Forget Dieting!

June 1, 2020
Despite the title, unlimited pizza, potato chips, and chocolate cake are not on the menu. Rosen, a registered nurse with a master's degree in social work, tries to empower failed dieters by warning that excess pounds increase the risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, sleep apnea, and osteoarthritis. Obesity has even bypassed tobacco as the number one preventable cause of cancer. Rosen shares that she struggled with weight herself, hiding 35 extra pounds with lots of black. She gives some conventional advice ( move, less is more, listen to your body ) and adds some tsk-tsks ( Your mouth is not supposed to have a party at every meal. ). She also adds some more controversial food combining tips, advising against eating animal proteins with starches, such as roast leg of lamb with potatoes or even chicken with rice. A recipe for the apple cider vinegar cleanse/fasting drink calls for lemon juice and cayenne pepper and says, with no apparent irony, simply mix and enjoy! Still, there is much sound and useful information here for everyone searching for diet guidance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)