The Hamptons Diet: Lose Weight Quickly and Safely with the Doctors Delicious Meal Plans (Hardcover)

~ Fred Pescatore M.D. (Author)
Key Phrases: nut oil spray, cup macadamia nut oil, lite soy sauce, Hamptons Diet, Wasa Crisp, Monterey Jack (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Indulge yourself and be fabulous because of it" is the motto of The Hamptons--a 40-mile oceanfront stretch of Long Island where New York City's rich and famous frolic--and of Pescatore's diet. Former medical director of the Atkins Center, Pescatore incorporates what he believes to be the best of both low-carb and Mediterranean diets. The Hamptons Diet eliminates "unhealthful foods that your body does not metabolize well," Pescatore explains. His diet is high in monounsaturated fats (especially macadamia nut oil), vegetables, fish, lean meats, nuts, whole grains, and low-sugar fruits: "real food"--unprocessed, unrefined, mostly organic. Pescatore tells anecdotes about his rich and famous clients (first names only) who achieved health and weight loss with his program. His writing is peppy and easy to follow, though he falls into self-praise a bit much. He explains his concepts clearly, although you might want to skim some of his 21 pages about the properties of 32 different oils. About half the book consists of a 30-day menu plan and recipes that certainly don't shout "I'm dieting": quiche, pancakes, hot dogs, burgers stuffed with blue cheese, steak salad, ham, casserole, meatballs (with veal, pork, chuck, and cheese), and pork chops, for example. --Joan Price

Review

It's the new Atkins but better, easier to follow, good for you& -- Sunday Mirror, 28 March 2004

The Hamptons Diet has the perfect credentials for fashion-obsessed New Yorkers seeking to purge themselves of unwanted calories. -- The Independent, 22nd March 2004

the latest on the low-carbohydrate dieting craze& -- UK.news.Yahoo.com, 18 March 2004

"...the latest on the low-carbohydrate dieting craze" -- UK.news.Yahoo.com, 18 March 2004

"It's the new Atkins but better, easier to follow, good for you" -- Sunday Mirror, 28 March 2004

"The Hamptons Diet has the perfect credentials for fashion-obsessed New Yorkers seeking to purge themselves of unwanted calories." -- The Independent, 22nd March 2004

“…breakthrough new diet book…” (Goodness Foods, September 2004)

The latest geographically correct diet with star appeal—Sara Jessica Parker and Renée Zellweger are said to be fans—Dr. Fred Pescatore’s plan stresses veggies, fish, omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fats like Australian macadamia nut oil (Your Diet, June 21, 2004)

Named after the exclusive Long Island, NY, beach community he calls home (as do many A-list celebs), Dr. Fred Pescatore’s get-thin guide takes the low-carb craze and makes it safer by focusing on healthy cards (wheat bread is allowed, white is off limits) and fats (monounsaturated), instead of restricting them entirely. Recipes like Gardiner’s zucchini salad are perfect for summer. (Star Magazine, May 24, 2004)

“It’s the new Atkins but better, easier to follow, good for you…” (Sunday Mirror, 28 March 2004)

“the latest on the low-carbohydrate dieting craze…” (UK.news.Yahoo.com, 18 March 2004)

“The Hamptons Diet has the perfect credentials for fashion-obsessed New Yorkers seeking to purge themselves of unwanted calories.” (The Independent, 22^nd March 2004)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; First Edition edition (April 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471478121
• ISBN-13: 978-0471478126
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #650,544 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

108 of 112 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A balanced low-carb plan for life, July 22, 2004

By	Karen Rysavy "Low-Carb Diva since 2000" (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The latest offering from this former Medical Director of the Atkins Center is his best work yet - from both a reading standpoint and with the viewpoint of the average dieter (in other words, with a realistic assessment of what the average person is and is not willing to do on a long-term basis) considered.

The Hamptons Diet focuses on controlling the number and quality of carbs eaten while eating the right types of food and fat. This book is much lighter on the actual science (the part that goes right over most reader?s heads anyway) and a lot heavier on the simply explained How-To?s (the part the average reader benefits from the most.)

The Hamptons Diet introduces several new food pyramids, instead of just turning the Standard USDA food pyramid upside-down. This strategy will help you to make wise food choices from each food category while not making you feel hopeless about *never* again eating [whatever your favorite is]. For each of the food groups, there is a separate pyramid that presents the basic choices in levels of desirability - in other words, choices can be made that are always desirable and preferred over all others, even if the other choices are not actually prohibited, per se. In the protein pyramid, processed and fried meats are not actually prohibited, but they are undesirable in comparison to the other choices, so they appear up at the peak of the pyramid, with a recommendation to limit their consumption. There are separate pyramids for vegetables, grains, fruit and sugars, fats and oils. Whole grains and legumes are allowed on the Hamptons Diet, in varying amounts depending on your individual needs/progress.

