Description: This is a low-fat diet that comprises fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and soy products in their natural forms. Reviews (17):

Not in, but thin Reviewer: Cici   Urbana, IL    07-03-2005 I'm a pasta and bread sorta person. While listening to all the people around me complain about headaches and always being hungry while they go the oh-so-popular avoid carbs and go heavy on protein diet route, I followed Dr. Ornish's advice. One year of lots of pasta and bread and munching on carbs whenever I felt hungry, and I'm 32 pounds lighter and gone from size 18 to 14. Next year, maybe size 12, hm? I may not be in, but I'm thin! I feel great and look great, too! What more could you want?

Back to the Basics Reviewer: Lauren A. Noel "HealthySoul   Los Angeles, CA)    06-06-2005 Yeah this way of eating is VERY different from the typical American diet. But, do you want to look or feel like the typical American? (81% overweight, and 30% obese??) Let's be honest people, we are among the fattest people on earth. Drastic changes require drastic measures. I believe this is the way we are meant to eat anyway, we just got very off-track long ago.

questionable claims and an impractical way to eat Reviewer: capabada       05-03-2005 If your body has no problems with insulin insenstitivity and you have terrific will power, then maybe this plan is right for you. but i whole heartedly disagree with his claims that certain foods with high fat content are unhealthy. ie nuts, avocados, fish oil, even butter (gasp!) he also says that eating meat in excess will cause it to rot in your intestines causing your skin and breath to smell! I've never heard of this phenomenon, I refuse to believe it, and physiologically it doesn't make sense. the only reason I gave this book one star is because of his advocation to "whole foods" which are unprocessed. contrary to what one "anti ornish" reviewer said, it's in my opinion that a huge part of the obviously unhealthy average american diet lies in the fact that heavily processed foods are bombarded with partially hydrogenated oils and preservatives. Many people in Europe eat daily by riding their bike to a local market, and preparing food that would otherwise spoil in a day or two. AND THAT IS A GOOD THING! the less a food is injected with man made hormones and chemical preservatives, the better off you are eating it. Long story short, if your protein needs aren't large and you don't have an insulin sensitivity problem, then you may lose fat and become a bit healthier on this diet. otherwise, just make an effort to eat foods in moderation. it's as simple as that! cut out as much sugar and trans fats as possible. (no one ever needs those and in my opinion they aren't hard to live without.)and don't eat any more than you need to, to reach satiety.

Listen to this man Reviewer: Anonymous       07-12-2004 I have been following Dr. Ornish plan for 1 month and have already lost 12 pounds and feel great. I have no more migraine headaches, or any of the other ailments that used to bother me.

Eat More, Weigh Less? Really?, Reviewer: Anonymous       05-23-2004 Try the Ornish Regimen on an eat-all-you-can basis as I did. And you will gain weight instead of lose weight. As I did. In fact, you can end up fat. Look at all the fat vegetarians in India. And not to mention in the U.S. If you wish to achieve dramatic weight loss, shed body fat, make it stick for life, and do it in the most healthy way possible, and have a very nice life, then your best bet is The Elixxir Program. I have lost 45 pounds. And have kept it off for over three years. And it doesn't require you to be veggan. As Ornish does. And it does not prohibit alcohol in moderation. And it does not obsess about restricting fat calories to 10% or less. Haven't heard of it? That's because it's not a mass diet scheme. It is known only to certain circles in the know. But you can get a copy of The ImmorTalist Manifesto: Stay Young & Save the World" by Elixxir. (Amazon) Elixxir is known as "the only anti-aging guru who has actually stayed young." (Investor's Business Daily, Marilyn Much, senior reporter) But his program not only retards aging, but also slashes your risk of death from heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. The ImmorTalist Manifesto will tell you about The Elixxir Program on excerpt at the back. And then you can search for and go to Elixxir's website. There you will find info about The Elixxir Program. Get the Executive Memo about The Elixxir Program. If you prefer not to be strict veggan and teetotaler (no alcohol) for the rest of your life.

