Diet Book Reviews

Diet Book Reviews

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Publishers continue to crank out new diet books at a rapid pace. Will you get your diet advice and tips from a new diet book hot off the presses, or one of the "classic" diet bestsellers? Read the reviews below. BestDietForMe analysts will help you sort it out.

There's the Dr. Atkins diet book, the South Beach Diet book (and South Beach Diet cook book), The Zone diet book, or you can buy a diet cook book from Weight Watchers, or read some of the newer fad diet books such as: The 3 Hour Diet, the Curves diet, the Mediterranean diet book, the sex diet book, Volumetrics, and more.

Many popular weight loss programs start out as a diet book first. If they catch on, they create a website and a full-blown diet plan. Some are related to specific medical condition or body part--a diabetes diet book, a gi diet book (glycemic index), the blood type diet, etc. Take your pick.

BestDietForMe analysts will continually add to the list below, as new diet books are released. So, check back with us. The list below is by no means all-inclusive. Click the links below to get to the review for each diet book.

Consumer Reports Rates The Diets, and Diet Books...

According to the June 2007 issue of Consumer Reports, Volumetrics is the most carefully researched diet plan, and The Best Life Diet is the best diet book.

To rate the diet books, newer diets that, according to CR "have not been put to the test of a large clinical trial", the magazine's staff applied their own criteria and sought input from a panel of nutrition experts. Among other tings, CR staff considered a weeks' menus from the book or website, and how well the diets conformed to the 2005 U.S. dietary guidelines.

After The Best Life Diet, CR rated 3 books as coming in very close seconds: Eat, Drink, & Weigh Less (by Mollie Katzen and Walter Willet, MD), You On A Diet (by Michael Roizen, MD and Mehmet C. Oz, MD), and The Abs Diet (by David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker).

The following were ranked LAST among the diet books: The South Beach Diet, The Sonoma Diet, and Ultra-Metabolism. Of course, the authors disputed CR's ratings if they were not favorable.

New Diet Books Next >>

The Abs Diet (David Zinczenko)
The Weight-Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You To Know About (Kevin Trudeau)
Fiber 35 Diet (Brenda Watson)
You On A Diet (Michael R. Roizen, Mehmet Oz, MDs)
The Best Life Diet (Bob Greene)
3 Hour Diet (Jorge Cruise)
Body Intelligence (Edward Abramson, PhD)

Dieting For Dummies (Jane Kirby, RD, & The American Dietetic Assn.)

Curves: Permanent Results Without Permanent Dieting (Gary Heavin & Carol Colman)

Eat Carbs, Lose Weight (Denise Austin)

Flavor Point Diet (David L. Katz, M.D.)

French Women Don't Get Fat (Mireille Guilano)

The Perricone Weight Loss Diet (Nicholas Perricone, M.D.)

The Good Mood Diet (Susan Kleiner, PhD with Bob Condor)

The South Beach Diet Parties And Holidays Cookbook

Ultra Metabolism (Mark Hyman, M.D.)
Volumetrics (Dr. Barbara Rolls)

Recent Diet Books (Less than 3 years old)

5-Factor Fitness (Harley Pasternak, M.Sc. and Ethan Boldt)

Body For Life (Bill Phillips)

Eight Weeks to Optimum Health (Dr. Andrew Weil)

Protein Power (Drs. Michael & Mary Eades)

The Rosedale Diet (Ron Rosedale, M.D. and Carol Colman)

The South Beach Diet (Dr. Arthur Agatston)

The Zone (Dr. Barry Sears)

The Ultimate Weight Loss Solution (Dr. Phil McGraw)

Classic Diet Books (More than 3 years old)

Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution (Dr. Robert Atkins)

Beverly Hills Diet (Judy Mazel)

Eat To Win (Robert Hass)
Eat More, Weigh Less (Dean Ornish, M.D.)
In The Kitchen With Rosie (Rosie Daley)
Scarsdale Medical Diet (Herman Tarnower)
Somersizing (Suzanne Somers)
Sugar Busters (H. Leighton Steward)
The Pritikin Program For Diet & Exercise (Nathan Pritikin)
The Rotation Diet (Martin Katahn)

What Makes Diet Books Bestsellers?

Diet books sell very well in America. There are more than 1,600 diet books for sale on Amazon.com. Historically, sales can be staggering--over 15 million in all editions for The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet and over 3 million for Jane Fonda's workout books. Other popular titles have included: the Beverly Hills Diet, The Rotation Diet (over 800,000 copies), Elizabeth Taylor's Elizabeth Takes Off, The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure (by medical writer Robert E. Kowalski-382,000 copies), Eat To Win (Robert Haas), and others.

