The Flavor Point Diet: The Delicious, Breakthrough Plan to Turn Off Your Hunger and Lose the Weight for Good (Hardcover)

~ David L. Katz M.D. MPH (Author), Catherine S. Katz Ph.D. (Author) "Study after study points to this indisputable but little-known fact: the more foods and flavors we humans taste, the more we must eat to feel..." (more)
Key Phrases: Flavor Point, Daily Nutrition Facts, Tossed Garden Salad (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of the best things about Dr. Katz’s program is that I’m changing my overall eating habits. It’s not a diet; it’s a lifestyle change."
~Maureen McGowan (Age 33; lost 17 pounds, waist measurement shrank 4 ½ inches)

"Not only are the recipes really tasty, they’re doable for a family. My kids are ages 3, 7, and 11 and they love the foods, especially the fish."
~Nancy Schebell (Age 36; lost 16 pounds, waist measurement shrank 7 inches)

"I think the most important thing Dr. Katz taught, which I’ll take with me for life, is to examine what I’m eating, to take a box and read every ingredient that I’m putting
in my body."
~Patty Finn (Age 44; lost 24 pounds, cholesterol dropped 24 points)

"This program has truly changed my life. It’s so rewarding to see my cholesterol and triglycerides go down without medication. I know I can stick with this. I’ve made the change, and this is the way I and my family are going to eat from now on."
~Carol Borger (Age 46; lost 20 pounds, cholesterol dropped 54 points)

"The best thing is that I have so much more energy! I used to come home from work and immediately sit down and read the paper. Now I’m bouncing around and doing things. Plus, I’ve been using my exercise bike for a half hour each day."
~Janet Mazur (Age 50; lost 16 pounds, cholesterol dropped 48 points)

"I’ve been on diets before, but I’ve never been reeducated like this."
~Ron Steeves (Age 55; lost 21 pounds, blood pressure dropped 16 points)

"One of the best parts is that even though I’m losing weight, I feel like I’m eating more food than ever before. I always liked healthful foods . . . but didn’t know how to incorporate them into my diet in a realistic way. Now I do.
~Lisa Seaberg (Age 30; lost 12 pounds, 8 percent decline in body fat)

"I have lots more energy, and I only expect to get more as the pounds continue to come off. I don’t consider this a diet as much as I do a way to eat well."
~Jim Butler (Age 39; lost 31 pounds, blood sugar dropped 15 points)

"I also loved the way Catherine Katz incorporated so many different textures into dishes . . . It goes along with my philosophy that eating should really be a whole experience; food can’t just taste good—it has to look good and feel good in your mouth, too."
~Jonathan Link (Age 33; lost 15 pounds, cholesterol dropped 72 points)

"EIGHT years ago, at the height of the low-carb-diet fervor, my secretary would sit in front of my patients breakfasting on bacon and eggs with no toast or potatoes. After decades of pasta, fiber and fruit, it seemed strange to see bacon and eggs appearing on a dieter's plate, and several of my patients commented on my assistant's choice of food. But she managed to lose weight, followed her cholesterol and maintained that it was a healthy diet.

But who was ever convinced that a high-fat, low-carb diet was healthy?

Well, it seems neither is a low-fat diet. A recent Women's Health Initiative Dietary Modification trial appeared to show that over an eight-year period a low-fat diet not only didn't help older women to lose weight but also didn't cut down on incidences of cancer or heart disease either.

Critics of the study maintained that the subjects' diet wasn't low-fat enough, but the results only reinforced my long-held belief that the healthiest way to lose weight is to exercise regularly, which increases thirst, leading to more water-drinking and less eating.

Let's face it - the reason we Americans are always looking for a quick dietary fix is that we;re part of a sedentary culture of obesity. Many of us are too lazy to sweat off the pounds, and we compulsively fill ourselves with unhealthy foods, compounding the problem.

Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale prevention research center, believes that this unhealthy culture traces its origin to our early school habits.

Speaking last week at the National Governors Association healthy America forum, Katz said, "We take naturally kinetic kids and bolt them to chairs all day long - so that they can grow up to become adults we can't get off couches with crowbars! Let's let them move."

In his thought-provoking new book, "The Flavor Point Diet," Katz advocates exercise while going beyond this to analyze how the appetite hormones of the brain work. Katz examines the seductive aspects of unhealthy diets that lead to our culture of obesity.

Reviewing the medical literature from as far back as the 1970s, Katz describes the crucial concept of sensory-specific satiety, where appetite is shut off when the brain experiences enough of a certain flavor whereas hunger is brought on by a smorgasbord of tastes. "From potato chips and French fries to cookies and ice cream, many foods have become arguably as addictive and, in the long run, nearly as bad for you - as cigarettes. This type of processing raises the Flavor Point. With so much flavor variety, it's almost impossible not to overeat."

Katz is justifiably concerned that too many commercial foods have hidden flavors that stimulate appetite and overeating even while appearing to fill you up. One example is hidden salt in breakfast cereals that tastes sweet.

