DIET DECODER
Eating a few of my favourite things
October 18, 2008
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Megan Ogilvie
HEALTH REPORTER
DIET: The Most Decadent Diet Ever! The Cookbook That Reveals the Secrets to Cooking Your Favorites in a Healthier Way (Broadway Books; $22.95)
CREATOR: Devin Alexander
CREDENTIALS: Alexander, a chef and former Los Angeles caterer, is the author of Fast Food Fix and the bestselling, reality-show related The Biggest Loser Cookbook.
CELEBRITY EDGE: She shows off her recipes on U.S. news shows, including Good Morning America and The View, and writes a column for Women's Health magazine. And – a godsend for a diet book – super model Niki Taylor blurbed her book.
CLAIM: Diets work. If you follow one, you will lose weight. The problem, says Alexander, is that most people can't always ignore their cravings and will one day give in and overeat forbidden foods. That interminable cycle of denying and indulging results in yo-yo dieting, something Alexander says she did for eight years. So she decided to transform favourite dishes, from chocolate cake to bacon cheeseburgers, into waistline-friendly foods. She calls her plan "a way of eating," not a diet, and believes if people can eat their favourite foods – guilt-free – then they're more likely to stick to a healthy eating plan.
PROGRAM: The 125 recipes in this book range from breakfast to dessert and can be used in three ways: as the basis for a personalized diet (each dish is precisely 100, 200, 300, 400 or 500 calories, to make it easy to count calories and lose weight); as a way to return traditionally "off-limit" foods, such as mud pie and Buffalo chicken wings, into an already healthy diet; as a jump-start for people who have stayed clear of a healthy diet because they hate "diet food." Alexander says her Decadent Diet plan is all about freedom, not deprivation.
SIDE NOTES: Alexander addresses one of the excuses people make for not sticking with a diet, that they don't have enough time to cook. Cooking saves time, she says, since the cook is in control of the ingredients and can therefore control calories, fat and sodium. "I'd prefer 20 minutes in the kitchen over three hours on a stairclimber any day."
ALLOWED: Everything – if it has been made-over and you stick to proper portions.
PROHIBITED: Nothing. That's the whole point.
EXPERT OPINION: "I like the overall philosophy of this book," says Zannat Reza, a registered dietitian based in Toronto. "Food has got to taste good, you've got to enjoy your food, and you can eat pretty much anything if you keep portions in check and use the right ingredients."
There is no question that people who follow Alexander's seven-day meal plan will likely lose weight, Reza says. That's because the daily calorie total tops out at only 1,400 calories, much lower than the average person usually consumes.
"You're going to lose weight on that, no matter what you're eating."
Reza would like to have seen a few more weeks of meal plans to help a dieting newcomer through the early stages of eating well.
"The onus falls on the readers to make a meal plan," she says. "If people are motivated, then they can do it, but it does require a fair bit of work on their part."
This book will likely only appeal to people who like to spend time in the kitchen, Reza says. It will take commitment to cook all your meals, she notes, especially for a busy person. And it would have been great to see a section on how to make over your own favourite recipes or choose healthy meals when eating out.
"That would take (the plan) just that one bit farther."
EXPERT VERDICT: "I recommend this plan for people who love to cook and who can commit to making these recipes. As a diet book, this is one of the safer ones to go with."
OUR VERDICT: If you like being in the kitchen, you'll have fun with this book – especially if you love chocolate and other taboo "diet" treats.
Toronto Star
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