Disclosure: I received copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was received for this post.

The Digest Diet Dining Out Guide

ISBN: 978-1-62145-011-5

Paperback

Author: Liz Vaccariello

Review of The Digest Diet Dining Out Guide:

The Digest Diet Dining Out Guide is to accompany what you have learned in The Digest Diet, but is geared toward food choices when eating out. Liz Vaccariello and the staff of Reader’s Digest scoured menus from dozens of restaurants and picked out fat releasing foods. It is recommended to avoid eating out completely during phase 1 of The Digest Diet, which is only four days in duration. If you do not have The Digest Diet, this book will give you a brief run-down of the 21 day plan.

Please don’t dive into this book expecting it to cover every one of your favorite restaurants. It is difficult to get nutritional information on all foods and recipes can vary slightly by location, even with chain restaurants.

With the restaurants that were covered, I liked how it listed what ingredients would be fat burners. I think the suggestions would be good if you were out alone or eating as a couple. I feel that I would have a hard time ordering substitutions with my kids along. Way too many interruptions from them if making a lengthy request to the waiter!

Restaurants featured include favorites like: McDonald’s, Applebee’s, Panera Bread, Cosi, The Cheesecake Factory, Burger King, Starbucks, Subway and Chipotle, among many others.

The Digest Diet

ISBN: 978-1-60652-543-2

Hardcover with dust cover

Review of The Digest Diet:

You may be familiar with Liz Vaccariello from her other title, Flat Belly Diet! I bought a copy of it a couple of years ago. It was made famous by the green juice receipe, which I did review here, https://ehiprimarycare.com/organifi-green-juice-review/, I enjoyed the results but a juice is not enough for me on the regular. The book is a nice way to become acquainted with healthy fats and overall healthy eating. Now with the staff of Reader’s Digest magazine, Liz has written The Digest Diet, a 21 day plan with cutting-edge medical breakthroughs and advances in nutrition. This book also works to debunk some of the myths you may be familiar with too.

To give this diet some merit, 12 men and women with different weight-loss goals were put on this plan. I have included a short video about the participants at the end of this post. The results they had are astounding!

There are eight chapters included in The Digest Diet:

Fat: The Good, the Bad, and the Unhealthy
Three Fat Increasers
Three Fat Releasers
21-Day Fat Release Plan
Daily Fat Release Menus
Fat Release Recipes
Fat Release Workout
Losing More and Keeping It Off

I think the facts behind the science and research in this book are eye-opening. Like not having enough of certain micronutrients can increase visceral belly fat and lessen appetite control or that foods like chocolate and red wine are good for you in moderation.

I got hung up on the daily fat release menus. The shakes call for light coconut milk. Just coconut milk in general is hard to find in my small community grocery store. I ventured out with the kids and just got some today so I can start phase 1.

It’s nice that this book does suggest making bigger batches and then freezing part of the item for use later on. Reading through the recipes in chapter 6, I think a majority of them are those that I would try for myself and my family. Lastly covered is exercise that looks to alternate between walking, strength training, and high-intensity interval training.

I think Vaccariello does a nice job making this The Digest Diet easy to follow and I think there are some great tips for weight loss. Skimming through the book, I feel that I am going to have a hard time finding some of the ingredients in my small, local community though. It shouldn’t be a problem to create the recipes included by those who live in more metropolitan areas.

How to Navigate the Buffet Smartly

By Liz Vaccariello
Apr 25, 2013

Losing It With Liz

by Liz Vaccariello

All-you-can-eat buffets are the stuff of dieters’ nightmares, right? But a new study showed that when compared to heavier people, thinner subjects tended to behave differently when faced with a big spread. The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, examined over 300 people eating at 22 Chinese buffets, and evaluated over 100 different criteria—everything from how they chewed, to where they sat—in an attempt to see how people manage unlimited portions. Thinner people ate less, got up to refill their plates less frequently, and used some of the other strategies below.

1. Survey the food before picking up your plate.

Thinner folks tended to assess the entire lineup of food and ask themselves what they wanted to eat most, whereas heavier people zoomed in on individual items. Doing some advance recon allows you to plot your splurge trade-offs, too (I’ll skip the appetizers so I can have dessert).

2. Chew more per mouthful.

Researchers discovered that the normal-weight people had about 15 chews per mouthful compared with only 12 chews for those who were overweight. We’ve all scarfed down food too quickly, perhaps because we’re already thinking about what to get for round two. But research shows that eating more slowly usually means eating less overall. To slow down, try adding red pepper flakes, jalepenos, or other spicy choices to your selections. Spicy food helps you eat more consciously.

3. Use chopsticks, and put your napkin on your lap. Really.

Normal-weight customers were nearly three times more likely to use chopsticks than their obese counterparts. Interestingly, they were also more than two times more likely to place a napkin on their laps. Challenging the way you usually eat will help you take smaller portions, eat more slowly, and look at your food more closely. No chopsticks? Turn your fork upside down. Americans tend to scoop up food, which can promote mindless eating; British people, on the other hand, keep their forks turned down and stab food to pick it up. Another easy trick: Pick smaller utensils, such as a salad fork.

4. Sit as far away from the buffet table as you can. And then, turn your back to it.

On average, thin people sat about 16 feet farther away from the display of food than overweight people did, which may make you think twice about going back for more. If you’re sitting close, position your chair so you don’t face the foods, which distracts you from thinking “What should I eat next?” Sitting in the inner seat of a booth also makes returning to the table table more inconvenient.

5. Eat off of salad plates.

Diners who used the buffets’ smaller plates (if available) tended to be thinner than those who opted for the bigger, dinner-sized ones. It’s a classic diet trick, for good reason: A filled-up smaller plate tricks your brain into thinking you’re eating more food than a more sparsely filled larger one.

6. Stop eating before your brain signals you are full.

More than 10 percent of normal-weight diners left food on their plates after they finished eating, compared with just six percent of obese customers. There is a popular Japanese expression, “Hara hachi bu,” which means “Belly 80 percent full.” Put down your fork and ask your waiter to remove your plate when you feel yourself approaching fullness. Chances are you’ll regret that extra bit more than you’ll savor it.

7. Have a healthy snack one to two hours before you go out to eat.

If you know you’ll be dining at a buffet, prep smartly by filling your stomach with fiber and a dose of protein. Try a serving of almonds, roughly 23, and a pear or a small bowl of oatmeal with blueberries.