Product Description

In THE SPECTRUM, Dr. Ornish shows us how to personalize a way of eating and a way of living based on your own health goals, needs, and preferences. Here’s how it works:

Since THE SPECTRUM is about freedom of choice, there is no diet to get on and no diet to get off. Nothing is forbidden. No guilt, no shame, no pressure. THE SPECTRUM is based on love– joy of living, not fear of dying. Feeling better, not denying yourself pleasure.

First, determine your health and wellness goals. Do you want to lose weight? Do you have high cholesterol? Is diabetes a problem in your family? Based on your individual needs and goals, THE SPECTRUM has examples of six individually-tailored lifestyle programs ideally suited for you: lowering cholesterol, losing weight, lowering blood pressure, preventing/reversing diabetes, preventing/reversing certain types of prostate and breast cancer, preventing/reversing heart disease.

Each personalized plan in THE SPECTRUM has 3 components: Nutrition, Stress Management, and Exercise.

The Nutrition Spectrum
The Nutrition Spectrum consists of five groups. Group 1 is the healthiest end of the spectrum and Group 5 is the least healthful end. To determine your current place on the Nutrition Spectrum, find the group that contains the foods you tend to eat most of the time. Then, according to your needs, preferences, and goals, decide how far and how quickly you want to move in a more healthful direction. For example, if you typically eat predominantly foods in Group 4 and you want to lower your cholesterol 50 points, begin by incorporating more foods from Groups 2 and 3. If that’s sufficient to achieve your goal, great; if not, you can move more towards the healthier end of THE SPECTRUM by consuming more foods from Groups 1 and 2.

In general, the closer you move towards Group 1, the more benefits you’re likely to gain and the more quickly you’ll experience them. If you’re healthy, you many not need or want to make very many changes at all–the “ounce of prevention.” On the other hand, if you are trying to reverse heart disease or diabetes, you’ll probably need to make bigger changes–the “pound of cure.”

The recipes by Art Smith for THE SPECTRUM are designed so that each base recipe is in Group 1. Depending on your health and wellness goals, each recipe offers healthy variations. For example, the Vegetable Chili recipe is a delicious version of a classic recipe that begins in Group 1 with predominantly plant-based whole foods that are very low in fat, sugar, salt, and calories. Variations listed at the end of the recipe include adding a cup of pitted higher-fat black olives (which moves this recipe to a Group 2 dish) and/or adding one pound of turkey breast sausage to the recipe (which moves this recipe to a Group 4 dish).

The Stress Management Spectrum
Stress can have a negative impact on just about every part of your body. It can suppress your immune function, cause a heart attack or stroke, increase your risk of cancer, delay wound healing, promote inflammation, cause you to gain weight, impair your memory, cause depression, exacerbate diabetes, and worsen sexual function. Just for starters. Stress also makes you age faster even at a genetic and cellular level.

(over)
Some people thrive on stress, and it doesn’t cause them to get sick. Studies have found that they can turn it on when needed, but they can also turn it off.

They have appropriately elevated levels of stress hormones at work during the day, but their stress hormones drop sharply at night. In other words, they can turn it off. In contrast, people who feel chronically stressed and anxious have stress hormones that remain elevated, and this predisposes them to a wide variety of illnesses.

Stress-management techniques can help you turn it off. They are not about withdrawing from the world; rather, they enable you to embrace it more fully and effectively.  When you're feeling less stressed, you can think more clearly and creatively, making it easier to find constructive solutions.  When you’re less stressed, you’re more empowered.

THE SPECTRUM provides you with the fundamental tools for stress management. These include:

• Breathing• Enhancement of social support
• Yoga & Meditation• Reduction of stimulants (both physical and mental)
• Exercise• Practicing forgiveness, altruism, compassion, service

A DVD of inspiring, beautiful, and peaceful guided meditations by Anne Ornish is included with every copy of THE SPECTRUM. Anne is Vice President of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute where she directs all activities related to stress management training and psychosocial support. She has advanced training in yoga and meditation and was featured on the cover of the August 2006 issue of Yoga Journal magazine.

