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How Not to Diet: The Groundbreaking Science of Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss Hardcover – December 10, 2019
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Discover the cutting-edge science behind long-term weight loss success, in this powerful new book from the New York Times bestselling author of How Not to Die.
Every month seems to bring a trendy new diet or weight loss fad―and yet obesity rates continue to rise, and with it a growing number of diseases and health problems. It’s time for a different approach.
Enter Dr. Michael Greger, the internationally-renowned nutrition expert, physician, and founder of the Nutrition Facts website. Author of the mega bestselling How Not to Die, Dr. Greger now turns his attention to the latest research on the leading causes―and remedies―of obesity.
Dr. Greger hones in on the optimal criteria to enable weight loss, while considering how these foods actually affect our health and longevity. He lays out the key ingredients of the ideal weight-loss diet―factors such as calorie density, the insulin index, and the impact of foods on our gut microbiome―showing how plant-based eating is crucial to our success.
But How Not to Diet goes beyond food to identify twenty-one weight-loss accelerators available to our bodies, incorporating the latest discoveries in cutting-edge areas like chronobiology to reveal the factors that maximize our natural fat-burning capabilities. Dr. Greger builds the ultimate weight loss guide from the ground up, taking a timeless, proactive approach that can stand up to any new trend.
Chock full of actionable advice and groundbreaking dietary research, How Not to Diet will put an end to dieting―and replace those constant weight-loss struggles with a simple, healthy, sustainable lifestyle.
- Print length608 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherFlatiron Books
- Publication dateDecember 10, 2019
- Dimensions6.38 x 1.84 x 9.59 inches
- ISBN-101250199220
- ISBN-13978-1250199225
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In the Dietary Inflammatory Index, the single most anti-inflammatory food is the spice turmeric, followed by ginger and garlic, and the most anti-inflammatory beverage is green or black tea.Highlighted by 2,233 Kindle readers
It’s not what you eat but what you absorb, so you can lose more weight on a high-fiber diet eating the exact same number of calories simply because some of those calories get trapped and never make it into your system.Highlighted by 1,537 Kindle readers
When it comes to obesity, the power of your genes is nothing compared to the power of your fork.Highlighted by 1,033 Kindle readers
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Dr. Michael Greger is one of my heroes and continues to inspire me. Why? Because he embodies personal integrity, values facts, and is one of the kindest and smartest people I know. All of his lecture fees and book royalties go to charity, including his non-profit NutritionFacts.org, one of the most credible sources of science-based nutrition. How Not to Diet is one of the best books I’ve ever read on how to lose weight in sustainable ways that enhance health. Highly recommended!" ―Dean Ornish, M.D., founder and president of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute and author of UnDo It!
"There is no doubt that if you wish to learn how extensive is the evidence supporting a whole food plant-based diet, read this book. Dr. Greger has mastered that knowledge base like no one else." ―T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., professor emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University and author of The China Study
"How Not to Diet is an encyclopedic tapestry of everything important and healthful for human nutrition. Walter Lippman once stated 'the touchstone of sanity is the truth.' Dr. Greger has created a monumental bastion of nutritional truth to lead our journey in eliminating chronic disease." ―Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr. M.D., author of Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Flatiron Books; 1st edition (December 10, 2019)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 608 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1250199220
- ISBN-13 : 978-1250199225
- Item Weight : 1.8 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.38 x 1.84 x 9.59 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #6,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4 in Nutrition for Cancer Prevention
- #7 in Food Counters
- #20 in Green Housecleaning
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

A founding member and Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Michael Greger, MD, is a physician, New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized speaker on nutrition, food safety, and public health issues. He has lectured at the Conference on World Affairs, testified before Congress, and was invited as an expert witness in the defense of Oprah Winfrey in the infamous "meat defamation" trial. He is a graduate of Cornell University School of Agriculture and Tufts University School of Medicine. His latest book How Not to Die became an instant New York Times Best Seller.
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The long version: I am 58 years old and lately my lackluster halfhearted diet attempts have been making me crazy. I weigh about 25 pounds more than I'd like to, and I am feeling the strain of lugging around the extra weight, especially on my knees. On the one hand, I really want to lose the extra weight. On the other hand, I really want to eat whatever I want. And after having watched what I eat for 44 years now, sometimes more successfully than others, I have started to wonder: When does it end? When can I stop caring what I weigh? When can I eat Nutella without feeling guilty? When can I, you know, stop dieting and stop watching what I eat?
Sadly, my logical conclusion is never. I can stop caring about what I weigh and what I eat when I decide to stop caring about my health. So … never.
