The No-Grain Diet: Conquer Carbohydrate Addiction and Stay Slim for the Rest of Your Life [Hardcover]

Joseph Mercola (Author), Alison Rose Levy (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Impressively modern in design, The No-Grain Diet brings a realistic viewpoint to the problems of weight loss in a genuine effort to improve the health of an ever-growing number of obese Americans. Offering a variety of "food plans," along with a set of techniques aimed at controlling emotional eating and cravings for "bad" foods, Dr. Joseph Mercola clearly understands how to motivate us--in one section, he suggests that rather than "living by the scale," we measure our success in relation to the fit of our favorite pair of slightly-too-snug jeans. Many recipes are included, most of which are free of the boring flavor substitutes so common in diet books.

The diet itself combines several familiar concepts. The "no grain" model emphasizes organic vegetables and quality protein, with limited fruits and absolutely no simple carbs. Mercola's idea of "quality protein" is somewhat startling--he is deeply concerned about toxins, and urges grass-fed beef over potentially mercury-filled fish. His main point is frequently reinforced: refined grains of any type are basically deadly and eating them should be viewed as an unhealthy addiction.

Here, the book veers off in a new direction: rather than gently nudging our habits in a new direction, he suggests we break what he insists is an addictive cycle with a method called "EFT," or "Emotional Freedom Technique." As a way to avoid surrendering to desires, his system of tapping acupressure points and repeating affirmations is used to overcome them. While repeat dieters will understand the necessity of examining emotional ties to food, Mercola's voice becomes a tad strident, and possibly downright offensive to those with a different opinion on what constitutes an addiction. --Jill Lightner

From Publishers Weekly

"Don't be surprised if you never again want to eat starches, sweets, and grains!" Osteopathic physician Mercola stands on the shoulders of Atkins (and gives a nod to Gary Taubes, author of the New York Times Magazine cover article many believe blew the lid off high-carb, low-fat diets forever) to make big claims in this guide for overweight readers. Mercola's diet, which he's honed for over a decade at his Illinois wellness center, offers "near miraculous results," and will allow its followers to "permanently conquer food cravings," he says. The secret to lasting weight loss, according to Mercola, is to cut out starches, sweets and grains entirely. (Dieters on the maintenance program are allowed "healthy" grains-buckwheat, quinoa, etc.) But though Mercola offers three different eating plans (The Booster, The Core and The Advanced Food plan) and plenty of no-grain recipes, his program goes beyond mere dieting: Mercola is a proponent of the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), a kind of "psychological acupressure" that he says is "the equivalent of AA for grain addiction." Developed by Gary Craig, EFT involves tapping on pressure points in the face and upper body while repeating a healing, key phrase, such as "Even though I want to have pizza, I deeply and completely accept myself." Mercola's course for weight loss is an intensive one, with rigorous rules and plenty of additional components-lifestyle changes, supplements and self-affirmations-that take a lot more energy than calorie counting. But that's the whole point, Mercola says, because cutting back on calories or carbs alone leads to temporary weight loss at best. For those willing to dedicate themselves to such a program, Mercola's guide may offer real results, and the case studies he includes should certainly help with motivation.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 311 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult (April 24, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525947337
• ISBN-13: 978-0525947332
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #288,741 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

217 of 227 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Diet for an ... Compulsive America, May 25, 2003

By	K.S. (Tucson, Az United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The No-Grain Diet: Conquer Carbohydrate Addiction and Stay Slim for the Rest of Your Life (Hardcover)

As a regular visitor to Dr. Mercola's website for some time, I eagerly awaited the arrival of his book. While Dr. Mercola's big-picture objective -- weaning the average American off of poisonous food, poisoning medical doctors, and a poisoned environment -- is noble, his small-picture book renders an easy, common-sense diet too complex to follow.