This DVD has guided meditations of different lengths depending on where you are on the Stress Management Spectrum. Even one minute a day has value; those who would benefit from doing more are given the tools and resources enabling them to do so.

The Exercise Spectrum
You already know that exercise is good for you and that regular, moderate exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health and well-being. What you may not know is that new research is showing that exercise beneficially affects your genes, helps reverse the aging process at a cellular level, gives you more energy, makes you smarter, and may even help you grow so many new brain cells (a process called neurogenesis) that your brain actually gets bigger. Really.

Here again is another demonstration of the theme of THE SPECTRUM: your genes are not your fate. The choices you make each day in your diet and lifestyle have a direct influence on how your genetic predisposition is expressed–for better and for worse. You’re only as old as your genes, but how your genes are expressed may be modified by exercise, diet and lifestyle choices much more than had previously been believed–and more quickly.

To gain all the health benefits of regular exercise, you don’t have to join a gym, hire a personal trainer, or organize your life around 10K’s. For example, in the Women’s Health Study, a major ongoing research project involving tens of thousands of women, those who walked briskly for just 60 to 90 minutes a week–just 15 minutes a day–cut their risk of death from heart attack and stroke in half.

Do what you enjoy, make it fun, and do it regularly. That’s it. THE SPECTRUM shows you how.



FOODS IN THE NUTRITION SPECTRUM

Here is a basic breakdown of the foods in each group of the Nutrition Spectrum:

Group 1
These are the most healthful foods, predominantly fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, soy products, nonfat dairy, and egg whites in their natural forms, as well as some good fats that contain omega‑3 fatty acids. These are foods that are rich in good carbs, good fats, good proteins and other protective substances. There are at least 100,000 substances in these foods that have powerful anti‑cancer, anti-heart-disease and anti-aging properties.

Group 2
These are also predominantly plant-based but somewhat higher in fat (predominantly monosaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat) such as avocadoes, seeds, nuts. Oils are included but in small amounts, since they are so dense in calories. Group 2 also includes foods canned in water (rather than sugary syrup or oil), canned vegetables (if sodium is not too high), low-fat dairy products (1%), decaffeinated beverages, low-sodium soy sauce, and so on.

Group 3:
These foods include some seafood, some refined carbohydrates and concentrated sweeteners (in moderation), some oils that are higher in saturated fat, some reduced fat (2%) dairy products, margarines free of trans fatty acids, sweeteners containing high fructose corn syrup, and higher sodium.

Group 4
In this group foods contain additional fat, higher animal protein and fewer protective nutrients. These include poultry, fish that are higher in mercury, whole milk/dairy products, margarine, mayonnaise, pastries, cakes, cookies, and pies.

Group 5
In general, these foods are considered the least healthful. They are the lowest in protective substances and are highest in “bad fats.” Some food included in this group are red meat, egg yolks, fried poultry, fried fish, hot dogs, organ meats, butter, cream, and tropical oils.



We all need to find our place on the Nutrition Spectrum that’s comfortable and congruent with our own personal values as well as with our health needs. And it may evolve over time. The point of THE SPECTRUM is to provide you information that you can use to make informed and intelligent choices. Only you can decide what’s right for you, for only then is it sustainable.


HOW TO TRANSFORM YOUR LIFESTYLE AND YOUR LIFE

1)You have a full spectrum of nutrition and lifestyle choices.
2)Even more than feeling healthy, most people want to feel free and in control.
3)Eating bad food does not make you a bad person.
4)How you eat is as important as what you eat.
5)Joy of living is a much better motivator than fear of dying.
6)It's important to address the deeper issues that underlie our behaviors.
7)There’s no point in giving up something you enjoy unless you get something back that’s even better–and quickly.
8)Make small gradual changes or big rapid changes to create sustainable transformations in your diet and lifestyle.
9)How we approach food is how we approa...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1919 in Books
• Published on: 2007-12-26
• Released on: 2007-12-26
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 400 pages

