The Fast Food Diet: Lose Weight and Feel Great Even If You're Too Busy to Eat Right

Cardiologist Sinatra used to despair about his patients' fast food addictions, but ""getting mad didn't do any good. So I got smarter."" This book is the result, a call for good nutritional sense that takes a pragmatic approach toward the often-unwholesome eating habits of contemporary America. The nutritional advice Sinatra gives is basic but essential: eat more fiber, avoid trans fats, load up on fruit and vegetables. His theory is that if you're ""eating right about 80% of the time, it's OK to splurge the other 20%."" In his final estimate, though, he ends up recommending a very small portion of each menu he considers: french fries and big burgers are out, veggies and fish are almost always in. While there are many suggestions, as well as a comprehensive 6-week plan, for eating on the go, the fact that Sinatra can't quite avoid is that there is no substitute for eating nutritious foods correctly prepared. Instead, he provides transparent equivocations, like letting a Whopper Jr slide but admonishing, ""you'll still want to eat leaner foods at home to compensate for the relatively high fat total."" Subway sandwiches and ""light"" menus at sit-down chain restaurants (Applebee's, the Olive Garden) merit predictably higher marks. Perhaps the biggest reward for readers is a clearer understanding of just the body needs to function, and how little the fast food industry cares.