The Eat to Live Diet: Lose 20 Pounds or More in Six Weeks - Safely (Paperback)

The diet can be summed up as: eat unlimited amounts of green leafy vegetables (onions and carrots are included with these), fruits, pulses and legumes; a few portions a day of root vegetables and whole grains; a handful of nuts and a little flaxseed for essential fatty acids (you won't lose weight without them); and minimising everything else. Dr. Fuhrman recommends no refined grains (think white rice, white flour and sugar), no eggs or dairy products and one portion a week or less of meat (he prefers lean chicken or turkey). He also recommends minimising alcohol and caffiene intake.

This diet is a huge change for most people, but after reading the first half of the book it becomes clear that not incorporating these changes into your lifestyle will not only keep you fat, but also greatly increases the risk of chronic illness such as heart disease, cancer and autoimmune diseases later on in life. For more information on this type of diet and chronic illness, I recommend also reading The China Study by T. Colin Campbell.

Also, once you are into the habit of eating this way, and your body has learned to deal with the changes in your diet (this may take a week or two), following this diet becomes second nature, especially as there is no need for calorie counting. I find that I now have no cravings for sweet or fatty foods, and I feel and look much better than when I started the diet. There are also lots of fantastic recipes that you can make and still follow the diet. A few are included in the back of the book, and many more can be adapted from the large number of vegan cookbooks on the market. (I should point out that this is not a vegan diet, but in practise it is close to one.)

But perhaps the best thing about this book, and certainly the thing that drew me to it in the first place, is that the dietary advice is all totally scientifically sound. Every point Dr. Fuhrman makes is backed up by references, which the sceptical are invited to check. This is in sharp contrast to most of the diet books out there, which, more often than not, are just based on opinion and personal experience.

He argues that the foods we consider to be nourishing are in fact low in nutrition. We tend to measure nutrition in terms of grams of protein per 100 grams of the food. He says it would be better to record the number of grams of protein per calorie. He shows that under this approach steak has a lower protein level than most vegetables. Because steak has more fat and carbohydrate, in order to get the same amount of protein you have to eat more calories. I believe this argument is absolutely sound.

He extends his argument beyond protein to show that most of our staple foods are low in many nutrients. The basis of his diet is that by changing the foods we eat, we can eat more and lose weight. This appears to be correct.

If you follow this diet you are more likely to be successful in losing weight and keeping it off than just about any other diet. You will, however, have to get used to eating huge quantities of fruit and vegetables and practically no cheese, cake, chocolate, meat, biscuits, crisps, ice-creametc. Sugar, salt, even dried fruit and fruit juice are out.

The good news is that you will not feel hungry. Other diets give you more of the food you want but are less filling.

The style is sensationalist but he does not make incorrect assertions in the way other sensationalist diet authors do.