Enzymes from plants are destroyed on contact with your stomach acids - the whole concept that cooking food (what live foodists call 'dead' food) is a bad thing to do is scientifically complete rubbish. Many foods such as kidney beans are actually toxic unless you cook them thoroughly.

Save yourself your time and money and keep to these principles and you'll do just fine...

1. Excess calories are the cause of weight gain. Only by decreasing the amount you eat, being more physically active to burn more of what you do consume off, or a mixture of the two (the best option) can you loose weight. Full stop. No other ways.
2. Fasting or radically cutting down on calories sends your body a 'food is in shortage' message which lowers the metabolism making it even more efficient and decreasing the rate of weightloss. Do yourself a huge favour and take weightloss slowly with moderate actions not major ones.
3. Fat is not bad, it is simply it is calorie-dense (so you can either have one piece of chocolate or a whole plate of vegetables... which one is going to keep you feeling satisfied the longest... enough said).
4. Anything that makes radical claims about weightloss is a lying fad diet. Dr Atkins died prematurely as an obese man... that should really tell you enough. Weightloss from low-carb, high-protein diets (ie atkins) is the loss of water from muscles not loss of fat... such is immediately regained once you start eating carbs again. Your body is made to use carbs not convert protein to energy - stay with what is natural.
5. Eat as wide a mix of vegetables as possible... the more vivid the colour the better (full of disease-fighting compounds).
6. Steam and grill rather than fry and roast.
7. Beware excessive portion sizes... use cups as a guide when measuring out. Protein should be about the size and thickness of your palm (hand minus fingers).
8. Never skip breakfast and avoid fibre-reduced sugar-traps such as fruit juice (if you must have some then dilute it with water).
9. Never, ever fast or seriously mess around with your diet without a clear order to do so from your NHS doctor... random therapists and self-proclaimed nutritionalists do not count.
10. Remember diets are not your friend. They cause people to view food as the enemy rather than a means to excellent health, and as a cause of guilt. Don't yo-yo back and forth between dieting and binging. If diets worked why are there so many - surely the first one would have been all everyone needed? Or maybe its because the authors of diets want your money... Don't diet - adopt a healthy eating plan that you can keep with lifelong.

Basically use your common sense - but don't listen to a complete non-professional like McKeith.

Wishing you lifelong years of health and happiness, M.J.


Quack Alert - dont buy this dross   October 23, 2005
 46 out of 73 found this review helpful

Watch out - she is a clueless moron out for your money. Dubious 'accreditation' from some quack organisation in the States (not that such bodies dont exist in this country) - I could probably get my goldfish accredited if i paid the fee.

12 'superfoods', give me a break. All food is super. Come on people, you all know what a healthy diet is. Vegetables, meat, bread, rice, fruit, chocolate, tea, juice, water etc., its all good, just keep it balanced. Ride your bikes, go for a walk or get down to the swimming pool. Granted, its true that living off algae and seeds for an extended period will induce weight loss. Probably more than is safe. A stone in ten days - sounds like thats mostly muscle rather than flab, Thelma.

Sorry to tell you, but the truth about healthy nutrition is banal, not some superfood hokum that this moneygrabber peddles. When they ask for your devotion - and your money - QUACK ALERT!