But still, even after years of doing this, I have found that lately the struggle has been profound. I drop 3 pounds and regain 4 almost immediately. Repeat repeat repeat. My overall trend has been up instead of down, despite my efforts. It's all very discouraging.
I have also spent a lifetime learning about diets and nutrition. Seriously, if you want the skinny on various diets, don't ask a thin person and don't ask an obese person. Ask an in-between person who has spent years facing the struggle. We know. We're the ones who do the homework and know all about Keto and Atkins and Ornish and Cabbage Soup and Paleo. My knowledge stretches back decades, and I have discovered that there are really only two things that work:
1. Your head has to be in the game. If you aren't mentally all in, it's a waste of time. If you are mentally all in, it doesn't matter what diet you're on, if any. You will succeed.
2. You can't just diet. It really has to be a lifestyle change to maintain long-term results.
So here I am, discouraged and prone to stress eating, not even wanting to play the diet game anymore – and along comes this book.
How Not to Diet was exactly what I needed. The book absolutely blew me away. I had no idea that there was so much I didn't know about a subject I thought I basically knew everything about. Every page a new revelation. Constant insights. Not just “eat more fiber” but detailed explanations as to why.
The author and his team scoured many thousands of studies to arrive at the well-researched conclusions with which this book is teeming. Free of the usual agendas and the unfounded assertions diet books put forward so that they will be different from one another and hence marketable, this book is loaded with GASP! actual facts.
I had also heard of, but not read, the author's How Not to Die. I've ordered a copy. I want to read as much of his work as possible. It's an investment in my health. Hopefully, this will be the catalyst I need to create real change. I am very optimistic.
The author's proceeds from this book will be donated to charity.
BOTTOM LINE: This book is a game changer. This book is a life changer. Very strongly recommend.
Processed "food" is engineered to be addicting. It does not exist to nourish your body, which is supposed to be the reason we eat, it exists to taste good so that we continue to be good customers.
Our bodies are not designed to be carnivores OR omnivores, since omnivores also have to have the abilities of carnivores. We don't have claws, teeth, or the speed to catch prey. Our teeth, digestive acid, and alimentary canal are those of herbivores. Yes, we can eat fish, meat, dairy and milk, but so could bunnies. They wouldn't be healthy bunnies, however. But Dr. Greger doesn't go into that in this book. He does, however, discuss the numerous studies that show the negative effects of eating processed foods and animal products have on our bodies and how consuming them makes it much more difficult to lose weight. (The fact that avoiding these same foods ALSO extends not only our lifespans but also our "health" spans is a happy byproduct.)
The number one take away from this book? Eat more fruits and vegetables, especially those that are grown above ground, intact grains, and pulses. Avoid processed foods (yeah, that includes olive oil) and animal products.
But he gives you more than that. He has some of the best advice I've ever read on how to break old habits and how to establish new ones. He also discusses what herbs and spices have been shown to increase your metabolism or decrease your appetite. He also discusses how and when to drink water for a metabolic boost. There is an almost overwhelming amount of information.
Have I found this information to be helpful, and effective? YES. Does it promise to help you lose 20 pounds in 7 days? No.
Is this book for everyone? Sadly, no. If you are not committed to making major changes in the way you eat, and then continuing them after you have lost the weight you want lose, don't waste your money. Any diet, whether it's a gimmicky one or not, will have you regaining the weight you lost, and perhaps then some, once you stop it. The beauty of Dr. Greger's recommendations is that you can follow them without becoming physically hungry, and the cravings for the foods that made you gain weight in the first place will diminish. (Trust me on that one.) In addition, you can continue on this plan eating a variety of food that will give you the best chance at avoiding problems with your cardiovascular system, a variety of cancers, and arthritis and dementia, or at least postponing problems until later in life.
If you are ready to make some major changes in your life to lose weight and then continue on with them to maintain a healthy lifestyle, then this may be the book for you.
PS to KETO fans who may want to rebut me here.
Yes, you can lose a lot of weight fast eating that way. I've done it. But to maintain that loss you have to continue on KETO, which means not getting enough fiber and the phytonutrients and antioxodants found only in plants. Yes, whole plant food eaters will have to take a B12. But animals do not make B12; it is made by bacteria that animals eat. You can get B12 from pill instead of having to eat bacteria-laden food or eating animals. I also take an omega 3 supplement, extracted from the same source where fish get their omega 3: algae. Omega 3 has not been shown to reduce cardiovascular events but may protect brain health. If you are young enough, you can probably produce enough of you own Omega 3 from foods like walnuts and flaxseeds.
