Review: "How Not to Diet" (manuscript)

            How Not to Diet:  The Groundbreaking Science of Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss is the sequel to Dr. Michael Greger’s How Not to Die. As you might imagine, Dr. Greger of NutritionFacts.org looks at the science behind weight loss.  One of the differences between Dr. Greger and other whole-food plant-based diet proponents is the amount of scientific study that is reference.  In this almost 600-page book, almost 5,000 scientific sites are referenced – and yes, if you want to read the study yourself, Dr. Greger has links to them for you.

            Much in keeping with his previous book, he begins by arguing against the standard American diet and in favor of a whole-foods plant-based diet that is “microbiome friendly, rich in fruits and vegetables, rich in legumes, and satisfying” (table of contents).

            After this, he moves into two sections on weight-loss itself: “weight-loss boosters” and “Dr. Greger’s twenty-one tweaks.”

            The twenty-one tweaks were the most exciting part of the book for me – as someone who needs to lose weight.  I am not going to list them all here, because you should buy the book, but I will say that I have added several of them into my daily routine, and I have begun to lose weight.

            I have added not eating after 7 PM, drinking water before each meal, adding an amount of ginger and cayenne pepper, and front-loading calories during the day – having my largest calorie meal first and the least last.  You can read his explanations of why these and other tweaks can help.

            I have been on a whole-foods plant-based diet – for the most part – for some time, but I am also on medications that cause weight gain, so I am encouraged that what he recommends is starting to help me.  It’s well worth the try.

            [This review appears on my blog, my YouTube channel, Amazon.com, and Goodreads.com.]