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Rating: 
Summary: Another poorly written diet book.
Review: I enjoyed the original Pritikin Principle book published in 1973 so I was looking for an updated version. This is NOT it. The author (the son of the original Pritikin author) seems to be fluffing up the book by repeating many concepts several times without adding any new information. The book stresses calories and doesn't give much space to other important dietary considerations such as sodium and caffeine. Another problem is that the author never explains how to calculate the calorie density of food. It does list calorie densities of many foods, but it omits many, many more. If you must read this book, buy it used. Better yet, buy the original 1973 book if you can find it.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent-A practical way to lose weight
Review: I picked up this book five days ago and read through it that night. In the last four days I have lost close of four pounds and it has been easy. Simply followed suggestion to add more vegetable and water based foods to my diet. Now fill up on salads and soups or a vegetable dish. Then use a smaller amount of a meat and/or starch that is healthly made. Never feel hungry. I found that I really need to each every two hours though. Nice to know that I don't have to feel hungry. I have also taken up running although Pritikan says all you have to do is walk. Really a life saver.
Rating:
Summary: Easy to read - easy to live with!
Review: If your a fan of the Pritikin diet, you will like The Pritikin Principle. However, it does not differ much from the typical Pritikin Diet except that it adds the new Calorie Density Guides(based on a pound of food for calculations). What this guide does lack, however, is directions for calculating calorie density on all the foods NOT listed in this book (which are a lot). It does include a guide for making better choices at restaurants. However, the author tells you to limit animal protein intake to 3 to 4 ounces per day, yet almost every restaurant choice for lunch and dinner includes an animal protein choice (a few vegetarian choices are included). Dairy products, fats, and ALL processed grain products, including breads, are restricted. The basic idea is that you fill up on vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. The author stresses that in order to loss weight, you have to create a calorie deficeit, preferrably through reducing calories and increasing exercise. Like former Pritikin diets, this diet plan is rather stringent and would be difficult for those who frequent restaurants to follow in order to lose 7 pounds per week as advertised on the cover. Volumetrics by Barbara Rolls offfers a similar, less restricted diet plan based on energy (calorie) density per gram. Also, she tells you how to calculate the energy density for any food, which is extremely helpful. Both books are based on lifestyle changes rather than short-term diets. Robert Pritikin's The Pritikin Principle is easier to read, but I believe Barbara Rolls' Volumetrics would be much easier to follow, especially over a lifetime.
Rating: 
Summary: Re: Pritikin Died of Leukemia at 66. Why?
Review: Nathan Pritikin's Leukemia was caused by the radiation treatments he received as a child. (I think that his doctors irradiated his thyroid.) The radiation levels used back in those days were thought to be safe, because the harmful effects didn't show up until decades later. We now know differently.
In the late 1950s, Nathan Pritikin was diagnosed with heart disease. Soon after, he adopted a low-fat, high-fiber diet and began a moderate exercise program. Subsequent medical examinations revealed dramatic improvements in his health.
The autopsy done after he died showed that his arteries were *clean*. This was the final proof that the diet and exercise program he urged others to follow had worked for him, too!
I have no connection with Nathan Pritikin's family or the Pritikin Longevity Center. I've read several books written by Nathan Pritikin or his son, Robert Pritikin, and I'm trying to adhere to the diet and exercise program they recommend. It takes discipline, but the results are worth it!
Rating: 
Summary: Pritikin Died of Leukemia at 66. Why?
Review: Pritikin died of leukemia at 66. Or 65? Anyway, even though he called his centers "Longevity Centers," he fell far short of the average U.S. life expectancy. No question about it. Pritikin is far superior to Atkins. And it can have a good effect on heart disease and hypertension. But Pritikin shows that it has no significant effect on longevity. It cannot extend your lifespan. And it does not retard your aging. So it is deceptive advertising to call Pritkin Centers "Longevity Centers." The Pritikin Diet is unnecessarily strict. It is extremely phobic about fat, salt and sugar. And no alcohol. Prohibitionism. So many don'ts. Does an extremely low-fat diet like Pritikin make one susceptible to depression? As Pritikin suffered when he had a relapse of his cancer, he immediately slashed his wrist and killed himself. If you wish to lose weight and prevent cancer and heart disease, and also retard your aging and extend your lifespan, then I recommend you read The ImmorTalist Manifesto by Elixxir. It will tell you all about The Elixxir Program. And Elixxir, "the only anti-aging guru who has actually stayed young." Investor's Business Daily Even if you choose to experiment with Pritikin, you need The ImmorTalist Manifesto as your companion book. It will give you the inspiration and power you need to stay on a demanding diet. Yes, I'm biased. I've been on The Elixxir Program. And it's worked wonders for me. Lost over 35 pounds and kept it off for more than two years. And in the most healthy and sustainable way. Can you blame me for bias? ;)
Rating:
Summary: An excellent guide to the way we ought to look at food
Review: This book should not be considered a typical diet book. It is, instead, a guide to understanding different food categories and how they affect weight and health. We all know--because we hear it all the time--that by eating right and exercising we will lose weight and stay healthy. This is simply fact. Once calorie density is understood, it becomes easy to determine which foods to choose and the best combinations in which to eat them. There's no guess work once you understand the calorie density concept--you won't have to apply point values to anything; you won't have to eliminate entire categories of sensible foods from your diet. You will begin to notice weight loss within two weeks--even if you haven't exercised--and you'll feel good because you know you've consciously contributed to your own well being. Knowing that you are in control of your own health and well being, you will regain self-confidence, and you will actually WANT to exercise (start by walking). The concepts learned in this book will be easy to live by for the rest of your life.
