The Perfect 10 Diet

I finished this book last week, and I've been following its principles for about 10 days now. I'm down almost 7 pounds and I feel great! I'm sleeping better and I wake up feeling more rested than I ever have! My mood swings have evened out a little (still hoping for more on that front) and my energy level is increasing.  So far, I'm a believer!

So let me tell you what this book is all about. It's a healthy way of eating the puts 10 key hormones in balance to ensure overall health and weight loss. Here are the basics:
1. No sugar- real or artificial (this means no diet soda for me- which wasn't easy)
2. No grains/starches for the first 3 weeks (after that they're gradually added in)
3. No refined/white carbs such as pasta, white rice, white bread, etc...
4. 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day (no more than 2 servings of fruit)
5. No manufactured oils such as corn, safflower, canola, soybean, etc. This is a hard one. They're in everything!
6. 40% carbohydrates-20% protein-40% fat intake daily
7. Increase healthy fats like coconut or macadamia oil, extra virgin olive oil, butter and avoid all trans fats
8. No processed meats containing nitrites/nitraites
9. Exercise daily (I'm still working on that one!)
10. Eat full fat dairy, but keep it to a minimum

So it's basically a whole foods kind of diet with a focus on the purest, most organic ingredients. Because of this book I have now been to Trader Joe's and fully appreciate its greatness! I am eating fish 3 times a week and drinking a ton of water! I now understand how my eating affects the hormones that keep me healthy and I have committed to learning to eat this way, hopefully for life!

One of the controversial topics in this book is Saturated Fats. For years we've been told that it's bad for us and is linked to heart disease. Dr. Aziz says that in fact there is no link between saturated fats and heart disease. He writes that the body makes its own saturated fat and it is necessary for producing sex hormones.

The thing that I enjoyed most about this book was Dr. Aziz's description of how insulin and glucagon affect so much of our metabolism and other hormones. I learned about these hormones in Anatomy and Physiology class, but it was never explained as clearly as it was in the book. It's because of this that I was able to give up sugar...at least for now. I don't ever want to go back to my old way of eating now that I know what it was doing to my body!

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is suffering from chronic conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, etc...If you're just looking to shed a few pounds, I'd recommend it for you too!