Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #424609 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781569246153
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Prout, a nutritionist at the Claremont Resort and Spa in Berkeley, Ca., believes that people could lose weight and improve their general health by modifying their Western diet to include the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). TCM is based on the principles of balance (yin-yang) and Qi, which the Chinese believe is our vital life force. Key to the success of TCM, she explains, is understanding one's "pattern of imbalance" (e.g., "dry," "damp," "warm," "cool") and personalizing one's diet to maintain healthy equilibrium or "strong spleen Qi." Nevertheless, Prout acknowledges that "it is likely that you will have combinations of more than one pattern," and even if a person is balanced, he or she can experience periods of imbalance (e.g., PMS, insomnia, depression, bloating). Though her explanations are sensible and she offers considerable anecdotal evidence, readers not well-versed in Eastern thought may be overwhelmed by the inordinate details of TCM (e.g., the five elementsAwood, fire, metal, water and earthAof nutrition, climate, food colors, etc.) and how to use them. To ease confusion, Prout recommends the best foods for particular patterns of imbalance and offers considerable anecdotal evidence. Unfortunately, impatient readers who are used to opening a typical Western diet book that spells out exact menus for every meal every day may dismiss Prout's recommendations. (Jan.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
Linda Prout, M.S., is the resident nutritionist at the Claremont Resort and Spa in Berkeley, California. She is a consultant and speaker to corporations seeking to enhance employee productivity through lifestyle changes as well as a counselor to individuals seeking more energy and better health. She also serves as a consultant to the Discovery Health Channel. She lives in Santa Rosa, California.

Customer Reviews

Life changing experience
This book is a fascinating and practical guide to choosing the right foods and lifestyle for your own body. It starts with simple questionnaires to help you understand your body from an "energetic" or Eastern perspective. Prout describes symptoms of excess "heat," "cold," "dampness," "dryness," and "wind" -- all Chinese diagnostic terms. The book then goes on to give the foods and lifestyle strategies to best remedy these imbalances. Someone who is overweight should avoid "damp" foods, for instance, as opposed to counting calories, the Western approach that has obviously been failing us so far. Imbalances are easy to spot and I enjoyed figuring out my pattern. I really like the fact that moods (a temper, irritability, depression) fit in with body patterns. This is a customized approach to eating right and is based on thosands of years of observation rather than hundreds of years of "science" which only seem to correspond with increasing disease and obesity rates.

Almost didn't buy this book but so glad I did.
I have never written a review before, but I feel compelled to comment on this book. I read the reviews of Live in the Balance but was still hesitant to buy. I have a strong background in nutrition, eating for health, alternative medicine, etc...and was unconvinced Prout would have anything new to say. I am so thankful I made the purchase anyway. Highly readable, incredibly well researched with all studies and facts documented, this book is changing my life and the life of my family. Plagued with terrible allergies, eczema, and low energy, I feel better after following some of Prout's suggestion, IN ONE WEEK. I feel like a new person. Some of the information is also helping alleviate a family member's struggle with worsening depression. I am introducing some of the principle to make food choices for my two small children and already it seems to be helping boost their immune systems--an ongoing battle in our house. I have learned so much from this book. It is much more readable and well formatted than Food and Healing by Ammemarie Colbin (another excellent and informative book on food and healing). Buy this book.

Interesting read, invaluable handbook
I came across Linda's book after months of looking for a resource that integrated Eastern wellness and nutrition principles into the Western lifestyle realities. Linda's book was a blessing! One month after taking some of the suggestions in the book, I was finally able to get rid of a respiratory condition that my Western-trained physicians had simply labeled hayfever and prescribed an allergy pill. The usefulness of Linda's book didn't end there, though. I find myself regularly consulting it as seasons change from damp to dry, hot to cold, etc. It's an excellent resource for anyone who likes to be aware of how their food and lifestyle choices affect moods and wellness. Highly recommended!