I have not finished the book, but already started following the plan. Food is much more filling. I've only been "flexing" for about two weeks. I don't weigh myself - but can tell my clothes are fitting better. And, I feel better. I'm a single parent of an 11 year old girl, so I and am very happy with teaching her the right way to eat. I plan to order a few books as gifts for friends I know will appreciate the approach.

This book is great. No fuss. Just facts and great receipes. Every receipe I have tried has been easy to make and delicious! My husband wasn't thrilled when I told him about it but he agreed to read the book and we are both on board. I have been trying this life stlye for about a month now and my bp went from 138/86 to 112/56! Can't beat that! I have also lost 6 pounds. I could not recommend this book more highly, I hope for a sequel.

As a psychologist specializing in weight management, I labor every day `in the trenches' with people struggling to lose weight and keep it off. While doing this fascinating work with thousands of clients, the number one difficulty I observe is BRIDGING THE GAP between knowing and doing. In this I mean that almost all of us KNOW we need to eat healthier, lose weight, and exercise, and we do INTEND to do these things. However, life happens, and, as they say, the best laid plans...

Into this void steps the outstanding new book, the Flexitarian Diet, by the dietitian and author Dawn Jackson Blatner. Outside of its enthusiastic prose, delicious recipes, and evidence-based suggestions, the most useful part of the Flexitarian Diet are its creative `FlexLife Troubleshooters', quick and invaluable tips on negotiating the toughest diet barrier of all: LIFE. Helpfully divided into `Fact Stacks,' `Time Crunch,' `Craving Control,' `Out and About,' and `Feeling Good,' these strategies provide the `nuts and bolts' to help the Flexitarian in all of us reach his or her goals.

Part common sense, part behavioral psychology, and all spot on, the FlexLife Troubleshooters will help you move from DESIRE to EXECUTION. Some examples I find particularly helpful (and have been sharing with clients) are:

* From `Craving Control'- "...ask yourself, Am I hungry? before eating anything. It is a quick way to be more connected to what is causing you to reach mindlessly for food."
* In `Out and About'- "...socialize away from the food table at parties and gatherings. The farther away you stand, the less you will nibble."
* From `Feeling Good'- "...add twenty minutes of relaxation to your bedtime routine...it can significantly reduce the number of nights you snack."

I have been recommending the Flexitarian Diet to many clients for a few weeks now, and the feedback has been very positive. If you're looking for a sensible diet book that values preparation, research, common sense, and, above all, delicious food, this book is for you!

I bought this book after seeing it reviewed in a newspaper. I am
> enjoying trying all the recipes. I am 65 years young and what I
> love most is that the recipes are for one person. It makes my life
> so much easier. All the recipes I have tried so far this week are DELICIOUS!
> Even better I am down 2 pounds and sleeping better at night. This is a valuable purchase for anyone who wants to improve their health and save money at the same time. There are no left-overs and no wasted food.
> Sandra (California)

I got it over the weekend and have read it cover to cover!! I LOVE IT!!!!

I've recommended it to several people already.

As far as I'm concerned it is all anyone would need for an education of eating whole foods. This is exactly what the world needed.

It is so helpful. She explains so much in simple to understand terms. I found the section on whole grains particularly helpful. And the tip about using index cards to keep the recipes is brilliant.

I can't wait to start making the recipes for my family. Also going to start to make extra batches and sneak some nutrition into my picky mother!

As suggested in the book, I added pureed black beans into store bought brownie mix and my family loved them - the whole pan was gone in a matter of hours. They had no idea they were getting the extra fiber and protein.

I'm a client of Dawn's and what I love about this book is that it reflects her personality and her enthusiastic attitude towards food. It's not about cutting bad things out but putting healthy things in, and above all enjoying what you eat. This lady believes in what she does and has fun with it which means that it will be an enlightening and enjoyable read, no matter what your goals.

From: www.BasilAndSpice.com

Book Review: The Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease, and Add Years to Your Life (McGraw-Hill, 2008) by Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, LDN

A licensed and registered dietitian and a national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, Dawn Jackson Blatner is also the hostess of a "Healthy Eating' segment on Chicago's Fox News in the Morning. Once referring to herself as a "closet meat eater, she now openly calls herself a flexitarian. Dawn is mainly a vegetarian who eats a little red meat on occasion--a flexitarian.

Dawn Blatner writes that the word "flexitarian" was chosen by the American Dialect Society as the Most Useful Word of the Year (2003). Also, a 2003 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition sampled 13,000 people and found that 2 of 3 vegetarians eat this way.