Beans and Carrots and Tofu, Oh My! Reviewer: Anonymous       10-31-2003 I lasted only a few weeks, then I was done with the bland sameness of it all, relenting to a friend's insistence that I try Atkins - success at last!

The Best Healthy-Eating, Healthy-Living Guide Ever Reviewer: "athena3"   (Ann Arbor, MI    09-26-2003 For those who regret the absence of meat in this eating style, well, I don't think Ornish intends for you to give up every single thing you love. I dearly love avocados- and have them now and then. You learn to have those things less often, but to enjoy them so much more. Far from giving up the things you love, following Ornish's advice allows you to make room for them in a way that does you no harm. It's all about balance and paying attention to yourself.

Too extreme for me Reviewer: Anonymous       05-30-2003 Can you lose weight? I don't know. I couldn't stand to eat this way long enough to find out. All I can say is, it's great if you want to live like a monk, or like a P.O.W. First of all, it's vegetarian, which rules out about half the foods there are. Worse than that, it makes you go fat-free, too, which means there's another hundred or so vegetarian foods you can't have, either. (Nuts make you fat. Avocadoes will kill you. Coconut is poison. Olives are deadly. Yada, yada, cluck, cluck, cluck.) Oh sure, you can eat abundantly. Indulge in all the steamed squash you want. Luxuriate with a big bowl of wet spinach or boiled beets. Celebrate with a lump of quinoa, whatever that is. Munch an eggplant, and chew on some dry romaine lettuce, or egg white. If that's your idea of abundant eating, you'll love this. Me, I can't live the rest of my life chewing tasteless vegetables and lentils and gloppy tofu. Blech. Is this REALLY how thin people eat?? I never saw anyone eat like this, except maybe in a refugee camp. When I saw this Dr, on the talk show I thought he looked a little soft and sickly. No wonder. He's starving to death.

Title should be how to become a rabbit Reviewer: Anonymous   Saginaw, MI    03-20-2003 I guess if I wanted to eat vegetable soup almost everyday, it would work for me.

Not even fish or chicken?????? Reviewer: Peter R. Evans   MIAMI, FL    03-05-2003 This is a vegetarian diet, pure and simple. And that's fine, if you want to become a vegetarian.

Faddish, bland, dull, flatulent, All starch and sugar Reviewer: Anonymous       11-29-2002 I endured this diet for more than six months. I lost three pounds. And was miserable. The rule for this diet is very simple. It basically eliminates every food that you have ever WANTED to eat. If you like it, you can't have it. If it tastes good, spit it out. If you enjoy a food, there is something wrong with it . It is extremely limiting and tedious. Nothing made with flour. Nothing made with sugar. Nothing that contains salt. Nothing made with fat. Nothing that contains meat. Nothing that contains oil. Nothing that contains seafood of any kind. Nothing with taste. The list of deadly, and forbidden foods is endless. No almonds, no avocadoes, no cabernet wine, no shrimp. Stay a way from walnuts, salmon, clams, coconut, flaxseed, pecans, and calamari. Eat no roquefort, no cashews, no sushi, no flounder, no cod, no olives, no california roll. You are not permitted olive oil or canola oil or sesame oil. (Sesame seeds are even frowned upon.) You are allowed no pecans, no mustard, no sunflower seeds, no pumpkin seeds, no Dover sole, no brook trout, no chocolate. . . You are left to a spartan regime of leaves and stems, sugary fruits, and piles and piles of sticky starches. Rice beans potatoes rice beans potatoes rice beans. . . You may dress it up with saffron and exotic spices. But it is still potatoes rice beans to me. And. . .not to be indelicate, but when consuming all this organic mulch your intestines will ferment and bubble like a pot of stew. You will pass gas every few minutes, much like a cow does. At the office, I could not sit through a 30-minute meeting without slipping out to the men's room once or twice to break wind in private. (Ornish recommends using Beano, some pill that supposedly helps this 'side effect.' Phooey.) I gave this up. I now eat low-carb. My weight is down. My cholesterol is down (and balanced) my BP is down. I am not hungry. My periodontal disease cleared up. And a no longer puff like a steam engine out the back.

