The Healthiest Diet in the World/ A Cookbook & Mentor (Dutton) (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's a cookbook, it's a nutrition mentor, it's a whole-foods guide, it's The Healthiest Diet in the World by Nikki and David Goldbeck, authors of The Supermarket Handbook and The Goldbecks' Guide to Good Food. The title promises a lot, and to a large extent delivers, going beyond ordinary cookbooks and providing an overall diet plan based on nutrition research and the authors' personal experiences.

The Goldbecks--practicing nutritionist and food educator Nikki and her husband, David--provide a flexible eating plan that can be modified based on food preferences, lifestyle, and biochemical needs. The plan is based on eight principles--the Goldbecks' Golden Guidelines--that cover basics like carbohydrates, fats, protein, and super foods. The authors emphasize total diet (not supplements) and eating a variety of unprocessed, intact, organic foods. Three hundred healthy recipes are provided along with dozens of whole-foods cooking techniques and tips. Although the Goldbecks try to keep advice simple and easy to follow, readers may have trouble weeding through all the information presented. While not quite the revolutionary approach to optimal nutrition that the publisher promises, The Healthiest Diet in the World will help readers slim down and lower their risk of major illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and osteoporosis. --Ellen Albertson

From Booklist

The hyperbole of the title notwithstanding, this hefty guide to healthy eating and cooking does serve up a well-rounded three-course feast of information. The authors are published health and nutrition writers, and they present a set of eight basic dietary guidelines--not rigid rules--that reflect nutrition research, food availability, and current lifestyles. These guidelines are outlined in part 1 and elaborated on at length in part 3, backed up by more that 40 pages of references and sprinkled with charts and boxes of additional information. Sandwiched between these sections are more than 200 pages of recipes that emphasize whole foods, variety, and balance. All recipes are meatless, using little added fat, and stress the use of vegetables, fruits, soy products, and beans as protein sources, and copious dollops of yogurt and yogurt cheese as the best dairy alternatives. There are no surprises here, just a comprehensive, well-packaged look at the party line of healthy eating for a public overwhelmed and confused by the latest nutrition news. Penny Spokes

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525942823
• ISBN-13: 978-0525942825
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #208,834 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I had given up on losing weight., June 18, 1999

By	Marje Powell([e-mail] ) (Long Beach,California) - See all my reviews

For 47 of my 57 years I have struggled with being overweight. I read about "The Healthiest Diet In The World" in the vegetarian times mag. I got the book and went on their very easy to follow program not to lose weight but for the health of it and so far I have lost 17 pounds. The tips about combining a protein with a carbo has really changed my life. For the first time I do not crave sweets and I am eating more than I did when I was on a DIET. The recipies are great! I love tofu and they really have some great recipies using it. I don't know how to begin to thank the authors of this book. I have recomended the program to everyone I know and when people mention my weight loss I always give them the name of the book.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific all-around guide to nutrition, June 11, 2001

By	C Campbell (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Healthiest Diet in the World (Paperback)

Pros:

1) The coverage of current scientific understanding of nutrition is comprehensive and detailed, yet clear for nonspecialists.

2) The text is well organized with a quick overview, followed by helpful recipes and tips, in-depth scientific information, references and two good indices.

3) It is apparent that the author is an experienced nutritionist-- she understands the practical problems faced by those of us trying to improve our diets, and she also is sensitive to the fact that food needs to taste good in order to satisify.

Cons:

1) The book is very focused on vegetarian foods and possibly slights the nutrition of food derived from animal sources. (However, after reading the book, you may as I did change your view on the importance of meat in a healthy diet.)

2) The book could be seen as a wholefoods manifesto. For example, the author promotes sustainable agriculture and organic farming. These topics are really outside of the scope of a book on nutrition.

I *highly* recommend this book. Following its guidelines has made a major improvement in my quality of life. (This is the book I come back to after having read a shelf full of diet and nutrition books.)

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great balance between nutritional information recipes., January 3, 1999

By	Peter Desberg (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am about three quarters of the way through the Healthiest Diet in the World and would have finished it already if my wife wouldn't keep trying to read it before I did. I was stunned to find a review here that thought it was difficult to follow with boring recipes. This is the most authoritative, research-oriented, clearly presented work on nutrition I have found. It is practical and addresses the concerns of the nutrition conscious. The Goldbecks have clarified issues about balancing nutrients, protein sources, weight control and many others with solid research and practical applications in the form of delicious recipes which we have been trying on every available occasion.