From Publishers Weekly
First published in 1990, Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease presented scientific evidence that lifestyle changes alone can reverse even severe heart disease without surgery and medication. Subsequent research convinced Ornish that his program could be applied to other conditions with similar success. Ornish's philosophy has gained the respect of colleagues and patients, but critics say it is too difficult for many to sustain. Perhaps to counteract this notion, Ornish offers choices along a continuum of physical, mental and spiritual health. Marred somewhat by a defensive tone and repetition, the book shows readers how to tailor his recommendations to their needs, goals and preferences. Ornish's spectrum consists of nutrition (extremely low in fat, vegetarian), exercise (aerobic, resistance training and flexibility), stress management (yoga, meditation) and nurturing relationships, and he describes how they influence specific conditions. Recipes contributed by Oprah Winfrey's personal chef, Art Smith, ground Ornish's principles with dishes based on fresh, seasonal ingredients and ways to adapt them to a person's place along the spectrum. No doubt, putting Ornish's philosophy into practice is the best way to banish visions of the diet police. Given the research and heartfelt testimonials from patients reproduced here, the evidence is on Ornish's side. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
Advance Praise for
THE SPECTRUM
A Scientifically Proven Program to Feel Better, Live Longer, Lose Weight, and Gain Health

“In 1993, Hillary asked Dr. Dean Ornish to consult with us on improving our health and well-being and to train the chefs who cooked for us at The White House, Camp David, and Air Force One. I felt better and lost weight when I followed his recommendations. As this book illustrates, my genes may have been improving as well! If you want to see where medicine is likely to be five or
ten years from now, read this book today.”
–President Bill Clinton

“The Spectrum is absolutely fantastic. Time and again, Dr. Dean Ornish has scientifically proven that what was once thought to be medically impossible is, in fact, possible. His work is truly revolutionary.”
–Mehmet Oz, M.D.
Professor of Surgery & Director, Cardiovascular Institute, Columbia University Medical Center
author, You: The Owner’s Manual and You: On a Diet

"Dr. Ornish's wonderful new book, The Spectrum, can make an important difference in the health of the world at a time when it most needs it."
–Gro Brundtland, M.D.
Former Director General, World Health Organization, United Nations
Former Prime Minister, Norway

“Dr. Dean Ornish knows more about inspiring people to eat well, live well, do well, and be well than anyone on the planet. The Spectrum is a powerful book for living longer and better and shows how to live a healthful, joyful and loving life. As Frank Sinatra once told me, “Live each day like it’s
your last, and one day you’ll be right.”
–Quincy Jones

“In this book, Dr. Dean Ornish continues to establish himself as a pioneer in the medicine of the future. He breaks well-established myths in the field of biology by showing scientifically that heart disease is reversible, that certain types of cancer are preventable, and that even your genes can be made to change their blueprint for your destiny by lifestyle changes that are fun and enjoyable and energizing. Read this book. It is literally life saving and life-transforming.”
–Deepak Chopra, M.D.

“This is a must read book for those seeking accurate information for how to optimize their personal health.”
–James O. Hill, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Human Nutrition, University of Colorado
Co-Founder, America On the Move

"I've been following Dr. Dean Ornish's program for more than a decade, and I feel younger now than I did ten years ago.  Dr. Ornish’s style of eating and living is always delicious and never boring."
–Clint Eastwood

“Dr. Dean Ornish is one of my best students, and I agree with what he is telling you. I have known him well for many years now. So you should pay good attention to what he tells you in his new book, which I am pleased to strongly support.  I am in complete agreement with what he is saying in The Spectrum.”
–Alexander Leaf, M.D.
Chairman, Dept. of Medicine (emeritus) and
Chairman, Dept. of Preventive Medicine & Clinical Epidemiology (emeritus)
Harvard Medical School & Massachusetts General Hospital


“This country is in the midst of an unprecedented epidemic of obesity and inactivity, which is fueling the spiraling increase in cost of health care. In The Spectrum, preventive medicine specialist Dean Ornish again shows us how to escape this medical quagmire and start a wellness movement in this country.
I highly recommend this book.”
–Kenneth Cooper, M.D., M.P.H.
Founder & President, The Cooper Aerobics Center

