by Dani Stone
A new diet book is slated to hit store shelves on March 20, 2024 and the buzz surrounding its release is already ripe with controversy. Eileen Daspin’s The Manhattan Diet: Lose Weight While Living A Fabulous Life is filled with interviews from Eileen’s fit friends and promises healthy recipes from famous chefs including Tom Colichio, Eric Ripert and Mario Batali. Although the general idea surrounding the book seems to be eat fresh, eat less (a lot less) and move more, it is the “tone” that seems to be rubbing people the wrong way.
Eileen, who lives in Manhattan and is married to executive chef Cesare Casella says her inspiration for the book came after reading a story in the New York Times about Manhattan being the thinnest borough, and in fact, skinniest of all 62 counties in New York State. Having been, “on a diet since the age of 12,” she was no stranger to “food obsession” and set out to find like-minded friends who might share their tips and tricks for healthy living.
There is a modicum of information in the book that is sensible including buying fresh vegetables, planning meals ahead of time, cooking good food in bulk to have on-hand, eating smaller portions and keeping food triggers out of the pantry. The author even advocates giving in to cravings once in a while, but the women interviewed described their “cheat foods” not as cupcakes or buffalo dip but rather tidbit cheats such as a single Tootsie Roll pop or 3.5 Twizzlers.
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