A healthful, diet-focused program aims at stemming and even reversing the effects of Type 2 diabetes. Dietician Chan teams up with physician Ruan in the creation of a lifestyle modification plan and recipe guidebook directing readers toward improving their health. In this debut manual, Chan channels her immense passion for food and lifestyle positivity into the text, believing that “the intimate relationship we have with what we put in our body should help us live a fruitful, healthy life.” Ruan’s motivation stems from a number of his patients, newly diagnosed with diabetes, who embarked on a regimen of mindful diet and exercise changes to stabilize blood sugar levels. This routine’s cornerstones involve tracking eating habits, establishing healthy goals, and obtaining greater food knowledge. The authors explain that the widespread use of processed sugars in foods sparked a diabetes epidemic, with a contributing factor consumers’ addiction to an “instant reward and gratification” system. The book describes diabetes in layperson’s terms, making the guide accessible to a diverse audience. The authors’ co-developed, cohesive plan, called Layers of Living Success, aims to “bring the idea of food back to the basics of simple meal decisions.” Their program is simply structured around a model of food recategorization using multiple nutrition layers alongside the critical role each food group plays in the development (and possible reversal) of Type 2 diabetes. The program is founded on the ideals of portion control; nutritional components like protein, fats, and refined grains; dietary education; and the concepts of glycemic index charting and insulin resistance. Patient compliance is a sticking point, the authors contend. By using graphs and charts in a center section, the plan’s categorization techniques come to life by clearly delineating behavioral requirements for success as well as the foods included in each of the system’s layers and a tracking log. The plan is further fortified with a color photography section detailing a refreshingly diverse recipe selection. These inviting recipes, tailored toward the Living Success protocol, feature categories like soups, meats, fish, and even baked goods. Well-structured and written with care and compassion, the book is ideal for newly diagnosed diabetics searching for nonpharmaceutical remedies. The authors’ helpful and healthful guidance seeks to enable readers to seize control of their condition and offers tips on the maintenance of overall health, wellness, and vitality. A smart, informational, and greatly applicable addition to the diabetic guidebook genre.
Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5391-4201-0
Page Count: 138
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Useful but disappointingly commonplace tips.
In a follow-up to The End of Illness (2012), which explored how technological advances will transform medicine, Agus (Medicine and Engineering/Univ. of Southern California) restates time-tested but too often overlooked principles for healthy living.
The author outlines simple measures that average citizens can take to live healthier lives and extend their life spans by taking advantage of modern technology to develop personalized records. These would include a list of medical tests and recommended treatments. Agus also suggests keeping track of indicators that can be observed at home on a regular basis—e.g., changes in energy, weight, appetite and blood pressure, blood sugar and general appearance. He advises that all of this information be made available online, and it is also helpful to investigate family history and consider DNA testing where indicated. Along with maintaining a healthy weight, Agus emphasizes the importance of eating a balanced diet, with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and a minimum of red meat. Avoid packaged vitamins and food supplements, and if possible, grow your own vegetables or buy frozen vegetables, which will generally be fresher than those on supermarket shelves. The author also warns against processed foods that make health claims but contain additives or excessive amounts of sugar or fat. Regular mealtimes and plenty of sleep, frequent hand-washing and oral hygiene are a must; smoking and excessive time in the sun should also be avoided. Agus recommends that adults should consider taking statins and baby aspirin as preventative measures. He concludes with a decade-by-decade checklist of annual medical examinations that should be routine—e.g. blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol screenings, from one’s 20s on; colonoscopies, prostate exams and mammograms later—and a variety of top-10 lists (for example, “Top 10 Reasons to Take a Walk”).
Useful but disappointingly commonplace tips.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4767-3095-0
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Oncologist Agus (Medicine and Engineering/Univ. of Southern California) predicts that the application of advanced technology for modeling complex systems will transform 21st-century medicine.
The author writes that a remark Nobel Laureate Murray Gell-Mann made to him in 2009—“Look at cancer as a system"—transformed the way he views his own specialty and the entire field of preventative medicine. It made him realize that “[r]ather than honoring the body as the exceedingly complex system that it is, we keep looking for the individual gene that has gone awry, or for the one ‘secret’ that can improve our health.” Agus writes that although the ability to sequence the entire human genome is a great step forward, it is insufficient for achieving a significant breakthrough. Even though it may start with a mutation, cancer “is a dynamic process that's happening…far from the confines of a static piece of DNA”—it involves the body's immune system, its ability to regulate cell growth, metabolism and more. Agus directs his university’s Center for Applied Molecular Medicine and is the co-founder of two personalized medicine companies, Applied Proteomics and Navigenics. His hope is that their research will contribute to developing better analytical tools for preventative medicine and for the treatment of cancers. These will address the functioning of the body as a whole, applying digital technology already used by physicists to provide virtual models of cancers and model the action of proteins that regulate cell communication in the body. He also hopes to develop tools that will provide information on the concentration of different proteins in a drop of blood taken from a patient, which may reveal the onset of disease. The author also includes some guiding principles and warnings about certain healthy practices that may not be so healthy. A refreshing change of pace in the medical field, but by venturing beyond his field of expertise to pontificate on a wide range of subjects, Agus makes his otherwise intriguing narrative difficult to follow.
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4516-1017-8
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Free Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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