BODY BUSINESS – by Donna Aston
This was the first fitness book I read for this site, and I was almost tempted to stop reading then and there. It is a simple, clear, logical book that gives solid reasons for why we get fat. If you want to know what to eat to be healthy and shape your body, then this is the book for you. It includes a seven-day menu plan and recipes.
Donna Aston is an Australia personal trainer and successful competitive body shaper. Her philosophy is that your actual body composition (lean to body fat ratio) is what you need to concentrate on for health, weight loss and body re-shaping. Weight loss does not necessarily mean fat loss. You could be losing muscle instead.
She tips the traditional food pyramid on it’s head with a heavy focus on lean protein. And distinguishes the unhealthy over-processed carbohydrates and fats, from the good ones.
It focusses on ensuring your body gets adequate nutrients to maintain health and improve body shape. And the importance of protein in forming enzymes, haemoglobin, and antibodies to keep your immune systems strong, and amino acids to build and repair your body tissues. Especially when you are ill or diseased.
It has a great chart on what to eat and how to exercise, personalised for age, sex, weight and current body fat.
Explains why simply reducing calories TOO much is bad. That you can be overweight, yet undernourished.
Excellent examples and case studies. Devotees such as Sigrid Thornton. I would recommend any of her books.
FIT FOR LIFE (A new beginning) – by Harvey Diamond
Harvey Diamond is a fervent believer in Natural Hygiene.
This is a great way to lose weight and detox. In this Isagenix overview he proposes seven stages of disease, starting from vibrant health, and ending in cancer. He calls them enervation, toxemia, irritation, inflammation, ulceration, induration and cancer.
The book is about understanding your body and the messages it is trying to send you. It focusses on the lymph system, and its role in removing toxins and cleansing your body of waste to avoid pain and sickness.
It is heavily anti-animal products, especially cholesterol and fat. (Although he acknowledges that some is necessary to dissolve vitamins such as omega-6 and more importantly omega-3).
The reasoning being that too much fat overloads your lymph system, leaving it less energy to cleanse your body and prevent disease.
An interesting appendix was a case study on the effects of raw food versus cooked foods for cats, about the enzymes in raw food.
Harvey’s answer is in periodic monodiets (basically detoxing via raw fruit and vegetables, juiced then solid), then gradual reduction of animal products, and a positive mental attitude.
He recommends against mixing proteins and carbohydrates together, and even certain fruit and vegetable combinations.
This detoxing all sounded very nice until I read the next book, by one of Australia’s leading nutritionists, in which she slams Harvey’s book for nutritional misinformation, giving the theory behind his diet a score of 1 out of 10.
The Diet Dilemma Explained – by Rosemary Stanton
Rosemary Stanton is probably the best known Australian nutritionalist and dietician. She is frequently consulted by tv, magazines and newspapers for health and dietary advice.
This book is jam-packed with explanations about how your body really processes food. And therefore why most fad diets don’t work.
A tad wordy, with a dry writing style, she goes straight for the jugular, debunking the current crop of popular diets.
Wisely promoting lifestyle change rather than yo-yo dieting, this book is the one to read if you want to understand how your body works, which diets to avoid, how you should eat, and also how to have a healthy attitude to your body and food.
A good reference book.