In Mercola's defense, neither the writer, Levy, nor Dutton editors did much to clarify and communicate his vision. The writing is stilted and humorless, the organization an afterthought. Readers will balk at the confusion between Phases and Food Plans. Inconsistencies abound: Foods allowed on one page are nowhere to be found on another. For example, oranges are allowed on the 8-meal Booster Start-up plan on page 68; yet, inexplicably, the same list (lots of duplication in this book) eliminates oranges on page 106. Without explanation, the plan itself is reduced to six meals on page 136.

With better editing and organization, and fewer contradictory menus, the entire tome could have been reduced to half its size, with twice the clarity. It's a prime example of how too much information -- right down to how to cut one's bacon! -- can spoil a vital health education.

If you can find a way to get past the book's choking design flaws, please do: The good doctor's prescription for real health is both impassioned and well-documented, eclipsing all other "diets" out there, past or present.

137 of 142 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good info; time-consuming diet plan, May 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The No-Grain Diet: Conquer Carbohydrate Addiction and Stay Slim for the Rest of Your Life (Hardcover)

Dr. Mercola gives his readers worthwhile health explanations and advice but his diet plan is too restrictive and time-consuming to easily follow. Instead, I recommend Going Against the Grain: How Reducing and Avoiding Grains Can Revitalize Your Health by Melissa Diane Smith. It is easier to understand and its diets and recipes are simple, tasty and a breeze to follow. I'm an avid reader of health books and both of these books cover important information for health maintenance. But Ms. Smith's book, Going Against the Grain, deals with a much broader range of health problems associated with grains and is the book I believe people would prefer.

110 of 115 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great advice, September 15, 2004

By	J. Wang "jyswang" (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The No-Grain Diet: Conquer Carbohydrate Addiction and Stay Slim for the Rest of Your Life (Hardcover)

I read in an article that only 25% of the US population are able to handle a high carbohydrate (as in high starch) diet. Their bodies are built to handle it. For the 75%, we are a mixed type or protein type diet. That means that we are NOT able to handle large amounts of starch.

I've read thru this book in the library, and compared it to the ZONE diet. Both diets replace the grains with fresh non-starch vegetables. And you have to eat plenty (~3 cups of vegetables) per meal (even breakfast!) in addition to your protein & fat.

What most Americans don't do is to eat the required vegetables. If you don't eat the vegetables, then you are eating a "protein only" diet, which can only spell disaster for anyone's health.

As for grass fed beef, organic chickens, what is wrong with that? If you can afford organics, organics are always better for your body, because there are no preservatives, no hormones, no antibiotics, no pesticides, used in raising the animals. The organics produce are slowly coming down in price. I suggest you check around.

For people like me, who can't afford organics all the time, I try to buy as much organic as my budget allows.

I follow an Asian diet now, and replacing 90% of grains with fresh vegetables that either I eat raw, or simply stirfry.

So for people who can't have starch, eat the best protein you can afford, the best vegetables you can afford. Go check out your local asian grocers. Their vegetables tend to be cheaper and better in quality, simply because of the volume they sell.
They also have a greater number of vegetables. Have people tried pea sprouts, pea shoots, water convolvus, chinese mustard greens, baby mustard greens, daikon sprouts, gailan, youchoy, yam leaf, perilla (aka shiso, ooba), hot mint, hot basil, purple basil, thai eggplants, chinese eggplants, japanese or chinese cucumbers, daikons, kabocha, nagaimo (aka wild mountain yam, chinese yam), soybean sprouts, fresh water chestnuts, fresh lotus root, fresh lotus seeds, lily bulbs, and the unbelievable number of veggies that Asians eat on a daily basis?

As a diabetic and a severe alleries, I've been able to keep both under control without medication, with the large amounts of leafy greens and fresh veggies I eat every day, and good proteins, and good fats. I'm not vegan because I'm NOT one of the lucky ones who can eat lots of starch.

A real change in your life requires a life style change. If this works for you, then it is something you should do for life.

If it doesn't work for you in 14 days, there's no reason for you to keep doing it. The food plans are simply not for you. It doesn't mean it's bad.

We are all the same on the inside, but due to our diets (eating only processed food, or lots of premade meals or not even eating), we all have DIFFERENT reactions from the same foods.

May you all have great health!