REVIEWS BY DEANNA LARSON
If you need to lose weight, consider taking a trip—to another country. Two new entries in the ever-expanding
category of diet books look at the cultural aspects of maintaining a healthy weight. Dieters often wonder, for
example, why French women remain slim and sensual throughout their lives.
French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure examines how you
can experience joie de vivre without gaining an ounce. In thoroughly charming essays full of restraint but never
deprivation, French-born, New-York based author Mireille Guiliano explains the art of appreciating excellent things
in smaller portions and feeling full of gratitude. Growing up in Alsace, Guiliano would pick wild blueberries and
savor homegrown foods while sharing meals with her family. Now the jet-setting CEO of Clicquot, the Champagne company,
Guiliano and her compatriots rarely diet or obsess over food. Instead, they emphasize quality over quantity. She
outlines their old-fashioned daily regimen of plenty of mineral water, a good night's sleep, fresh seasonal foods, moderate exercise, inspiring activity and love. Guiliano's elegant ideas will surely inspire women looking to live a simpler, slimmer life without feeling shortchanged.
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Beware of baklava
Greeks are known for their delicious food and the gusto to enjoy it. But eating your mother's Greek cooking can
leave more than a few extra pounds around your midsection, as Dr. Nick Yphantides discovered the hard way. He
presents his story, and his Seven Pillars of Weight Loss and Man-agement,
in My Big Fat Greek Diet. After Yphantides battled cancer, he decided to drop the excess weight (257 pounds, to be exact) he had carried nearly all his adult life. Eight months later, his nationwide odyssey, or "Distraction from Deprivation," taught him that counting calories is only the start to breaking the habits of a lifetime. Sound action points pepper the upbeat, best buddy advice, with especially useful tips on overeating traps and de-emphasizing food (he follows a modified Atkins diet that minimizes high glycemic foods); learning the signs of true hunger and satiety; and burning calories by joining a gym or walking.
The book truly excels in presenting the psychological and spiritual preparation needed for a huge lifestyle change, with suggestions for taking a sabbatical from unhealthy habits, courting a "travel" companion for the journey, and doing exercises that strengthen both the physical and emotional heart. And to that we say, "Opah!"
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