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.
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