One For the Price of Two

That’s right.  I’m talking to you, you supposedly Brand New Book!

I admit that I bought this on an impulse.  I really really enjoyed the original Abs Diet book a couple of years ago and still follow many of the same basic guidelines.  This book actually led to my love for Almond Butter.  I don’t know that I ever would have tried to incorporate beans into my diet or learned to make so many smoothies without this book.  Well, I discovered food blogs last year so I guess, eventually I would have learned of those foods.  Anyway, the diet is very simple and customizable for the vegetarian folks.  Here’s the catchy acronym stating the foods that the book is based on:

Almonds and other nuts

Beans and legumes

Spinach and other green vegetables

 

Dairy (fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese)

Instant oatmeal (unsweetened, unflavored) Disclaimer for oatmeal enthusiasts!  He advocates non-instant oats but only states to use instant as a way to cut time for the lazy time crunched folks.

Eggs

Turkey

 

Peanut butter or other nut butters

Olive oil

Whole-grain breads and cereals

Extra-protein (powder for smoothies)

Raspberries and other berries

He stresses protein, fiber, calcium, and healthy fats (mono- and polyunsaturated) and tells you to limit refined carbs, sugar, white bread, rice and pasta, saturated fats, trans fats, and High Fructose Corn Syrup

Are you still with me?  Sounds good right?  It is actually.  He goes into depth about why other diets are horrible such as the low fat diet, the cabbage soup diet, Adkins and so on.  He then introduces how to use more of the power foods in recipes and then finishes it out with an exercise plan to follow.  The exercise plan includes cardio but emphasizes weight training as the superior fat burner.  Overall, I found it to be a very well rounded and down to earth book.  I like the way he speaks to his audience in a teaching manner vs. the snobby, scolding tone I’ve found in other diet books.  The only problem with the women’s book is this:

These are the pages he added to the book having to do with the ladies.  Out of 375 pages only 16 were discussing women at all.  There are a whopping 4 pages that go over hormones.  There is also a 5-6 page section that discusses moods (this is in the 16 pages on women).  It literally felt like I just reread the entire first book again only this time with a bright green cover.  The upside to this book?

This is the 80 page portion dedicated to exercise.  Every picture has a female performing the exercises which I found to be a bonus.  Especially for those of us ladies who find the men in the weight room to be intimidating.

My review?  Honestly if you have read the Men’s version of this book I feel you’ve already read it.  Especially if you read any women’s fitness magazines.  I’ve seen the information stated in the women specific sections at least 10x between Shape, Self, Women’s Health and even Runner’s World.  However, if you haven’t read the book at all?  Get the women’s version!  This book really is great!  It doesn’t hurt to have the extra information in the book if you haven’t already paid for the men’s text.