PCRM is a group of vegan diet book authors and animal rights activists : www.pcrm.org who sell more different diet books (mostly vegan or semi-vegan) than any other group. It calls itself the Physicians Committee for "Responsible" Medicine. It acts more like Politically Correct Ridiculous Medicine.

--

Doctors rate the 15 top-selling diet books

CTV News Staff

There are countless diet books out there. There's "The Zone", "The Protein Plan," "Fit for Life" -- you name it. It seems everyone has a theory on how to lose weight. But are the diets healthy? A physicians' group in the U.S. tried to make sense of it all and ranked the 15 best-selling diet books .

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine analyzed the weight-loss books by rating each book's daily diet recommendations on five criteria critical to safe, healthy weight loss:

* a minimum of 25 grams of fiber,
* five servings of fruits and vegetables,
* no more than 50 milligrams of cholesterol,
* no more than 30 per cent of total calories from fat,
* and no more than 10 per cent saturated fat.

"We set these books up to a basic standard and only one really came out on top," reports PCRM's Brie Turner-McGrievy.

On the top of the stack: Dr. Dean Ornish’s Eat More, Weigh Less. It promotes a mostly vegetarian diet, low in fat, high in fibre. It was the only book that met all of the U.S. health requirements and the only book to received a five-star rating.

But it seems for most readers, doctors' advice doesn't matter. Readers love books that promise they can lose lots of weight fast and bookstores can't keep diet books stocked.

"No matter what it is, if it's about losing weight, it sells," says Tracy Nesdoly of Chapters-Indigo.

Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution by Robert Atkins, and Protein Power by Michael and Mary Eades, both of which espouse a high meat protein and high-fat diet, have been on best selling lists for decades. But both bottom out in health rankings.

The doctors' group says the diets are high in cholesterol and saturated fat. They received no stars at all and were deemed downright unsafe. Followers of the diets are putting their health in jeopardy, the doctors say.

"We know people have lost weight on those plans but the diet is just really high in some of the negative things that are associated with heart disease over time. So it didn't surprise me that they put it there," says registered dietitian Andrea Holwedner.

The PCRM points out that diets heavy on meat, eggs, and cheese have been linked to a higher risk of colorectal cancer, heart disease, and impaired kidney function.

Experts say at the end of the day, the best diet is common sense: Follow Canada's Food Guide, and exercise at least three times a week. And there's no need for diet books.

With a report from CTV's Jennifer Tryon
Diet Book Ratings

FIVE STARS—Outstanding

* Eat More, Weigh Less by Dean Ornish, M.D.

FOUR STARS—Good

* Get with the Program! by Bob Greene
* The pH Miracle by Robert O. Young, Ph.D., and Shelley Redford Young

THREE STARS—Marginal

* Eat Right for Your Type (Type A) by Dr. Peter D’Adamo
* 8 Minutes in the Morning by Jorge Cruise
* The Peanut Butter Diet by Holly McCord, M.A., R.D.
* The Zone by Barry Sears

TWO STARS—Unsatisfactory

* Body for Life by Bill Phillips
* Eat Right for Your Type (Type O) by Dr. Peter D’Adamo
* The Fat Flush Plan by Ann Louise Gittleman, M.S.,C.N.S.
* The Insulin Resistance Diet by Cheryle Hart, M.D., and Mary Kay Grossman, R.D.
* The Omega Diet by Artemis P. Simopoulos, M.D., and Jo Robinson
* Sugar Busters! by H. Leighton Steward; Sam S. Andrews, M.D.; Morrison C. Bethea, M.D.; Luis A. Balart, M.D.

ONE STAR—Poor

* Eat Right for Your Type (Type AB) by Dr. Peter D’Adamo
* Eat Right for Your Type (Type B) by Dr. Peter D’Adamo
* The Schwarzbein Principle II by Diana Schwarzbein, M.D.

NO STARS—Unsafe

* Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution by Robert Atkins, M.D.
* Protein Power by Michael Eades, M.D. and Mary Eades, M.D.


http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNe...hub=CTVNewsAt11