Tag Archives: book reviews

Molly Sims’ 9 Fabulous Ways to Live Like an Everyday Supermodel

Swimsuit model, actress, supermodel…mom, wife, woman…the very real, yet very supermodel Molly Sims has added author to her resume. Her new lifestyle book, The Everyday Supermodel, shares her hard-earned fitness, fashion, and health insights. Before you assume taking wellness and life advice from a supermodel is not your thing, you’ve got to know that Sims’ book is written like she is talking to an old friend. Girlfriend to girlfriend, her advice is realistic, and she writes in a way that is easy to relate.

Here are some of the best pieces of advice from Molly Sims that you can adopt right now to make your own life super!

1. Perseverance can get you anywhere.

Sims introduces her book by assuring readers that she worked hard to get where she is today, initially assuring her audience that she is not just a supermodel.

“There’s an everyday supermodel in each one of us.”

2. Love your body.

This is a message we hear all the time, but it is extra helpful hearing it from a supermodel. Sims discusses how she loved to learn her not stick-thin body, and encourages women to do the same, at all stages of her life.

3. If you look good, you feel good.

Sims’ book is peppered with mottos and motivational quotes. One of the best is:

“If you look good, you feel good–and when you feel good, you look good. So you might as well feel f-ing fabulous!” (more…)

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Jessica Tholmer

Jim Gaffigan’s Hilarious Food Rules for Everyone Not to Live by

Jim Gaffigan recently recently his second book entitled Food: A Love Story. Gaffigan, if you are unfamiliar with his brand of humor, is a hilarious, honest, satirical comedian. He previously wrote the book Dad is Fat, in which he reels on fatherhood with five young children. And in similar fashion in his newest release, Gaffigan has his readers rolling with his honest take on food. He says the things we all may be thinking, but we all may not be saying. Gaffigan explores everything from American food consumption to the questionable purpose of kale.

Though the entire book is quotable, we probably can’t republish it here. So we’re sharing a few of Gaffigan’s best food rules to abide by. (Or, to not abide by, but to at least laugh at.)

Jim Gaffigan’s Hilarious Food Rules for Everyone

1. Never take advice from skinny people.

“When a thin person announces, “Here’s a great taco place,” I kind of shut down a little. How do they know it’s so great? From smelling the tacos?”

Now maybe this isn’t fair. Of course there are plenty of skinny people who know great food when they taste it, and of course there are plenty of skinny people that like particular foods that other not-so-skinny people might also enjoy. The point is, Gaffigan’s point is hilarious.

2. Steak is a big deal.

“…because consuming a steak is one of the great pleasures we get to experience during our short time on this planet.”

Gaffigan describes his confusion toward his father’s love for steak as a child, though he touchingly concludes just why it was so important to him throughout his life. Steak can be particularly fancy, and I think we all know that.

3. Gravy is not a beverage.

“Our eyes met, and he gave me a warm Midwestern smile as if to say, “Hey, how’s it going?” I nodded and said hello and was only a bit more than slightly tempted to exclaim, “You realize you’re drinking gravy, right?”

Gaffigan pokes a lot of fun at Midwesterners, a title he himself holds, and though I must add that not all Midwest-residents probably drink gravy, this story is too good to pass up. It’s one of the best LOL anecdotes in the entire book! (more…)

Posted on December 11, 2023 by Jessica Tholmer

Forks Over Knives Plan Pushes Whole Food Vegan Diet for Beginners

Most, if not all, chronic disease can be controlled, even reversed, with a diet that eliminates animal products and processed foods and is ultra-low in fat. At least that’s the premise of Forks Over Knives, the film and the book that “helped spark a nutrition revolution.” It spotlights the benefits of a whole food diet (nothing processed or refined) limited to plant products (no meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese, or gelatin) and with negligible fat (no oils, including olive oil and nuts). The Forks Over Knives Plan, a new book in the series, was written by two medical doctors, Alona Pulde and Matthew Lederman, who treat patients with this dietary regimen. This book is designed to help with the transition and assumes the reader has embraced the premise and is ready to begin.

The book starts with a “background” of scientific evidence to make the case for the diet. (Just watch the film.) Next up is The Forks Over Knives Plan, the actual scheme the doctors use to complete the transition to a vegan diet over four weeks. Each week targets a particular meal to make vegan:

Week 1 focuses on breakfast
Week 2 on lunch
Week 3 on dinner
Week 4 focuses on lifestyle issues

The readings, oriented around the week, dig into nutrition information and practical issues. For instance, which foods to stock at home and what to eat in a restaurant. The information may or may not be new, depending on your level of veganism. ForksOverKnives.com has more tools to support this transition. (more…)

Posted on October 27, 2024 by Natalie K

The 4 Keys to Real Fitness Start with Strength Training and Food Quantity, Says Trainer Pamela Hernandez

For those of you looking to get off the diet roller coaster, get back to the basics, and develop a balanced and sustainable lifestyle to get you feeling your best, health coach and personal trainer Pamela Hernandez has released an ebook just for you: The 4 Keys to Real Fitness.