“This is a must read book for those seeking accurate information for how to optimize their personal health.”
–James O. Hill, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Human Nutrition, University of Colorado
Co-Founder, America On the Move

“The Spectrum provides unparalleled guidance and ideas from the sage of preventive medicine.” 
–Larry Brilliant, M.D., M.P.H.
Executive Director, Google Foundation & Google.org

“Dean Ornish has written the definitive guide to caring for your health.”
–Rachel Naomi Remen, author of Kitchen Table Wisdom

“Dean Ornish has done more than anyone to bring modern science to the nutrition field.”
–J. Craig Venter Ph.D., Sequencer of the Human Genome

"Dean Ornish has given us a delightfully readable, information-rich and extraordinarily helpful guide to a better, healthier life. Read the Spectrum for yourself - and give a copy to someone you love.”
–Daniel Goleman, author of Social Intelligence

About the Author
About Dean Ornish, M.D.

Dean Ornish, M.D., is the founder and president of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, where he holds the Safeway Chair. He is Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Ornish received his medical training in internal medicine from the Baylor College of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and the Massachusetts General Hospital. He received a B.A. in Humanities summa cum laude from the University of Texas in Austin, where he gave the baccalaureate address.

For the past 30 years, Dr. Ornish has directed clinical research demonstrating, for the first time, that comprehensive lifestyle changes may begin to reverse even severe coronary heart disease, without drugs or surgery. Recently, Medicare agreed to provide coverage for this program, the first time that Medicare has covered a program of comprehensive lifestyle changes. He recently directed the first randomized controlled trial demonstrating that comprehensive lifestyle changes may stop or reverse the progression of prostate cancer. His current research is showing that comprehensive lifestyle changes may affect gene expression.

He is the author of five best-selling books, including New York Times bestsellers Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease, Eat More, Weigh Less, and Love & Survival. He writes a monthly column for both Newsweek and Reader’s Digest magazines.

The research that he and his colleagues conducted has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, The Lancet, Circulation, The New England Journal of Medicine, the American Journal of Cardiology, and elsewhere. A one-hour documentary of their work was broadcast on NOVA, the PBS science series, and was featured on Bill Moyers' PBS series, Healing & The Mind. Their work has been featured in all major media, including cover stories in Newsweek, Time, and U.S. News & World Report.

Dr. Ornish is a member of the boards of directors of the U.S. United Nations High Commission on Refugees, the Quincy Jones Foundation, and the San Francisco Food Bank. He was appointed to the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy and elected to the California Academy of Medicine. He is Chair of the Google Health Advisory Council, Chair of the PepsiCo Blue Ribbon Advisory Board, and Chair of the Safeway Advisory Council on Health and Nutrition and consults with the CEO of McDonald’s to make more healthful foods and to provide health education to their customers in this country and worldwide.

He has received several awards, including the 1994 Outstanding Young Alumnus Award from the University of Texas, Austin, the University of California, Berkeley, “National Public Health Hero” award, the Jan J. Kellermann Memorial Award for distinguished contribution in the field of cardiovascular disease prevention from the International Academy of Cardiology, a Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association, the Beckmann Medal from the German Society for Prevention and Rehabilitation of Cardiovascular Diseases, the “Pioneer in Integrative Medicine” award from California Pacific Medical Center, the “Excellence in Integrative Medicine" award from the Heal Breast Cancer Foundation, the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement, a U.S. Army Surgeon General Medal, and the Bravewell Collaborative Pioneer of Integrative Medicine award. He is listed in Who’s Who in Healthcare and Medicine, Who’s Who in America, and Who’s Who in the World.

Dr. Ornish was recognized as “one of the most interesting people of 1996” by People magazine, featured in the “TIME 100” issue on integrative medicine, and chosen by LIFE magazine as “one of the fifty most influential members of his generation.”