I do not have to take a vitamin pill, however, which KETO adherents should, depending on how strictly they follow KETO. And the lack of protein in a varied whole plant food diet has long been disproved. An excess of animal protein, on the other hand, is likely to be responsible for the explosion of kidney failure we see in the US. And the high consumption of animal products (especially dairy) may be responsible for the explosion of diabetes that we are seeing in many places in the world.
Top reviews from other countries
There are some bizarre claims like the one that pistachios will help you sleep because they contain melanin. If you make your own research, you'll realize that the amount of melanin in pistachios is measured in nanograms, so you'd have to eat thousands to feel any effect.
On other hand there is hardly any discussion about omega 3-6-9 oils which many other nutritionists consider quite important.
Michael Pollan's maxim 'Eat food, not too much, mostly plants' pretty much summarizes the main ideas of this book.
Ich kann nur empfehlen, dass man sich verschiedene Quellen durchliest (LowCarb, Low-Fat, Keto, Proteine, Fleisch, Vegetarier, Veganer) und sich dann seine Meinung bildet.
Es gibt wahrscheinlich für jede Ernährungsrichtung eine Studie, die diese Art und Weise rechtfertigt. Man braucht Perspektive, um das Ganze beurteilen zu können. Bücher wie "Death by Food Pyramide" gehen in diese Richtung.
Herr Greger spricht aber den wichtigen Punkt an, dass man sich angucken sollte, wie Ernährung die Gesundheit beeinflusst (ebenso natürlich Esselstyn, McDougall, Campbell).
(Ja, ich habe auch Dinge wie Renegade Diet, Four-Hour Body, Why we get fat gelesen).
IMO realisiert man dann, dass man aus der Meta-Perspektive nur plant-based whole food empfehlen kann.
Die meisten Bücher diskutieren Dinge wie Schwermetallbelastung, Epigenetik oder Polyphenole nicht. Im Falle von sehr fleischlastigen Diäten wird auf Nahrungsergänzungmittel (die nicht per se schlecht sind) verwiesen, ohne klarzustellen, dass die reine Substanz sich meist als wirkungslos erwiesen hat (vgl. Fischölkapseln).
Konkretes Beispiel bei Tim Ferriss (Thema ohne Bezug auf ihn wird auch im Buch besprochen): Er spricht sich stark gegen Fruktose aus. Studien haben aber gezeigt, dass Fuktose in Obst ganz anders wirkt als bei der isolierten Einnahme (kein Insulinschock). Solche fundamental wichtigen Dinge werden dann weggelassen und es wird eine Theorie geformt (Carbs sind böse), aus der dann konkrete Ernährungsempfehlungen abgeleitet werden.
Ja, Herr Greger empfiehlt am Ende als "Philosophie" auch whole-plant based food. Aber erst nachdem er extrem viele Aspekte beleuchtet hat (Epigenetik, Wirksamkeit von isolierten Substanzen, Krankheiten, biologische Mechanismen). Ich bin immer noch offen für andere Ernährungsarten. Dennoch scheint mir die empfohlene Ernährungsweise sowohl empirisch als auch logisch die beste zu sein: Pflanzen bilden Abwehrstoffe gegen viele Angreifer. Durch pflanzenbasierte Nahrung führt man sich eine Vielzahl dieser zu. Tiere sammeln aufgrund der Ernährungspyramide (mit Apex Predatoren an der Spitze) viel mehr Schadstoffe.
Herr Greger hat einfach die Nuancen des Themas verstanden.
Interessante Zusatzlektüre: How not to die, Meatonomics (politisch), Death by Food Pyramide (was die Politik angeht), Das Salz-Zucker-Fett Komplott (politisch). Herr Greger spielt, was Akribik und empirische Belege angeht, natürlich in einer ganz anderen Liga.
Don’t get bogged down in the first few chapters but read the ‘food for thought’ sections as summaries. The chapters on boosters and tweaks make it all worthwhile!
Can’t wait for the ‘how not to diet cookbook’ as the ‘how not to die cookbook’ was a lot more accessible than ‘how not to die’!
However, kindle search & highlights really help, and the Daily Dozen app demystifies what is actually required.
Putting it all into practice is another matter. I will let you know in six months how it goes :)
He has used a vast number of references from the scientific literature, but often with the disclaimer "there was no control group". Well then why include it? If there is no control you cannot possibly draw any meaningful conclusions, its little more than an anecdote. Throwing huge amounts of data at the public to me shows the lack of true understanding the author has for the topic.
If this was edited down to the very best science it could be valuable, but like every diet/health/lifestyle book I have ever read, there is an agenda.