Key Points to The Flexitarian Diet:

* Eating a plant-based vegetarian diet is the smartest thing we can do for our health.
* The author has taught flexitarian eating to thousands of clients and has seen them lose 20-80lbs.
* Phytochemicals in plants protect us from all types of disease.
* Vegetarians live 3.6 years longer on average than non-vegetarians. (They have less disease.) They also weigh approximately 15% less than non-vegetarians.
* The Flexitarian Diet is a gradual shifting to a healthier way of eating. It promises a 15-30lb weight loss within 6-12 months. Benefits also include improved: energy, self-esteem, arthritis, blood pressure, cholesterol, sleep, triglyceride and glucose levels. Also associated with this type of diet is a reduced risk of: cancer, diabetes, heart disease.
* Contains 100 recipes, but no photos of them. Divided into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, it includes "swaps" for how to add poultry, fish, or red meat to a meal. Nutritional information is listed and the recipes are calorie-controlled, meet the American Heart Association's certification for sodium and saturated fat levels, contain no artificial ingredients, trans fat, or sugar substitutes. Shopping lists and meal plans are supposed to benefit the reader's weight loss.

Examples to try:

* Burger with Broccoli Raab
* Black Bean and Zucchini Quesadillas (with cheddar cheese)
* Pad-Thai-Style Tempeh
* Pinto and Cheese Poblanos

The Flexitarian Diet includes a fitness chapter covering the various aspects of how to get moving and get into shape. Advice is given regarding types of exercise, gym memberships, how to maintain motivation, type of shoe to be worn, and how to beat exercise barriers. (Excuses for not exercising)

Dawn Blatner has 10 pages of references and blocks of facts throughout highlighting important points. The meat of the book discusses vegetarian issues related to food groups, beans, tofu products, flavoring, cost control, organic vs. conventional, etc..

The Flexitarian Diet certainly catches the eye with a beautifully photographed cover which illustrates the book's content well. The Flexitarian Diet is a healthy way for the beginning weight-loss conscious person to start. And it is also for those who wish to really make a change for long-lasting health, taking a new approach to how they shop, prepare, and enjoy their food.

As diet books change into wellness books, more emphasis is put into total body health. The reader should be able to ask such questions as, "How will bad cholesterol be reduced? Will I be able to walk farther? Am I sleeping better?" The Flexitarian Diet hits this mark.

5 Stars

Books like this just continue to piss me off. You cannot be a part time veggie. Either you are or you arent. Real veggies do it because we love animals and the environment and because we are disgusted by meat.

The only real healthy and entlightened people are vegans and you cannot dispute that.

As a registered dietitian, chef, and fellow author, I find few diet books worthy of recommending. But The Flexitarian Diet is one that I do highly recommend. It's based on sound science. It's written in a witty, consumer-friendly, easy-to-follow style in a way in which you know that Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, is passionate about what she is suggesting. I love that everything is based on fives--five food groupings, five-week meal plan, and more. But it's not based on a gimmick like so many diet books. And it's not really a "diet" as it's not based on avoidance. In fact, this fresh flexitarian approach is how I eat and what I tell those who are not already vegetarians to strive for. Best of all, there are many, many recipes and shopping checklists included that make eating healthfully and following a meal plan simple--without sacrificing flavor. You will enjoy this smart book while getting healthier at the same time!

This book could have been titled Healthier and Thinner in Five Easy Steps! The premise of this book is that you don't have to go to extremes to be healthy. As Dawn Jackson Blatner says on page 1, this diet isn't about rigid rules, it's about eating more plants and doing the best you can. She never judges you for what you eat, but makes suggestions about how to add healthy foods and habits to your busy life.

The Flexitarian Diet is filled with yummy recipes (most have no more than five ingredients!), shopping lists, and expert suggestions for curbing cravings and generally feeling good. The book focuses on five main areas of eating: meat alternatives (although meat is still "allowed"), fruits and veggies, grains, dairy, and sugar and spice. The author introduces one area per week, describing the nutritionist's favorite ways to incorporate new foods into your diet, or new ways to enjoy foods you already eat.

I tend to eat pretty healthily already, but I learned a lot from this book. I've tagged the pages with the recipes I've tried and loved, as well as at least a dozen I can't wait to try. But I think my favorite thing about it is that it supports the way I like to think about health and eating. I used to be a vegetarian, but I went back to eating meat a few years ago. I always felt a little guilty about it, as though I wasn't strong enough to resist the smell of a steak on the grill. Flexitarian eating is about trusting yourself and understanding that diet is flexible, and that flexibility is a strength, not a weakness. Thank you, Dawn Jackson Blatner!