Fit for Life

Rating:
Summary: Excellent practical advice
Review: Although this book is rather old the practical dietary guidance is more than relevant today. It is oriented towards becoming a vegetarian or vegan which is the healthiest diet, in my opinion. The views are and arguments are explained very well and back-up with information.

Combine this with a good raw vegan cookbook ('Raw' is great) and you will be on the path to health. For thos practicing qigong, you won't get full benefit without changing to a meat-free diet.

Rating:
Summary: Fat no more and FIT FOR LIFE!
Review: Loved this book - it helped to change my life - AND my dress size. I recommend it very highly. Balanced, honest, sensible diet that really works. If you have tried all the diets, and believe me, I have - this is the one that will stick.

I have to admit I thought it was just another fad - but it really is "for life."


Rating:
Summary: Works mainly for Californians
Review: ...and people living in other sunny, subtropical or temperate areas. For one, the abundance of fruits, tropical and otherwise, recommended as part of this way of life is simply not available year-round in the Northern European country in which I live. To always start the day with large quantities of melon, canteloupe, strawberries, etc. is not a realistic option for people in many parts of the world. It also seems to me that fruit alone would not be enough to sustain or satisfy you on chilly November mornings - it seems natural for the body to crave carbohydrates and warm foods in the AM during the winter months. This seems to have been kind of overlooked by the authors. The same goes for sleeping with your window open year-round, recommended by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond so as to let the body breathe in the pure nighttime air. This is likewise not to be recommended on cold Dutch February nights! (or if you live in an inner-city area, for that matter). I also have the impression the Diamonds jumped on the whole "food combining" bandwagon introduced at that time, I think, by an Indian physician/nutritionist whose name I've forgotten. The authors of this book seem to have made the savvy move to adapt these ideas and market them partially as part of a weight-loss plan - guaranteed success?

Despite my nitpicking, though, it is a lively and convincingly written book, and I looked up the reviews mainly to find out if it still has some impact nearly two decades after it was first published. Personally, I have used the advice given in the book in an "opportunistic", pick-and-choose kind of way, taking some of the suggestions to heart (and still bearing them in mind years after I read the book), while conveniently ignoring others that don't suit me. Fair play to all of you who have managed to stick with this nutritional plan - it would be interesting to know if anyone will still pay attention to (and indeed follow) the guidelines laid down in "Fit for Life" ten, fifteen years from now.

Rating:
Summary: The book that changed my life
Review: I started on this diet 18 months ago and boy, what a difference.

I am sharper, brighter, more alive, better at my work, more energetic, can eat as much as I like, suffer no ill health or pain and discomfort...I could go on all day but I think you get the idea. This book is not a diet fad, it is a life changer.

You may think that a book talking about fresh fruit and vegetables, air, water, sunshine and exercise is just common sense. Well you would be right, it is. Unfortunately with all the different opinions we receive from doctors, health advisers and food companies it is easy to get confused about what we should eat.

I would suggest trying this diet for 10 days and see how you feel. I suspect you will notice an improvement in well being very quickly and any way the money you spend on the book will be paid back by a lower grocery bill (fresh produce is cheaper than cooked or processed). What have you got to lose?

After a few months of following the principles in Fit for Life, I would strongly recommend reading Fit for Life II by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond.

Well done Harvey and Marilyn Diamond for having the courage to speak the truth (see www.feeltheforce.org), and thank you.

Rating:
Summary: Hmmm
Review: This books main premise is that we should eat lots of fruit and raw watery foods, and that we should avoid certain food combinations. The authors give specific recommendations as to what food group combinations should be avoided, or how long you should wait between eating one food group and eating another.

So the question is this: Is this plan effective? Well, in my opinion, it is certainly a good idea to increase fruit and vegetable intake. But on the other hand, do you really need to read a 350-page book to know that? And why do they emphasize fruit so much over vegetables?

And as for the food combination guidelines, it is really a tough call to say whether or not they are effective. But I'll tell you this: they definitely create some kind of limits on what you can eat, and that is probably what some practitioners of Fit For Life have found effective. Its not necessarily the specific guidelines in the book; it is probably just the fact that if you follow there guidelines, you cannot eat anything you want anymore, and thus you will probably loose weight and have some kind of result. However, I personally feel that the Fit for Life eating guidelines are unbalanced and excessive, and I would not recommend that anyone strictly follows the diet.

Rating:
Summary: RUGBY PLAYER
Review: HELLO, IVE JUST STARTED DOING THE INFO IN THIS BOOK"FIT FOR LIFE", I FEEL GOOD AND IM MUCH MORE ACTIVE. I WAS HAVING SOME PROBLEMS WITH MY OVER WEIGHT AND DEPRESSION AND WITH ALL THIS I WAS ONLY DOING MY RUGBY PRACTICES AND THAT WAS ALL. ONCE I STARTED TO CHANGE MY LIFE STYLE I STARTED GOING TO THE GYM, I WANTED TO SEE MY FRIENDS AND I HAD THIS LOVELY ENERGY DURING THE HOLE DAY. THE ONLY PROBLEM I HAVE IS THAT AS IVE CUT OUT DAIRY PRODUCTS AND IM GETTIN THE CALCIUM FROM SESAME SEEDS, IS THAT ENOUGH? I KNOW VEGETABLES AND FRUITS ALSO CONTAIN SOME CALCIUM BUT I KNOW ITS NOT ENOUGH. PLEASE HELP BECAUSE I DONT WANT TO SUFFER FROM OSTEOPOROSIS WHEN IM OLDER.