Mediterranean Diet for Beginners: A Quick Start Guide to Heart Healthy Eating, Super-Charged Weight Loss and Unstoppable Energy

The 2 stars are for the seller - fast shipping and the book is in good shape. The book, itself, deserves none. It starts off by telling you to google search the Mediterranean diet pyramid (rather than supplying it - though there might be copyright issues, which would've required a 1-sentence explanation) followed by chapters explaining not to overeat, get exercise, stop eating sweets; the usual information that most, if all, people already know. There are exactly 7 recipes and a 7-day "meal plan" she refers to as a "diet" (I believe she meant "weight loss plan." A diet is what you eat every day regardless of calorie count). Struggling to find a positive side, the pantry/fridge lists could be helpful if you don't know how to read a recipe or shop for food. Bottom line: I could've looked this all up online. I regret the purchase and will be donating this book to the library.

I'm surprised at the 1-star ratings some U.S. reviewers gave this book. I think it is excellent. Like many, I am a former cheese hound, but for health reasons had to let that one go. I love fruit and vegetables, so it is no surprise I took to the Mediterranean Diet like an eagle takes to flight. There are some excellent recipes and I like the clear and straightforward way this book was written. The 7 day plan is a good way to get started. It's sort of like a Dick & Jane Eat Mediterranean, but for beginners that is exactly what you need. The plan and the concept in and of themselves are not difficult. This book is not verbose, so that makes it easy for the newcomer. You can eat delicious meals and get plenty of nutritional bang for your buck. I liked the list of substitute ingredients and have learned a lot from this and other books about this regimen.I don't really think of the Mediterranean Diet as a diet, but as a health overhaul. You learn about managing food and how to get the most nutritious value from what you are eating. Add to it is you get great recipes. I would definitely recommend this book.

Mediterranean diet for beginners by gina crawfordTable of contents and an intro about the diet itself.Other chapters go into more details about the food but also the sleep and exercise.History of the diet is included and how to make it your new diet.How to switch to better products that you will learn to love. Seven day meal plan is included.Also 30 minute recipes.Each recipe starts with a title, color photo, servings, list of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low sodium, low fat, low sugar.Directions are included and there is NO nutritional information.More cookbooks are advertised. Only 30 recipes in this one.

The Mediterranean diet isn't really a diet so you don't feel deprived of good food. High blood pressure runs in my family and I wanted to go ahead an adopt a healthier lifestyle before I end up on medication. This is a wonderful book! The author gives a brief history of the Mediterranean diet and how to begin eating healthier. It really is very easy to do and the author makes it super simple to follow. There are tips on choosing the best olive oil, how to eat good fats versus the bad. On top of all this information, the author gives a list of spices, a pantry list and a fridge list to take the guess work out of the diet. Don't worry, you can find everything at the grocery store! The seven day meal plan really helped me get started and the recipes for a lot of these meals are included!!! They are fabulous and very easy to make!

Now I know why people near Mediterranean are much healthier than us here in the west. The author made me convinced that Following the Mediterranean pyramid where meat is the least and more on vegetables, fruits, legumes and oil is the best choice. I got a bunch of good information on Mediterranean diet aside from the delicious sample recipes. One of the tiers, the olive oil,is already proven to be effective in diet and good for health yet I got a good tip to choose olive oil that was tagged "extra virgin" for better result.The book is well edited, the pictures add class. I love it.

Really disappointed, this book is more like a brochure. Very little information, you could probably do better just googling "Mediterranean Diet." I wish I would've read the reviews more carefully before buying this book so I could've spent my money on a more informative book. Don't waste your money.

I am always on the lookout for recipe and diet books. The Mediterranean Diet by Gina Crawford is a good introduction to the Mediterranean Diet. She explains the diet, the history of the diet and how to use it in your diet plan. The chapters include How to Choose the Best Olive Oil, Why you increase Good Fats, How to switch to a Mediterranean Diet and stick to it, plus Seven Day Mediterranean meal planning. The recipes are detailed and sound yummy.

I didn’t know about Mediterranean diet before, I thought it’s just the same as all the diets I always hear and see in almost everywhere. But now I know that it is not merely a diet, but a lifestyle that can help me attain a good health. I learned that diet is not just about foods but also changing the way I live my life. In here I also find Mediterranean recipes that are quite new to me, but I’m willing to try them one of these days.

This is an excellent introduction for beginners into an exciting new lifestyle.Not a lengthy book at just over 106 pages, it covered the ground for me without fluff and, although already familiar with some elements of the Mediterranean-based diet, I learned a great deal more about its benefits.It is a straightforward, quick read, and easy to digest (pun intended) providing a range of quick and easy (30 minute) recipes to work through, and at its core an easy 7 day diet plan.This book could literally be a lifesaver as a guide to a better and healthier lifestyle of eating to keep well,and it reveals what is described as the “healthiest, most well respected and scientifically documented diet in the world.”The author of several healthy lifestyle books,Gina Crawford, is not a doctor or licensed health specialist but shares her knowledge and personal experience of successfully overcoming health problems.Having researched the Med diet she put into practice what she had learned and it helped her to achieve a healthier lifestyle, away from processed foods and towards a plant-based diet for natural weight loss,better heart health,and reduced risk of disease and sickness.From being unhappy and unhealthy she became full of positive energy,slim,trim and full of life. We learn how she successfully transformed her own life.She recognises that her problems were not unique, and are suffered by so many modern-day people today.Though it maybe relatively short compared to some more glossier and lengthier books on the subject, it is for me a worthy companion book to refer to on a regular basis.It covers what obviously worked for the author and the content is supported by medical and scientific information pointing to the health benefits that Mediterranean foods deliver.It is what it says on the cover: a beginners guide to the Mediterranean Diet, and a very good one too.I recommend it to you wholeheartedly.

I needed a simple and straightforward guide to encourage me to change my eating habits. Most of us know the Mediterranean way of eating. That is, that it's a very healthy diet. But there seem to be so many books out there.I like that this book introduces this way of eating in a very simple and basic way. Be prepared to go to your local fruit and vegetable market, and chill your bags with wholesome, crash produce.There are recipes that back up the seven day eating guide.

Such a handy introductory guide. Actually I had read another Introductory book on the mediterranean diet some time ago and then ventured off into all kinds of other dietary lands like Vegan, Vegetarian and Ayurveda. I learned something from all of them and paid the price of lowered iron levels on the vegan one - I take to the message of the mediterranean diet like duck to water since it is a life-celebrating diet and doesn't exclude food groups. This book put me in a good mood. I think I can stop searching in foreign lands now and stick to this healthy wholesome one!

easy to follow and understand with some lovely recipes. would definately recommend to anyone whos looking to improve their dtet.

I did not find this book very helpful at all. More annoying is that the author is Canadian so all the recipes use cups.I have given it to the charity shop.