Weekend Cooking- 21-Day Tummy by Liz Vaccariello

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.

21-Day Tummy by Liz Vaccariello
Published by Reader's Digest ISBN 978-1-62145-111-2
Hardcover, $25.99, 320 pages

21-Day Tummy not only aims to help you lose stubborn belly fat, it also is designed to help people deal with the stomach problems that plague so many people- gas and bloating, heartburn and acid reflux, constipation, diarrhea and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Millions of Americans suffer from these stomach issues, and this book, written by Liz Vaccariello from Reader's Digest, along with Kate Scarlata, a registered dietician, share the science behind their methods in easy-to-understand language, and if you are one the people who suffer from any of the above stomach problems, this book is more than worth your time.

Vaccariello recruited eleven people to try the diet with her (she lost 10 pounds in 21 days) and their stories are interspersed throughout the book. They lost of a total of 90 pounds in the three weeks, with the participating men losing slightly more than the women.

The book's main goal is to balance gut flora (bacteria in the GI tract) and reduce inflammation by eating more magnesium-rich foods and anti-inflammatory fats and reducing carb-dense foods and carbs that ferment rapidly.

They describe foods to avoid, called Belly Bullies, which include such surprising foods as garlic, onions, apples, asparagus and the popular agave sweetener, which contains fructose, a big no-no. Belly Buddies, foods that you should eat, include fiber-rich foods magnesium-rich foods like spinach, kale, peanut butter, bananas, blueberries, quinoa, whole oats, almonds, chia and pumpkin seeds and Greek yogurt.

The book lays our the three-week meal plan, divided into three phases. Each day has its own page with a breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner menu. All of the meals seem very doable, with no crazy food supplements or ingredients that you have to shop for at specialty stores.

Recipes follow the menu plan, and there are several I would like to try, including

• Scrambled Egg Quesadilla
• Mini Quiche
• Hearty Roasted Vegetable Soup
• Grilled Turkey Cutlets with Grape Salsa

There is also a week-by-week shopping list, which is very helpful, and a simple exercise plan, with an interval walking workout and core routine laid out clearly and simply for the reader, with illustrations of the each exercise.

With so many diets out there, including the Paleo Diet and Mediterranean Diet, the 21-Day Tummy Diet seems to be a sound, scientific way to lose belly fat and help people with their myriad digestive problems. The eleven people who tried the diet shared interesting results, including being able to eliminate prescription heartburn medication completely in one case.

The website for the 21-Day Tummy contains more information, and there you can try the book free for 14 days to see if it can help you. The website is here.

rating 4 of 5

Weekend Cooking- Shred by Ian K. Smith, M.D.

Shred: Revolutionary Diet by Ian K. Smith, M.D.
Published by St. Martin's Press ISBN 978-1-250-03586-8
Hardcover, $24.99, 259 pages

Sometimes a diet book breaks through the clutter to become popular- think The Scarsdale Diet back in the 70s. One that has caught the zeitgeist recently is Dr. Ian Smith's Shred Revolutionary Diet- 6 Weeks, 4 Inches, 2 Sizes.

The book evolved from Smith's Twitter feed, where people who had hit a weight loss plateau had been asking him for help. After getting many requests and hearing back that many of them had lost up to 20 pounds, he created Shred.

Shred is a six-week program that must be followed exactly to obtain the maximum effect. Each week is designated- Prime, Challenge, Transformation, Ascend, Cleanse and Explode- with its own goal. Prime sets you up to begin the program, for example.

The book is well-laid out. Each chapter takes you through every day with specific instructions as to when to eat the four meals and three snacks, giving you the options for each meal and snack and choices for the exercise requirement for the day.

While Smith is very rigid in his instructions, there seems to be enough choices that make it doable for most people. He gives you the calorie counts for each meal and snack, and options to get to those calories. Fruits and vegetables are key, as is drinking a cup of water before each meal. I think it would easy to follow this book day by day.

I talked to two women who are in the fifth week of this program and they generally had good things to say. They both found the most challenging part was to eat at the specific times required- 8:30am, 10am, 11:30am, 1pm, 3:30pm, 7pm, 8:30pm. It requires a lot of planning, and you must stick to these times to be successful.

On the flip side, the schedule means you don't have to think about it; you know you will have to eat at these times. One woman believes this plan is best for someone who has "hit a plateau or just wants to reset the kind of food" one eats. It has helped her break her addiction to sugar, and she has cut way back on drinking diet soda. She has lost 9 1/2 pounds, and may do another six weeks to continue her progress.

Another woman I spoke with says she feels great. Her skin and hair look better and she has been "sleeping better than I have in a long time." She does wish that the portion sizes were more specific and the week where you have to drink the pure cranberry juice was very difficult (the Cleanse week). She has lost 7 pounds and believes that if " you are willing to put in the time, money and energy" you can be successful.

I think if you are the kind of person who follows instructions closely (say someone who attended Catholic elementary school), this diet will work for you. There are enough options for your meals and snacks, and Smith lists lots of 100, 150 and 200-calorie snacks in the back of the book that I found so helpful even if you are not on the diet.

He also has several Smoothie and Soup recipes (both are big options in the diet) that look wonderful too. You don't need to be on the diet to find these delicious and helpful.  The Raspberry-Orange Elixir is calling my name now.

Raspberry-Orange Elixir
Under 200 calories
1 cup diced orange slices
1 cup raspberries
1 tablespoon honey or sugar
1 cup of ice

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.

For more information about Shred- Revolutionary Diet, visit Dr. Ian Smith's website here. 

rating 4 of 5

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.