He wonders whether food companies have decided to deliberately overstimulate the palate to provoke us into buying more of their products.

Since many of us are oblivious to the specifics of flavor, it is helpful that this book goes beyond analyzing outcome in terms of pounds lost and instead provides daily suggestions and dietary guides to counter our bad habits."  -- Marc K. Siegel , The New York Post

Product Description

From Dr. David Katz comes a groundbreaking diet that maximizes eating pleasure, optimizes health, and guarantees permanent weight loss. And it doesn+t require any calorie counting or restrictions on food groups. Supported by scientific research at the Yale Center, this new diet is proven to improve blood sugar, lower blood pressure, and even reverse key markers of diabetes and heart disease!By combining foods selected by flavor, The Flavor Point Diet tricks the brain into being satisfied all day long, so readers don+t eat when they don+t need to. Following -flavor themes,+ readers will learn how to artfully combine the right flavors and to separate the wrong ones in order to reach the Flavor Point-the moment at which they feel completely full and deliciously satisfied. They+ll find it takes less food-and calories-to turn off their brain+s appetite center-and they+ll enjoy weight loss that will last a lifetime.With 6 weeks of menu plans, over 100 new recipes and dozens of tools on how to adapt the plan to one+s personal taste and lifestyle, here is a complete blueprint for using this scrumptious new method for life.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (December 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594861625
• ISBN-13: 978-1594861628
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #55,422 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flavor Point Diet Review, January 6, 2006

By	Kathy V. Iuso - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have only been on this diet for two weeks and have lost four pounds! As a health care professional, I know quite a bit about nutrition...yet always managed to fall for the diets that greatly limit carbs. This diet is different. While it took a little bit of getting used to cooking again, now that I am into the swing of things a little preplanning the night before allows me to stick with it! I am finding that I want to stick with it for several reasons...first and foremost - the food is delicious! I am feeling like I'm on a gourmet adventure every day! Foods that I would never have thought I would like are great! I have yet to try a single dessert - there is simply no room for more after dinner. I'm finding that cravings are gone, and I am never hungry! I can see myself changing my eating habits for the long haul!

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FINALLY - A WAY TO EAT FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!, December 18, 2005

By	Gail Arons "Gail Arons" - See all my reviews

This book is fantastic! The ideas, the rationale, the program, the recipes - down to the smallest detail (what grocery aisle contains what item)are so clear, so concise, and so compelling.


The tone is friendly but authoritative. There is the "one-on-one" sense that draws you in to a personal relationship with the authors (love the comments that go along with the recipes) and a feeling that you are interacting with someone who's done the research, put in the time and knows what it's all about. There is wit and wisdom - science and culinary artistry - what a scrumptious stew of possibilities - all beautifully served up and easily digested. And best of all - this feast is for the ENTIRE FAMILY!!! (As a mother and grandmother - that really matters.)

Congratulations to the authors - you did it - and I love it! Tonight - stuffed peppers - pecan encrusted tilapia - or shrimp in basil pesto? Who can decide? I look forward to a lifetime of healthy/delicious eating and each time I get my cholesterol checked or notice my weight on the scale - I will drink a silent toast to Katz & Katz and their Flavor Point Diet. Thankyou - you have just given us the last diet book we will ever need.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loving the flavor variety of the Flavor Point, January 5, 2006

By	Elizabeth Highfield "Busy Professional Mom" (Baltmore, MD) - See all my reviews

My husband and I are both committed to eating healthy (and in teaching our kids to eat healthy). We also wanted to lose some weight. However, because we both work full-time jobs, teach college courses part-time, and have two children (ages 3 and 9) to keep up with, eating healthy and losing weight was a challenge. We saw the Flavor Point diet featured on 20/20 and thought we'd give it a try. The meal plans are easy to follow and offer a lot of variety. My husband and I, who have gotten sick of the same-old PBJ or turkey sandwiches for lunch, are really enjoying the lunch recipes. Our favorites were the spinach salad with lentils, raisins, and walnuts and the black bean and tomato salad. We made them the night before, put the salad in one Tupperware and the dressing in another and brought them to work - they were delicious. Our one challenge was figuring out how to have smoothies in the office. We tried a couple of different things but what I found that worked was to make them the night before, freeze them and then put them in our lunch in the morning. This worked like a charm -- they were the perfect consistency by 2 or 3 in the afternoon. My favorite dinner recipe was the roasted chicken with currant wine glaze - I made an 8 lb chicken and we had enough leftovers for two more meals! That is a real plus given our busy schedules. My oldest daughter is a picky eater who absolutely HATES EVERYTHING but chicken -- even SHE LIKED the Baked Tilapia with tomatoes, capers, and black olives. Her favorite Flavor Point dinner was the Mexican stuffed bell peppers which is easy to make and very kid- friendly. We love the food and we've started to lose weight! We love the Flavor-Point diet and so do our kids! We will definitely stick with it