It Works Reviewer: B. Eaves   Maywood, Illinois    10-26-2002 I 've been following Dr Ornish's vegeterian plan and I am loosing weight and not hungry. The recipes are easy to follow and taste very good.

it's common sense, folks Reviewer: C. Kernan "CrysAnne"   Bliss, USA    05-26-2002 It may be hard to stomach (no pun intended), but the key to losing weight and being healthy is to EAT LESS and to MOVE MORE. Of what we do eat, we should make sure it is viable, honest-to-god food, not pseudo would-be nourishment that only aids in our progression toward obesity and illness. This simple, intuitive way of life may not initially be easy, especially to we Westerners accustomed to fast food and sedentary hours in front of the television with our handfuls of potato chips...but the fact of the matter is that our way of life is simply WRONG, and we need to CHANGE if we are ever to be true to our inherent genetic potential. Duh.

Vitamin deficiency Reviewer: Susan Madden   Salt Lake City, Utah    06-28-2000 I was initially excited by Dr. Ornish's eating plan. For the first several months of following his diet, I felt better, had more energy, and lost 10 pounds. However, after a year or so I became tired, then very tired... When it progressed to exhaustion and I had trouble getting through my workday, I went to see my doctor. Blood work found significant iron and B12 deficiencies. In researching in other books about vegetarian diets, I read that it is almost impossible to get B12 in a vegetarian diet (the only sources are said to be Spirulina and some kinds of kelp) and that supplements should be taken. I also read that it is difficult to get adequate iron and vitamin D on a strictly vegetarian diet. When I went back to Dr. Ornish's book, I could find no references to the need for these supplements or discussion about possible vitamin or mineral deficiencies when on this diet. Since he is an MD, I trusted completely in what he said in this book. I am disappointed now, however, and wish he had included more information about the nutritional needs that might not be met by a vegetarian diet. I still love his recipes, however.

This program changed my life Reviewer: Anonymous   San Francisco    03-16-2000 I've tried lots of diets over the years and succeeded with some of them but after a mild heart attack last summer I really did not want to go on any diet that promised short-term results but obviously was not good for my health long-term. I really only wanted to invest my time and energy in a life-program that would build good health for the rest of my life. I began Dr. Ornish's program (a very low-fat, plant-based diet, moderate exercise, meditation and yoga) and within two weeks I began to feel like a different person -- more energetic, healthy and well. It took some time to get good at cooking this way but now I've got my shopping and cooking system set up so it works -- I cook double batches of things on Sundays and have my little repertoire of things I can fix quickly on weeknights. I also bought Dr. Ornish's book "Everyday Cooking" which has additional recipes, and that's great, too. Even my husband likes the food. I am looking and feeling better every day and am completely satisfied that I am not only losing weight but doing absolutely the best that I can do for my long-term health.

This program changed my life Reviewer: Anonymous   San Francisco    03-16-2000 I've tried lots of diets over the years and succeeded with some of them but after a mild heart attack last summer I really did not want to go on any diet that promised short-term results but obviously was not good for my health long-term. I really only wanted to invest my time and energy in a life-program that would build good health for the rest of my life. I began Dr. Ornish's program (a very low-fat, plant-based diet, moderate exercise, meditation and yoga) and within two weeks I began to feel like a different person -- more energetic, healthy and well. It took some time to get good at cooking this way but now I've got my shopping and cooking system set up so it works -- I cook double batches of things on Sundays and have my little repertoire of things I can fix quickly on weeknights.

Abundant variety not boring deprivation! Reviewer: sarah ellis   California    03-16-2000 Dr. Dean Ornish suggests an eating lifestyle not a diet, based on whole, unprocessed grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes including soy, and nonfat dairy foods that is easy to follow, abundant in variety, and packed with nutrients. One is able to eat well and feel satisfied without indulging in high fat, high calorie foods, and without feeling deprived or hungry. The only limiting factor to enjoying this type of eating would be one's imagination!

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