Pamela Hernandez is an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer and ACE Certified Health Coach (who is also a long-time partner of DietsInReview.com) with a thriving practice in Springfield, MO, where she is the owner of Thrive Personal Fitness. We spoke with her about her no-frills, easy-to-follow guidelines to a healthier, happier life, and how her personal life experiences support her clients.

“I’ve always wanted to help empower women,” says Hernandez. “Fitness gave me the strength and confidence to pursue my dreams. I want other women to feel strong and capable of doing anything they wish.”

No matter the age or experience level, Pamela has found four essential components to fitness success, which she describes in her new e-book. These elements aren’t groundbreaking, “but when they are applied with the right mindset they work every time.” (more…)

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Katie McGrath

The Book “I Quit Sugar” Makes Giving Up Your Habit Feel as Easy as it Sounds

You know the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? Well, I definitely judged “I Quit Sugar: Your Complete 8-Week Detox Program and Cookbook” but its cover, or at least its title. Give up sugar? For 8 weeks? Eek! That sounds like a lot of work and not a lot of good (or at least tasty) eating. But even the World Health Organization has joined the sugar reduction trend so when Crown Publishing sent me a copy I tried to keep an open mind.

The book, written by Australian television personality Sarah Wilson, is a guide to slowly giving up sugar, welcoming in fat, and finding a place of balance in your body. Over 8 weeks you start to cut back on sugar then quit it all together, spend a couple of weeks without any sweetness to help reset your tastebuds and your cravings, then slowly add in a little natural sweetness as you’d like. The idea is that a little natural sugar (such as those found in fruits and brown rice syrup) goes a long ways, so long as you break your body’s processed sugar habit.

I read through the book and it sounded plausible, if not actually appealing. But when I got to the recipe section—108 healthy, inspiring meals, snacks, and desserts—I was convinced that “I Quit Sugar” deserved a place on my bookshelf. The recipes are absolutely divine. So far I’ve made two soups—a warm one with sweet potato, lentils, onion, and a blend of spices and a cool one with avocado, cucumbers, scallions, and cilantro. And I have the ingredients for a few more: fluffy squash and chia muffins, cashews chia pudding, and coconut curry meatballs, to name a few. These aren’t necessarily items I would expect to have sugar in them, but it is a good reminder that by focusing on eating good stuff I might naturally start to eat less sugar, which is a concept that’s a lot easier to digest then simply going cold-turkey on sweets. (more…)

Posted on May 28, 2024 by Jessica Cassity

7 Belly Buddies and Bullies: The 21 Day Tummy’s Foods That Help and Hurt Your Digestion

By Shae Blevins for DietsInReview.com

You eat all the right foods to stay healthy, including an apple a day! But you can’t seem to lose weight, especially in your midsection. Add to that “muffin top” bloating, cramping, and irregularity and you feel like you’re at the mercy of your out-of-whack digestive tract.

The surprising cause for your suffering: the healthful foods you keep eating that may very well be bullying your belly.

You are not alone. Liz Vaccariello, editor-in-chief of Reader’s Digest’s and author of the New York Times best-selling book The Digest Diet, noticed her tummy troubles and weight gain around her midsection revolved around her seemingly healthy diet.

Vaccariello and registered dietitian Kate Scarlata developed the 21 Day Tummy Diet, designed to soothe and shrink your tummy by eating “Belly Buddies” and getting rid of “Belly Bullies.”

Belly Buddies – foods that help digestive health – are light on carbohydrates and contain stomach-soothing ingredients like fiber, magnesium and anti-inflammatory fats. Belly Buddies are also low in FODMAPs, rapidly fermentable carbs. (more…)

Posted on May 16, 2024 by Health Buzz

Big Ass Salads and 7 More Reasons We Love The Fit Bottomed Girls Anti Diet Book

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Finally, there’s a BS-free way to lose weight, or get fit, or just live a generally healthier lifestyle. There’s no potion or powder. There’s no pyramid-style marketing scheme. You don’t have to do anything other than buy The Fit Bottomed Girls Anti-Diet book, which releases today, and listen to the guidance provided by these really awesome gals who also happened to be well-educated experts. fbg anti diet

If a diet or weight loss book has come out since 2024, I’m telling you I’ve seen it. I’m the managing editor of the largest diet review site online; nearly 3,000 reviews later I’ve seen it all! So when I tell you that the FBG’s Anti-Diet is a must-have, must-read, no-nonsense, straight-talking book about living and feeling well, then you must believe me.

Anyone can publish a weight loss book. 50 Cent, Alicia Silverstone, and the like have all done it. They bring with them a lot of ghost-written anecdotal experience. What Jennipher Walters and Erin Whitehead deliver in their new book is a heap of certifications, practical experience, and scientifically-supported evidence that every woman can identify with. Best of all, they can apply it! Ten minutes is all these anti-dieters are asking of you. Whether that’s ten minutes to prep a meal, move your body, or lift your spirits, they’ve written the definitive guide on making the best use of all that time you think you don’t have.

So why do we love it so much? If you’ve ever spent even ten minutes on the Fit Bottomed Girls suite of sites, you’ll know there’s a voice and a candor there that is inclusive, energetic, and easy going. It’s that voice you’ll hear throughout this fun read. But that’s not all we love.