I can definitely see myself sticking to this one for the rest of my life, and I find myself becoming quite fond of the taste of mac-nut oil!

Dr. Pescatore explains clearly in the Hamptons Diet that where he differs from Dr. Atkins is in the amount and type of fats he recommends, not the basic principles. The Hamptons Diet prescribes the regular use of macadamia nut oil as the sole added fat, in place of all other choices. Because macadamia nut oil contains equally balanced omega-3 and omega-6 fats and is also the richest in monounsaturated omega-9 fats with a high smoke-point, he says it is by far the healthiest choice for everyone.

I am sure you are wondering about the differences between this plan and the South Beach Diet, given the similarity in their names and the timing of their publication. In this low-carber's opinion, the Hamptons Diet is far preferable. I base this opinion on the fact that while dairy products are not encouraged in large amounts on the Hamptons Diet, you may still choose to eat the less processed, full-fat, pure forms of these foods when you do choose to eat dairy. South Beach encourages liquid margarine substitutes in spite of warnings against hydrogenated and trans-fatty acids, and also encourages non-fat or low-fat dairy substitutes, in spite of the fact that the lower-fat versions of these foods consist mostly of chemicals.

One of Dr. Pescatore?s strongest consistent messages over the years, a message for which he has earned my utmost respect, is that we should ALL be eating REAL FOOD - the less processed, and the less manipulated, the better. He warns to never eat trans-fats, margarine, hydrogenated fats, or - this will be surprising to some - canola oil (completely man-made, and highly refined.) He also discourages the use of grapeseed oil.
Dr. Pescatore refers specifically to protein shakes, bars, and most commercially produced low-carb snack foods as ?crutches?. He states unequivocally that there is no such thing as a ?net? carbohydrate, and while still encouraging high fiber foods, says that the only number that counts on any label is the official total carb count. (Talk about taking a stand - hear, hear! for the complete lack of potential confusion in this message! HOW REFRESHING IS THAT.)

Dr. P also encourages organic foods, while recognizing that not everyone will be able to afford to eat organically all the time, including himself. He recommends if you can only afford to eat one organic food on a regular basis, to make it eggs. Organically-raised eggs tend to have a perfect 1 to 1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats, while the omega-6 fats (the ones we tend to get too many of) in commercial eggs can appear in a ratio of as great as 19 to 1!

It appears that even if his body is in the Hamptons most of the time these days, Dr. P's wallet and sensibilities have remained firmly in middle America. That is just one of the reasons that I recommend that you RUN - Don't Walk - and get your own copy of the Hamptons Diet.

HAMPTONS DIET SUMMARY:
- Encourages use of Australian macadamia nut oil in place of all other added oils and fats
- Encourages organic foods and discourages all highly processed foods
- Restricts total carb intake according to weight loss or maintenance phase, with no truly forbidden foods
- Introduces a whole new set of new food pyramids to help dieters make wise choices from each food category
- Encourages moderate alcohol consumption

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a chiropractor's view, June 19, 2004

By A Customer

This is one of the best diet books and healthiest plans I have ever read - and I've read a lot! It combines the Atkin's diet with good science and common sense. It finally taught me about the different oils - oincluding the canola oil myth. It is far superior to the Southbeach Diet book(which never seems to give a real diet plan, just menus). The two things I would change about the Hampton's book: 1. Give a more definite protein portion size (the recipes seem to be about 4 to 8 ounces per serving)and/or total daily protein count 2. Include a carbohydrate table. However, all in all, an excellent book!

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Cardiologist's Blessing from LA, June 18, 2004

By A Customer

I am so glad for the Hamptons Diet. If you take time to read this book and learn from Dr. Pescatore's 11 years of practicing nutritional medicine, you will see that this is the future of weight loss. It is the first sane, practical approach that I have ever seen. I can't tell you how much better it is than South Beach and heads and tails above Atkins. Talk about sellling one's soul. Atkins sold out long before he died and Agaston signing a deal with Kraft is like signing a deal with the devil. I could never recommend my patients to follow the Atkins program but thought I could recommend South Beach but I was upset by the lack of depth of any knowledge or information in that book.

As a cardiologist, monounsaturated fats are the healthiest fats to eat and Dr. Pescatore should be applauded for pointing that simple fact out and taking the time to explain how to understand cooking oils - by far the most misunderstood yet critical parts of our diet. And he does it in such a way that I have photocopied that chapter and hand it out to all my patients and they are all enjoying it much more than SB. I don't know what his interest in MacNut oil is but I sure wish I had thought about it - good going and keep up the great work Dr. P