stress. They are, but in reality they overlap. ... There are "side-effects". You get thirsty more often from a higher metabolism rate (and you eat healtier, lose weight, and muscle builds up more quickly at the expense of fat). First few days of taking a particular supplement, like DHA or GLA, you can feel whoozy or sleepy. You might feel a bit of a "sensory overload" at first too, in particular with DHA and DMAE. That all went away for me after a couple of days... get the book or tape to find out.

Best of luck...

104 of 107 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fringe Benefits!, July 12, 2003

By A Customer

While the focus of The Perricone Prescription is anti-aging, I derived a fringe benefit from it...weight loss! I tend to believe that this result was produced not only by the physiological regimen, but by a psychological effect. Most "weight loss" books place all their emphasis on the desired goal, i.e., weight loss. We try too hard and are at times discouraged when we don't achieve the desired results. With The Perricone Prescription, the focus is shifted to improving your skin, so the pressure to lose weight is not there. Not only has my skin improved, I've lost weight and have kept it off.

Not only does this book deliver sound nutritional advice, it is effective on many levels. I have had a lifelong battle with weight and nothing has worked. This book was an epiphany for me because it details the science of how our bodies (skin included) react to foods and supplements. I must admit that the advice was easy for me to follow since I love fish, particularly salmon, and since I have a Mediterranean heritage, my diet has always included olives, olive oil, and seafood. Getting rid of the high glycemic foods, though, permitted me to turn the corner. NO ONE ever guesses my correct age...everyone thinks I'm at least 10 years younger than I am.

I highly recommend this book...sound medical advice from a renowned dermatologist. How can you go wrong?