Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I have a graduate degree in nutrition and extensive knowledge of nondiet approaches, including Shapedown, Intuitive Eating, and Eating Competence. That said, I believe we all have our own inner wisdom and should follow what works for our own, unique bodies. So this review is my own personal view. It doesn't mean I bow to the USDA or don't have a critical thought in my head, it's just my review of the book (which I liked).
THE BABY: Gabriel's book has some wonderful qualities, including the visualizations, which I find to be a missing link in many nondiet approaches to weight management. He also gets the reader to "add in" healthy foods rather than "restricting out" foods that they see as "forbidden." This is something I've always preached and agree with wholeheartedly. His take on the dynamics of dieting and emotional starvation are spot on.
THE BATHWATER: Although he has "notes" and citations at the end of each chapter, don't get caught up in some of the nutritional assertions he makes. Pasteurizing milk does not "denature" the calcium in it. Calcium cannot be denatured... it's a mineral, not a protein. The calcium in any milk is just fine. Eating foods in a specific order is also unfounded. He says that meat requires an acidic environment, where milk and starch require alkaline ones... well yes, no, and it doesn't matter. Protein (from both the meat and milk) is digested first in the acidic environment of the stomach, and then in the alkaline environment of the small intestine (the pancreas shoots in bicarbonate to neutralize the stomach acid). Sugars and starches are primarily digested in the small intestine. The key: your stomach is like a blender, and all the nutrients are in one big glob. You have mroe enzymes than you can shake a stick at, and they only recongize the nutrient they're trying to break down, be it protein, carbohydrate, or fat. There is no reason to eat foods in a particular order or at separate meals.
He also asserts the aspartame causes an insulin response. This is based on a small study (that he doesn't cite, but it's the only one I could find) from 1988 on a handful of type 2 diabetic patients. The insulin peak was no different than with the unsweetened product, and the area under the curve was slighly greater.
I could go on (and on, because he really does make some outlandish nutritino claims) but you get the idea. He makes some mistakes, as so many authors do, by not consulting with experts in areas with which he's not familiar enough. He relies on "it sounds good, and makes sense."
NOT THROWING THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATHWATER: There is so much about this book that is excellent, just not the nutrition information (other than eating whole, healthy, unprocessed foods). I suspect Jon Gabriel will correct some of his errors in subsequent editions of the book. I hope the next edition will be even more grounded in science, as there is a LOT in this book that is uncited. It's a red flag for me, as the citations he does give are often news articles or simply "notes" that are his opinions. I'm concerned that some readers might see the smattering of citations and swallow the whole shebang without a critical eye.
THE BOTTOM LINE: A good read for those struggling with weight issues, although there are other similar books grounded in science. Simply take the nutrition information with a grain of salt. No pun intended.
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Gabriel Method: The Revolutionary DIET-FREE Way to Totally Transform Your Body
The pile of recent dieting books is growing faster than the average American's waistline. From the well-known programs that deprive and restrict to ones that rely on juice alone, it seems that everybody has an answer to the growing problem of obesity. When Jon Gabriel's life took an unexpected turn, he suddenly was awakened to the marvelous gift that he had been given -- the opportunity to live -- and was disgusted at how he had treated his body. At over four hundred pounds, walking, sleeping, and working was a struggle against gravity, and his life was a constant battle between emotional and physical satiation. He was slowly killing himself with food. Like the estimated 58 percent of Americans, and rising numbers in other countries, Jon was trapped in what he came to call the FAT - Famine and Temperature - trap. By studying biochemistry, Gabriel learned that your body has an internal logic that determines how fat or thin you will be at any given time. The way to lose weight is not to struggle or to force yourself to lose weight but to understand this internal logic and work with it so that your body wants to be thinner. When your body wants to be thinner, weight loss is inevitable and becomes automatic and effortless. You simply crave less food, you crave healthier foods, your metabolism speeds up and you become very efficient at burning fat, just like a naturally thin person. And that's the real transformation -- to transform yourself into a naturally thin person, so that you can eat whatever you want whenever you want and still be thin, fit, and vibrantly healthy. After reading The Gabriel Method, you will learn:
Your body has a reason why it's holding on to weight--and it's not your fault.
Fat is a cushion--a protective barrier that our mind believes is helping to protect us.
If you can change that belief, you can change your body; Stop the cycle of crash dieting and start eating what you want, when you want it.
How to choose healthy, nutritious foods that nourish the cells in your body, not starve them.
Delicious shakes and smoothies, and super-power supplements, that can jump start your success.
The simple way you can train your mind and body to work with your goal of health, not against it.
Eliminate the emotional and mental reasons your body holds on to weight in just 10 minutes a day. It certainly worked for Jon; he lost 225 pounds in two-and-a-half years, going from 409 pounds to 184, without suffering, dieting, or anguishing over his body. Unlike most people who lose an extensive amount of weight, his skin tightened up and now is indistinguishable from that of a person who has been healthy his whole life.
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