You Are What You Eat: The Plan That Will Change Your Life

Gillian McKeith isn't telling us anything we don't already know, she is just blunty telling us that we don't feel well, we probably don't look too good, and it's time to do something about it. Rather than being marketed as a weight loss regime, Gillian begins the book with getting to know your body from the inside out. She feels the tongue is "a window to the organs". As in reflexology, each part of the tongue corresponds to certain organs (e.g. the extreme tip represents the heart, the sides refer to the gallbladder and liver), and certain conditions tell us what's going on inside of us. For example, tiny cracks on the tongue reflect a vitamin B deficiency, a long crack down the middle is a strong indicator that your stomach is weak and you have a hard time digesting food, etc. Everything from bowel movements to pimply bumps on the arms is covered, and what each symptom likely means. Gillian encourages a vegetarian diet for 8 weeks, which should begin with a colonic to "clean house". If you've never had a colonic, it's a unique experience. So much old food and gunk is flushed out, leaving you feeling less bloated (you may feel tired afterwards due to detoxing, but I've found that feeling goes away within 24 hours). YAWYE lists a plethora of foods you can eat, called "Gillian's Diet of Abundance". Measuring is not necessary, which is refreshing. Gillian encourages us to follow the simple rules of eating, e.g. eat fruit on it's own, or at least 30 minutes before other food, as it digests the fastest. Fruit eaten after other foods will sit on top of that food and putrify in your stomach, leading to gas and bloating. Never eat meat and starchy foods together. Incorporate healthy grains such as quinoa (pronounced "keen-wa"), millet and whole grain brown rice, which are loaded with B vitamins, magnesium, and have a high protein content which makes them a complete food. Legumes and fresh fruit and veg are a must. Gillian also offers dozens of juicing recipes for an energy boost, as well as recipes for soups, stews, salads and dressings. Bottom line, this is a lifestyle you can live with if you keep an open mind and give new foods a chance. There are only a few supplements she encourages, such as digestive enzymes (when eating cooked foods) and the herb Uva Ursi (helps build up the bladder). Otherwise, all your vitamins and nutrients should be coming from your food. As for myself, I have increased my B vitamin rich food intake, and within 3 days, the cracks on my tongue disappeared. I have ditched sodas and sugary teas, which has made any bloating virtually disappear. I have more energy, I'm sleeping soundly at night, and my nails are actually getting stronger. This book is a great investment for your health.

I had just about given up on losing weight and decided that at 53 I was what I was...until I saw "You Are What You Eat" on BBC America. After watching Gillian McKeith take people who ate a diet far, far worse than mine and turning their life around in just 8 weeks, I thought, "Why not try it?" I began using just the material I had gotten from the programs. I copied recipes and bought a juicer (A Breville Ikon 900, which by the way, is fantastic!). I anticipated missing many of my favorite foods, but thought I would give it a shot. After the first three days I missed nothing. I eat a variety of grains....quinoa, brown rice, amaranth, millet, loads of veggies, fruits, nuts, and fish a couple times a week. In two months I have lost a total of 21 pounds, 16 of which were body fat pounds, and have reduced my bust, waist and hip measurements by 12.5 inches. I exercise 1/2 hour a day 6 days a week (a mixture of Pilates and a gym circuit workout) but before I had no energy to exercise. Now I look forward to it. I have also decreased my glucose readings from 115 before the eating plan to 90 currently. Her premise is that after your body weight stabilizes you need only follow her course 80% of the time and can indulge yourself the other 20%. I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who has become discouraged with other plans. Make a two month commitment to yourself and give Gillian a try!

This is a book which is easy to read and understand. Everything explained in simple terms. No quack claims - just common sense advice. It is obvious with all the additives and preservatives in our foods today and our hectic lifestyles that our diet is affecting our bodies and taking its toll. As a cancer survivor, I thought my diet was healthy until I read her book. I have totally changed my diet and lifestyle and 2 years after a Stage III breast cancer which had spread to my lymph nodes which required surgery and chemotherapy, I have frankly never felt better or looked so good! I attribute it to this book and her advice. I started juicing fresh vegetables and eliminated processed foods from my diet. There are some food items which are a little more expensive, but it is not expensive to juice some fresh carrots and an apple or make a bean chilli! In most cases is can be cheaper to cook healthy. I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks they are healthy and to anyone with any type of illness/disease.

The basic premise of this book is that the less processed your food is the better it is for you. Most Americans want to reject that or think that what you eat doesn't matter. But Dr McKeith just tells the truth, you put garbage in you get garbage out. You reap what you sow. A lot of people want to eat their Big Macs and talk about how "healthy" they are. Yes, some of the food she reccomends is a little more expensive, but not most of it and most of it can be found at the grocery store. To the previous reviewers I have to say: Your grocery store has something called a "Produce Section", Look in the Produce Section and you will be able to find the food she suggests. For those of you who weren't interested in the colonics which were barely mentioned, she suggested a detox program as an alternative. I've already been eating well, but I still got a lot out of this book. She explains food combining, some ways to check your health, ways to detox and a quick start program. Yes, self-diagnosis is important. I see people go over their lawn and their car with a fine tooth comb but don't know anything about their own bodies. American health care isn't much more than "take this pill and if it doesn't improve, here's more pills". I've read other books along the same lines, but I like this one the best because the information is set in a upbeat format that is easy to grasp. However, I do wish that she had added more recipes.