According to leading literary agents, the diet has to be unique, or the author's personality has to be. People have to believe in the diet or believe in the author when that person is on TV or radio. Celebrity authors, trusted by the public, can often be successful. If it's a celebrity who has gained and then lost weight in full public view, like Elizabeth Taylor, it becomes an inspiration for the average person. It also helps if the author has an existing following. It is also essential that the diet "work", meaning that it must help a person lose some weight rapidly.

Public relations agents say that: "When it comes to the quick-fix books, if people don't lose a few pounds right away, they won't recommend the book to their friends."

Publishers must be careful with diet books, and take a hard look at the author's credentials. They ask around in the medical community, among other checks. Publishers and agents know that the "flash" and hype are everything, yet they want solid information in the books.

Many of today's popular diet books fall into a "middle ground"--they are not dangerous, but they're just not as good as they should be. The problem is that the word "diet" means one thing to the public and another to nutritionists.

Evaluating a diet book involves checking the number of calories it allows, making sure it won't put a person into nutritional deficiency, and seeing that it includes behavior modification and exercise. But, will a book that meets such criteria sell? Too often, publishers go with the potential quick weight-loss blockbusters, despite their failings. The fact is, quick weight loss and good nutrition are mutually exclusive.

What Do Consumers Want in a Diet Book?

Today, it’s not enough to simply publish a diet book. Today’s dieting consumers expect a supporting website as well, one that goes beyond the book and offers a wide variety of interactive tools such as online menu planners, weight tracking tools, chat rooms, bulletin boards and more to help support their weight loss efforts. These websites also help promote the books. In fact, that’s what is being done. The South Beach Diet has a website, as does 8 Weeks to Optimum Health (Dr. Andrew Weil), Protein Power (Dr. Eades), and The Zone.

One major difference between today and the fad-driven 1970-1980s is that weight loss mavens today must boast high credential resumes to attract a smarter readership.

There is an emerging and growing market for sound, authoritative advice on diet and nutrition, with an increased interest in responsible health books, as opposed to "quack" books.

A second generation of diet books and authors are using cutting-edge scientific and biological principles to help people control basic things that happen to their bodies. These second-generation diet books, say agents, "have to meld the psychological and the physiological in interesting ways."

Finally, there are the Weight Watchers cookbooks with recipes based on their weight loss plan. These books have been published for the past 15 years or so by New American Library, and many have over 1 million copies in print. Weight Watchers feels that most gimmick diets tend to be boring, with a limited range of permitted foods. The company also has a captive market through their huge network of meetings and workshops across the country, where these diet books are recommended. By contrast, authors of best-selling diet books often have limited success when they follow up with cookbooks based on their diets.

Diet Books - Nature of the Market

"There will always be major market interest in diet books. They’re always at the top of the health related bestseller lists", say editors.

BestDietForMe.com feels that today there will be at least one diet bestseller per year that sells 3-6 million copies. We can usually add to that probably another 10 titles by various authors (physicians, infomercial celebrities, models, TV personalities, commercial weight loss company founders, etc.) that sell 70,000 copies each. In addition, there are some "staple" books such as Weight Watchers cookbooks, that always sell well.

In 2001, we thought that the diet book market was moving away from celebrity or fad diets. However, 2003 proved that rationale wrong. We had two major diet blockbusters on the bestseller list: The South Beach Diet, and Dr. Phil McGraw’s Ultimate Weight Loss Solution.

A Sampling of The Best Selling Diet Books in History

Following is a list of some of the more successful "classic" diet books in past years, with their retail price, authors, and year of 1st printing, when available....

Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution

The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure-Robert E. Kowalski ($17.95 hardcover) 1986

The Beverly Hills Diet-Judy Mazel ($3.95 paperback), 1981

Jane Fonda's New Workout & Weight Loss Program ($10.95 softcover), 1986 (paperback also)

Elizabeth Takes Off-Elizabeth Taylor ($7.95 softcover), 1988

Better Homes & Gardens-The Dieter's Cookbook ($24.95 hardcover), 1982

The American Heart Association Cookbook ($4.95 paperback-1980, 17.95 hardcover-1973)

Weight Watchers Quick Success Program Cookbook ($18.95 hardcover-Jan. 1989)

Weight Watchers Quick Start Plus Cookbook 1987

Weight Watchers Party & Holiday Cookbook ($9.95 softcover-1981)

Weight Watchers Fast & Fabulous Cookbook, 126,195 sold in 1986

The Setpoint Diet-Dr. Gilbert Leveille ($3.95 paperback-1985, General Foods)