November 2, 2009
Before registered dietician Somers reveals the "secrets" to becoming one of the "happy, fit people," she proves her bona-fides by helpfully telling readers how much weight they can expect to lose applying her ideas, each of which is fully rooted in up-to-the-minute research. Unfortunately for the research-obsessed, however, Somer does not fully cite a single study in her whole book, a major oversight in an otherwise thorough treatment. Somer insists that her readers eat 75% "real food," an increasingly difficult feat in the U.S.; as such, this makes a sensible guide to navigating nutrition in an environment hostile to genuinely healthy eating. Somer also proves knowledgeable about supplements and beneficial food-combining, and backs it all up with tasty recipe ideas emphasizing fresh ingredients and nutrient density: fat-free ricotta topped with crumbled chocolate wafers, for instance, is healthy, easy, and a lot tastier than it sounds. Somer writes with a motivational spirit tempered by a fondness for information and common sense, eschewing fads to arrive at a very doable plan for making every one of your 1600 daily calories count.