Eight Reasons You’ve Got Ten Minutes for The Fit Bottomed Girls Anti-Diet:

1. Big Ass Salads!

Yeah, we said it. So did they. There’s a two-week meal plan loaded with food you’ll actually want to eat and have time to make. Right there in black and white it says Big Ass Salad, one of our favorite entrees. These salads are the size of “your small pet” and have everything in them but the kitchen sink. They even include an official Big Ass Salad and Dressing recipe on page 284.

2. Friends References!

Enough said.

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(more…)

Posted on May 6, 2024 by Natalie K

3 Hot New Celebrity Diet and Fitness Reads: How You Can Eat and Exercise Like the Stars

Being a celebrity certainly doesn’t necessarily make you an expert on anything in particular (except maybe acting, or putting together awesome outfits), but it puts you in a good position to draw attention toward a particular issue. Like your diet. Which is why so many celebrities choose to share their diet plans and health regimens with the world in book form.

This makes a lot of sense to me—the general public admires a particular celeb for their smokin’ body, so why not share their wealth of personal information? Sure, they might not be certified nutritionists and the like, but chances are they’ve worked with dozens of them and have come to form their own opinion on what is good and not-so-good their—and yours.

Here are some favorite new health reads by some very familiar faces!

The Body Book, by Cameron Diaz

We already featured Body Book, but it is worth noting again that Diaz has recently released her first book, and it is a delightful read. Packed full of simple healthy tips and tons of personality, Diaz is definitely a person we can look to for body acceptance and surprisingly good eating advice. This girl is grounded and her outlook on food is too.

(more…)

Posted on March 26, 2024 by Jessica Tholmer

How to Care for Your Body, as Told by Cameron Diaz

Actress Cameron Diaz can do it all. She’s made us laugh, made us cry, and made us dance. Now she’s making us feel good about our bodies.

Diaz has just released a book entitled “Body Book“, but it is not exactly what you might think. Diaz has a wonderful body, a body that is very easily envied. There is something different about Diaz, though—her personality is just so relatable. Yes, she is a gorgeous movie star, but she could just as easily be your best friend or next door neighbor.

Diaz’s book is not a diet tome. (Isn’t that refreshing!) Instead, Diaz relies heavily on the natural science of how the body digests food. There’s a little new info here and a lot of tried and tested ideas, but she basically reminds us—endearingly through her personal stories—that basic is best. Though the book is called “Body Book”, it truly focuses more on feeling good about yourself through healthy (and simple!) guidelines.

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Posted on February 4, 2024 by Jessica Tholmer

Become a Vegan, 95 Percent of the Time

Committing 100 percent to a new diet plan can be difficult, especially when the diet excludes or removes certain foods you are used to eating. Authors Dr. Jamie Noll and Caitlin Herndon recognize the challenge that full commitment can present, and have offered a solution. Their new book, The 95% Vegan Diet and its accompanying workbook, is designed to help readers follow a realistic vegan diet plan, mostly.

The co-authors believe that a major factor that prevents diet success is guilt. You may be following your diet plan just fine, but then give in to a craving. According to Dr. Noll and Herndon, that’s nothing to feel guilty over. “The number one reason I see people fail at weight loss/attempt to become healthier is what I call the ‘guilt factor’,” Dr. Noll said. “I’ve seen it time and time again in my practice. For example: I’m going to go on the Atkins diet because I don’t care about bread anyway. The problem is they are dying for that pasta – so they have some – but then they don’t forgive themselves.”

Dr. Noll added that the reason it is the 95% Vegan Diet, and not 100%, is to allow people some wiggle room and give them permission to forgive themselves for not sticking to the diet. “I want to show people that they don’t have to be perfect. They can forgive themselves and still have excellence in good health. Five percent is the margin in good science before we consider something statistically different.” (more…)

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Elizabeth

The 5:2 Fast Diet Cookbook Makes Up for Lack of Credentials and Calories with Inspired Recipe Ideas

The 5:2 Fast Diet Cookbook by Samantha Logan is just that, a cookbook. If you’re not familiar with the popular 5:2 fasting diet craze, you won’t find much supporting information in this book to guide you, but you will find 150 low-calorie healthy recipes to supplement the program. The author created the cookbook after she adopted an intermittent fasting lifestyle and lost 30 pounds.

The 5:2 fasting diet mentioned in this book and countless others on the market is based on the principle that intermittent fasting, “actually helps you reset your metabolism and rev up your body’s fat-burning ability.” On the diet, men and women are asked to restrict their calorie consumption on two nonconsecutive days per week and then eat as they normally would on the other five. On non-fasting days if the dieter wants to eat high calorie foods the author advises them to, “Go for it,” but then later encourages people to, “Make smart food choices,” so the takeaway is a bit vague.

While the author bears no credentials, it’s disappointing that she didn’t go the extra mile to describe the diet in more detail or provide statements from a doctor, nutritionist or registered dietitian regarding the efficacy of the program or the scientific data behind it.

(more…)

Posted on September 6, 2024 by Dani Stone

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