The Spectrum: A Scientifically Proven Program to Feel Better, Live Longer, Lose Weight, and Gain Health

"Dr. Ornish has written some landmark books including Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease; Eat More, Weigh Less; and Love and Survival. Within those books, you will find life-changing scientific perspectives:

1. With proper diet, your health will improve without drugs or surgery.
2. With nurturing relationships, you'll feel better and live longer regardless of your health issues.
3. You don't have to feel hungry to lose weight.

Since Dr. Ornish first wrote those important lessons, other researchers have found more reasons for hope:

1. With diet and exercise, even genes that could harm you will be re-set to be helpful.
2. The combined effects of healthy living can multiply into more joy, energy, good moods, and excellent appearance.
3. Many more diseases can be reversed with diet, exercise, relationships, mindfulness, and stress reduction.

In addition, Dr. Ornish has done his own new research showing that prostate cancer can be slowed and somewhat improved through healthier living.

The Spectrum combines these lessons into one book, one source of scientific references, and one way of living for the first time. If you want to live a healthy life that will take you to your full physical and mental potential, The Spectrum is that book.

I've met Dr. Ornish. In person, he's a kind, gentle man who wouldn't ever say a harsh word to anyone. In public, critics have challenged his past ideas about reversing heart disease by saying it's too hard to keep on his pathway.

The Spectrum responds to the critics by explaining how much flexibility we have in each of these areas, depending on what our current health is. For most people, you don't have to be extreme or rigid.

I am concerned about enjoying good health, and I was struck that I was already doing 80 percent of the program in The Spectrum. It wouldn't be hard for me to get to 90 percent of the ideal program, yet I don't really have any serious health problems (thank God!) even though I'm in my sixties.

If you do have a health issue (high cholesterol, overweight, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, prostate cancer, and breast cancer), there are specific sections suggesting what you should do.

The overall program is easy to follow. Foods are in various categories and how much you need to do of the other life-style management options is spelled out. It's much simpler than other books I've read in that sense.

If you cannot imagine how healthy foods can be attractive and tasty, Art Smith has contributed recipes and some photographs to help get you started in seeing other menu choices. It's not as much as a cookbook, but I'm sure you'll get the idea. I think that the more extensive South Beach cookbooks could be used to supplement these recipes.

Bravo, Dr. Ornish! You've done a great service through this book.
"
~ Written on 2008-03-20

"The Spectrum is like an inverted food pyramid with five recommended groups from most healthful to least healthful choice. Dr Dean Ornish has been around for 30 years saying roughly the same thing about nutrition and lifestyle and is now well recognised as being a leader and pioneer of his time. The book provides medical `proofs' and medical industry accolades which makes it easy to trust the content from the outset.

I found it to be well-balanced between science and practical lifestyle recommendations. It has recipes with photos and a guided meditation CD too. There is also emphasis on `belief over biology' matters, to borrow a phrase, meaning the need to take personal responsibility for our health and well-being and the power of mind over matter, in this case genes. It also makes the point that eating for pleasure can outweigh the calories stigma i.e. `live to eat' not `eat to live'.

Despite the 17-page table of representative foods for the five groups, recipes and photos, the first half of the book is set out to respond to the focus on `sickness' much like several other books I endorse which actually makes it more appealing reading! By this I mean it is set out in two parts - the first being an explanation of what the Spectrum involves and the second being how the Spectrum can assist with specific health conditions from losing weight and lowering blood pressure to the degenerative diseases of diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Then the second half of the book contains 90-odd recipes, cooking tips, stock list and a fruit and veg season calendar for the American market with universal messages. The recipes look fun and will reinforce choices from other sources. Some have a sentence explaining the recipe and are presented in a friendly way with no exact measures and calorie breakdowns.

I haven't yet listened to the meditation CD nor read the first half in detail and so I am looking forward to picking up on the points of interest I mentioned in the second paragraph. Like with the books written by the USANA doctors, Dr Ray Strand and Dr Ladd MacNamara in particular, I'm grateful to add this book to my sharing collection and because of the recipes, I hope to reach a wider audience from it being kept in the kitchen rather than my study library ... and then I hope to be able to upgrade the 4 star rating."
~ Written on 2008-01-22