The Great American Detox Diet: 8 Weeks to Weight Loss and Well-Being

this book is not for the faint of heart! im currently studying food science, dietetics, and nutrition as a senior in college and this book opened my eyes to more than i've been getting in classes im paying an arm and a leg for! this book is SO very important ESPECIALLY as our culture is sucked further and further into the black hole of our "fast food nation" (PS: also a wonderful read). but if you find yourself curious as to why you dont feel great, despite your "healthy" lifestyle including watching your diet and getting regular exercise (like i was!!) this book will answer many questions and pose some that you never would have thought to ask. even my super-macho, rugby-playing, milk guzzling, velociraptoresque boyfriend is trying to go organic with me now! good luck ever looking at ANYTHING - including carpeting (who knew they put formadehyde in it!?) - the same way again!

I thoroughly enjoyed Morgan Spurlock's film "Supersize Me," and wondered about the details of the diet girlfriend Alex Jamieson put him on to restore his health. This book provides the basis of that diet and so much more. Jamieson begins the book by recounting her own experiences with the Standard American Diet, along with the hows and whys of her quest for a healthier way of life. From there, she outlines an 8-week plan for cleaning up our own eating and lifestyle habits one-by-one. She advocates: *Aiding an over-taxed system with plenty of fresh, filtered water *Eliminating refined sugars *Eliminating caffeine *Replacing bad fats with healthy fats *Replacing refined grains with whole grains *Incorporating healthy sources of protein *Removing toxins from the home *Creating healthier relationships with the world around us There's a wealth of related information offered in these chapters that a list simply can't cover, along with many appetizing recipes. Jamieson's personal experience with kicking bad habits is evident throughout the book--her suggestions are tempered with a definite understanding that giving up addictions like sugar and caffeine is, in fact, quite hard. At each step, she offers mental exercises and questionnaires encouraging the reader to genuinely consider the underlying causes of bad eating habits. She also offers enough information about the ill effects of certain bad habits to really make the point stick. I'll admit that I've heard suggestions for some time that eliminating sugar and caffeine from my own diet would help me feel better, but it wasn't until reading this book that I was sufficiently inspired to kick those habits. One more thing: this is not a quick-fix, faddish diet book, but a book about real lifestyle change. It's not a resource for cramming healthier eating into an already hectic lifestyle, though I think many of her suggestions could be incorporated into even the busiest of lives. Instead, this book is about slowing down, making mindful choices and enjoying the benefits of really treating our bodies well. If all of that's not enough, Jamieson also has a very readable writing style--it was a fun read. Highly recommended.

I call this book, the book that changed my life. While I 'knew' most of the material in the book it helped so much to see them in black and white. Alex's easy and friendly writing style was a very large plus as well. I'm almost done with the 8 week program (one more week to go) and I've lost 12 pounds, feel so much better, and have much more energy. Thanks Alex!

The standard detoxification diet seeks to purge the body of toxins. Certain foods magnify toxin problems, promote yeast accumulation, excess acidity and a whole host of other issues which interfere with the bodily healing and equilibrium processes. These foods are processed sugar, white bread, coffee, alcohol, excess dairy , artificial sweeteners and red meat. We should say yes to generous helpings of water, whole grains, millet, nuts, blackberries, strawberries, beans, acidophilus, fresh food, chicory, escarole, dandelion root, ginger and licorice. Water acts as a classic body detoxifier. The author fears excess amounts of nutrasweet which breaks down into methanol and eventually formaldehyde. Trace levels of formaldehyde have been found accumulating near vital organs. This work will assist in customizing your diet so that a complete detoxification can occur painlessly. The bodily healing processes cannot do their marvelous work optimally until toxins have been discharged or significantly minimized. This work explains the biochemistry of dieting simply with a minimum of extraneous material. It is a solid value for the price charged. A copy should be in every personal health library.