The RealAge Diet: Make Yourself Younger with What You Eat

Even when dealing with - perhaps - the most extreme low carb way of eating, Atkins, it bases most of its criticisms on a phase of the programme that may last no more than two weeks. It also omits to mention that practically all the other low carb books it assesses DO stress exercise as an important part of health. Incidentally, most low carb programmes cite many more sources to back up their claims than Roizen is willing to admit. He and his advisors apprently do not even know the difference between ketosis and ketoacidosis.

Almost everyone who has tried these ways of eating notices weight loss, greater energy and a greater sense of well being. .... And yet they repeatedly read statements in books like Roizen's that tell them they should be feeling lousy and fatigued. Not only that, their blood cholesterol levels actually improve. People who choose these programmes are usually VERY careful to get cholesterol levels checked regularly. I know directly of at least one Type 2 diabetic who is surprising her doctors by going against the standard advice and doing low carb and halving her blood sugar levels.

My own experience? 25lbs of weight lost in a few months, the cessation of 15 years of digestive problems and recurrent diarrhea that had me convinced I had Irritable Bowel Disease (Roizen claims these diets could not help that, or that it must be psychosomatic if they do), and a major drop in blood pressure. I will be getting my blood chemistry checked soon, but I do not expect bad news.

I'm not writing particularly to boost these diets, in fact I bought Roizen's book for a second opinion on them, but such apparently wilful misreprentation of them, and scepticism, only makes me question the essentially conservative nature of much of his information.

It appears to be old wine in a new bottle, and tainted wine at that.