[.ca] Fat Free Flavor Full (ISBN 0316574732)

LOWER HIGH TRIGLYCERIDES WITHOUT MEDICINE:
I started researching this topic about 2 years ago when my 35 year old husband became violently sick one night, he went the next morning for a blood test and his triglycerides were over 1800. They should be around 150 for a normal person. My husband has what Dr. Murkin calls Diabetic genes (all of his siblings and father suffer from high tri's & cholesterol). His HDL was 20 and his cholesterol was 400. After 2 weeks on Murkin, tricor and niacin he's bloods were in a good range. Since my husband & I prefer not to take medicine, he dropped the niacin and tricor after about a month. His bloods remained low with just the Murkin Diet. He began cheating about 6 months ago and spiraled out of control, a recent blood test showed tri's up above 2000. We are back on the diet in a big way and we will never go off of it again. I highly recommend this book!!

A book that can change (and maybe even save) your life:
Fat Free, Flavor Full is the book where Dr Mirkin lays down the thought and the science behind his 20-gram/ "20/30" plan. If a Mirkin book has been recommended to you by a doctor, this is the book to read (get it from the library if you must, but do get it). He lays out his story, explains why genuinely low-fat diet is important, and the links between high fat and disease. I cannot recommend this book enough for those with high cholesterol, who have typeII diabetes, or TypeII runs in their family. For most Americans it requires a bit of a seachange in eating habits, but it's well worth it. With the right foods, you can lose weight while eating as much as you want(I work in a very physically demanding job, build up a whale of an appetite, and teeny portions of food are simply NOT going to cut it!). His tone can be a bit magisterial at times and I personally don't share his dislike for soybean products, but the science and reasoning behind this book are undeniable. If you are serious about losing extra weight and living healthier, get this book. Read it, absorb it, make the change, and live better.

Good if you like lots of beans:
Dr. Mirkin's diet is wonderfully simple. You can get full and satisfied on fat-free foods like lentils and brown rice. The recipes are tasty and practical (the large-scale batch recipes are GREAT to freeze and keep). I love that he recommends whole foods like whole grains, vegetables and lentils. So why 3 stars? First because he wants you to eat as little fat as possible. This ignores recent research that has found certain fats, such as those found in fish, olive oil and nuts are good for you. Yes, fat in large amounts in bad for you. BUT, fat also helps foods be more satisfying (in terms of bulk, mouthfeel and of course, taste) to you. Some of it, in moderation, is also beneficial for you. One wonders why Dr. Mirkin does not allow for this. Also, the diet is VERY restrictive. Yes, you get to eat SOME foods to your heart's content, but even lentil and fish lovers like me tire of those items. Dr. Mirkin allows you one free meal a week, although you must still keep that in moderation. For some, this diet would be no problem, but I think that most people, if they're honest with themselves, would find this diet unrealistic.

Excellent "lifestyle change":
This book is awesome. I totally swear by it. I went from 32% body fat down to 20% in 2 months (15lbs of pure fat, not muscle) and my goal of 14% will be easily attained. It takes some willpower to give up fatty foods which taste better and have little fiber to make you feel full (so you eat twice as much) but there are so many products out there besides fruits and vegetables that you can use to treat yourself when you feel deprived of your old foods(and they are fat free!) Look for potato chips cooked in OLEAN as an occasional fat free treat. Of course, these treats are just not all you can eat like the natural foods are. And yes, the book *IS* very vegetarian but his diet allows 1 or 2 freebie meals in which you could easily incorporate meat should you miss it. Costco also carries a 1g of fat per breast chicken breasts by Kirkland. And one can also find fat free cheeses, lunch meats and other foods to replace the small void. I feel so comfortable on this diet, that I hardly miss meat anyway(and I was raised by an meat family!). Sure I miss eating steaks every night but I don't feel deprived. I also converted my husband, my mother and my father to this diet and they were all extreme meat eaters as well. You just have to keep your eyes peeled for the old foods you love in fat free form, and figure out how much you can eat of each. Then use your treat meals for your fat full meats. I definately recommend this book if you are looking to melt the pounds off quickly, easily and forever. It's a lifestyle change but it is well worth the bit of effort it takes to break a bad habit of eating wrong!

AWESOME NO BULL WAY OF LIFE:
I absolutely love Mirkin's books. My hubbie and I converted to his "life style change" 6 months ago and we practically had to go out and buy a new wardrobe because of all the weight we lost. I went from 136 to 102 and he went from 220 to 180 -- all in about 4 months. Neither of us starved or went hungry to do it! Mirkin's theory is rock solid, and you can't argue with results. Limiting that fat intake and eating LOTS of high fiber filling foods (unrefined carbos like fruits, veggies, and beans) works 100% more effective than any stupid fad diet I've seen. His recipes taste great and his 19 meals rule makes the diet easy to follow (every 19 healthy meals you get 1 or 2 "free meals") Definately get his books if you want to get realistic and are tired of all the fad diet junk out there!!