Your Body Knows Best

There's no one-size-fits-all diet, says author Ann Louise Gittleman (Supernutrition for Women, Beyond Pritikin). That's why some people will drop 25 pounds on fad diets while others will actually gain weight, and why some folks thrive on an ultra-low-fat diet while they make others feel like collapsing. Gittleman says there are some foods that everyone should avoid, such as refined sugar, margarine, and white flour products, but figuring out which foods are good for you is a bit more complicated. She's drawn upon her extensive nutritional background and found that three factors combine to determine which customized diet you should follow. One of these factors is heritage; those with a Scandinavian, Irish, or Welsh ancestry need more essential fatty acids than others, such as those found in cold-water fish. The other two are metabolic rate (some people just burn food more quickly than others) and blood type (type O is the oldest blood type, and therefore folks who are type O should avoid dairy foods and other items introduced late in the evolutionary scheme of things).

She includes a questionnaire to determine how fast you metabolize food, and a week's worth of sample menus to guide you along the appropriate eating plan for your particular profile. Gittleman also debunks the "fat is the root of all evil" diet myth by explaining how fat actually boosts immune function and aids weight loss. There's also extensive supplement information and helpful explanations of the often-misunderstood roles of protein, fat, and carbohydrate, along with resources for everything from amino acid testing for vegetarians to home-study courses in nutrition. This is a fine book for anyone looking to lose weight--not fall victim to the latest dieting fad.