Rating:
Summary: Most important diet book ever written
Review: This is quite simply the most important diet book ever written. Pritikin's "Calorie Density" theory is the true explanation of weight gain and loss. Other diets succeed or fail depending on whether they are low calorie density, which is why Atkins had to come up with such complicated good carb, bad carb logic on his maintenance diets. The theory is rather simple: people tend to eat the same amount of food every day (3 pounds). What determines whether they gain or lose weight is the number of calories in that three pounds of food. Those who eat high calorie foods gain weight. Those who eat low calorie foods lose weight. What makes a food high calorie? Forget everything you've ever heard because the truth is surprising. The more water in the food, the lower calorie it will be. That's because there are no calories in water (0 calories / gram). Fiber is the next best thing at 0 or 1 calorie per gram. The more fiber the better. Protein and carbohydrates are in the middle. They have 4 calories per gram. The real problem is fat, which has 9 calories per gram, twice as much as carbohydrates and protein. Fat is the biggest enemy of the dieter because it is so loaded with calories. Pritkin's method is very simple. Weigh the food you eat and count the number of calories. As long as calories per pound is less than 400 you will lose weight. Calories per pound between 400 and 600 leads to weight maintenance. More than 600 calories per pound causes weight gain. (The only trick is that for liquids count just the calories, not the weight. Which means avoid liquids which have more than a few calories.) Nothing else matters, according to Pritikin. The glycemic index is worthless, and weight gain has nothing to do with insulin rushes or food intolerances. There is no need to count carbs, fats, or eat small portions. Ultimately weight gain is caused by eating more calories than we burn, and that is determined by whether we eat high-calorie foods or not. Fruits and vegetables are the stars of a low calorie diet. Their calorie density is very low so they can be eaten in unlimited quantities, along with the delicious complex carb foods like pasta and potatoes which make up the rest of the diet. The result is a low fat, high carb diet, which as Pritikin documents, has been shown in 25 years of scientific studies to cure diabetes, allow people to lose weight and keep it off, go off blood pressure medicines, and avoid bypass surgery. In case someone cares about my credentials, I have no financial ties to Pritikin. I have however followed their diets for 21 years with excellent results. I am 70 pounds lighter now, going from an obese 32 BMI to a slim BMI 20 and body fat under 10%. My cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose levels & tolerance are all superb, and in spite of 21 years on a high-carb diet I show absolutely none of the bad side effects like insulin resistance which the high-fat diet authors claim I should have. I am in my 40's, at my dream weight, and finished a marathon last year. Anyone who wants to join me can. Being fat is optional. If someone doesn't want to buy Pritikin, Barbara Roll's "Volumetrics" book has the same kind of diet.
Rating:
Summary: Most important diet book ever written
Review: This is quite simply the most important diet book ever written. Pritikin's "Calorie Density" theory is the true explanation of weight gain and loss. Other diets succeed or fail depending on whether they are low calorie density, which is why Atkins had to come up with such complicated good carb, bad carb logic on his maintenance diets. The theory is rather simple: people tend to eat the same amount of food every day (3 pounds). What determines whether they gain or lose weight is the number of calories in that three pounds of food. Those who eat high calorie foods gain weight. Those who eat low calorie foods lose weight. What makes a food high calorie? Forget everything you've ever heard because the truth is surprising. The more water in the food, the lower calorie it will be. That's because there are no calories in water (0 calories / gram). Fiber is the next best thing at 0 or 1 calorie per gram. The more fiber the better. Protein and carbohydrates are in the middle. They have 4 calories per gram. The real problem is fat, which has 9 calories per gram, twice as much as carbohydrates and protein. Fat is the biggest enemy of the dieter because it is so loaded with calories. Pritkin's method is very simple. Weigh the food you eat and count the number of calories. As long as calories per pound is less than 400 you will lose weight. Calories per pound between 400 and 600 leads to weight maintenance. More than 600 calories per pound causes weight gain. (The only trick is that for liquids count just the calories, not the weight. Which means avoid liquids which have more than a few calories.) Nothing else matters, according to Pritikin. The glycemic index is worthless, and weight gain has nothing to do with insulin rushes or food intolerances. There is no need to count carbs, fats, or eat small portions. Ultimately weight gain is caused by eating more calories than we burn, and that is determined by whether we eat high-calorie foods or not. Fruits and vegetables are the stars of a low calorie diet. Their calorie density is very low so they can be eaten in unlimited quantities, along with the delicious complex carb foods like pasta and potatoes which make up the rest of the diet. The result is a low fat, high carb diet, which as Pritikin documents, has been shown in 25 years of scientific studies to cure diabetes, allow people to lose weight and keep it off, go off blood pressure medicines, and avoid bypass surgery. In case someone cares about my credentials, I have no financial ties to Pritikin. I have however followed their diets for 21 years with excellent results. I am 70 pounds lighter now, going from an obese 32 BMI to a slim BMI 20 and body fat under 10%. My cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose levels & tolerance are all superb, and in spite of 21 years on a high-carb diet I show absolutely none of the bad side effects like insulin resistance which the high-fat diet authors claim I should have. I am in my 40's, at my dream weight, and finished a marathon last year. Anyone who wants to join me can. Being fat is optional. If someone doesn't want to buy Pritikin, Barbara Roll's "Volumetrics" book has the same kind of diet.
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