About Art Smith

Art Smith, chef, award-winning author and television personality, has brought back meaning and symbolism to the word “table” and has united families and friends through the sharing of a meal.

The 2002 James Beard Award winner for his first cookbook, Back to the Table: The Reunion of Food and Family (Hyperion, 2001), Art is also the recipient of the prestigious 2001 Gourmand World Cookbook Award in the category, “For its Human Values.” Art’s second cookbook, Kitchen Life, was recently awarded the 2004 Gourmand World Cookbook Award in the category of “Best Family and Children's Cookbook.” Art is a National Bestseller and a New York Times Bestseller.

A native of Jasper, Florida, Art began his career with two internships at The Greenbrier Resort. He was then selected to attend the prestigious Walt Disney Magic Kingdom College Program in Florida. Following graduation, Art took a position as executive chef at the Florida Governor's Mansion where he worked for Governor Bob Graham, now a U.S. Senator, and his wife, Adele.

Art has run his own restaurant and has cooked for families all over the globe, including politicians and celebrities. After traveling extensively through Europe and Africa as a family chef, Art took a position as chef on the American European Express Train. Once settled in Chicago, he began a career in teaching and has served as personal chef to Ms. Oprah Winfrey since 1997. He is also a contributing editor to O magazine.

Art's nonprofit organization, Common Threads, is based on his passionate belief that families (whether a family by blood or a family of friends) all share an innate desire to care for each other, regardless of culture, race, or geographic location. Art's mission is to foster a familial environment where children learn through cooking to value each other and discover universal understanding and mutual acceptance (www.commonthreads.org).

Art serves on the board of directors of Kid's Cafe®, a nutrition program for children in Minneapolis. He is currently working on his third book, Our Common Thread: World Families and Food.



About Anne Ornish

Anne Ornish is Vice President of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute where she directs all activities related to stress management training and community. She produced the online presence and resources for Dr. Dean Ornish’s site at WebMD from 1998-2005.

She is a certified Integrative Health & Spirituality practitioner through the California Pacific Medical Center and also received professional training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Mind-Body Medicine with Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn of the University of Massachusetts Stress Reduction Clinic. In addition, she completed the Academy for Interactive Guided Imagery's two-year certification program. She has 14 years of advanced training in yoga and meditation. Anne and her work were featured on the cover of Yoga Journal magazine’s July/August 2006 issue.

At heart, Anne is a guide who is devoted to assisting individuals in the re‑alignment with their natural state of well-being: love, inner peace & wisdom. She is currently developing a multimedia series of wellness tools.

Customer Reviews

Kindle Version Review
The book is great. Ornish does ramble from time to time -- at times I forget what the original point was. In general, however, I think this is a great book. He backs all his points with research data (sometimes multiple data). He explains nutrition, exercise, meditation, etc., as being part of a larger spectrum. He does not tell us where we should be on the spectrum, but merely points out the most likely outccomes for different levels on the spectrum and leaves it to the reader to make their own decisions.

My biggest problem with the Kindle version is that the tables are so tiny that they are basically illegible. One of these tables is one which shows where different foods are on the spectrum -- I would really like to be able to see it, as that is what the whole book is about. In really good light, if I squint, I can make out most of it (I have perfect vision), but it is not comfortable. The other thing to know about the Kindle version is that he keeps talking about the guided meditation CD that comes with the print version of the book -- it is not included (obviously) with the Kindle version and I'd kinda like to try it out. I am overall happy with my Kindle version -- everything else is well-formatted and easy to read, but am considering supplementing it with the print version for the two reasons just mentioned.

For those two reasons, I give this 4 instead of 5 stars.

Best advice for healthy living
If you want to live long and maintain optimum health, this is the book. Dr. Dean Ornish tells it like it is. There are no miracle cures, just common sense solid scientific based facts.

Preventive Medicine
With the increased emphasis on preventive health care this book is written to help us become more aware of how we must take care of our own bodies as health care costs rise. In addition to informative advise on taking control of our choices it provided nutritional advise and many receipes to achieve improved health. A must read for the health conscious.