The Body Ecology Diet | Donna Gates | The most comprehensive book on diet available

The Body Ecology Diet | Donna Gates | the healing system that changed my life

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The Body Ecology Diet

	The Body Ecology Diet Donna Gates Body Ecology, 2006 average customer review:based on 11 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The most comprehensive book on diet available

As some one who has studied nutrition for a long time, I can safely say that this book is the most comprehensive that I've encountered, especially for those with an imbalanced or impaired immune system or digestive tract. The diet is pretty strict, especially when it comes to sugar, but if healing, health, and wellness are your goal, stick with it, because it works. The book has given me a new appreciation for whole foods, and it's also given me my taste buds back!! I actually enjoy the taste of vegetables again. If shedding weight is your goal, then this diet will do it for you as well-just stick with it! I was already in good shape when I started, and I lost 10 pounds, gained lean muscle, and my skin took on a healthy glow. It's also introduced me to things like coconut water kefir, and other healthy, delicious snacks. I recommend this book over any other in terms of nutrition for healing. Thank you Donna Gates.

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the healing system that changed my life

When I was given this book for the first time, about 8 years ago when my health was at an all-time low that had been slowly declining for years. I was under 30 and had a list of chronic ailments longer than any senior citizen I knew; terrible heartburn every day all the time, gas, bloating, painful bowel movements (terribly painful), chronic vaginitis, chronic acute asthma so bad I was on 3 inhalers, pills, steroids AND I was still in the ER about once per month, weight gain, fatigue, major irritability and mood swings, depression, horrible lower back issues that always coincided with asthma flare ups (which of course, MDs told me were unrelated!), allergies to everything...I was a mess but it crept up so slowly over time I didn't even "get" how ridiculous it was. It seemed that everyone around me had similar issues and complaints (except maybe for the asthma) so I accepted it like the sleepwalking masses. I'd started to wake up and tried things like the Zone and Blood type diets. They were ok and I'd see some improvements but not anywhere near enough, no matter how disciplined I was. But when I went to see a chiropractor ( a really good one) who also practiced other wonderful forms of holistic healing, she handed me an older edition of this book and said that ALL of my issues were related to one underlying cause; Candidiasis.

I'd never heard of it but I was thrilled to see her react so matter of factly to my list of ailments and to be so confident about healing them, naturally. She said to take it home, read it, don't freak out if it seems overwhelming (which it did at first), then put it down and forget about it for a few days (letting the information filter into the subconscious) and then pick it up and reread it again. The second time I read it, everything clicked. It didn't seem intimidating and she and I even worked together to sort of mold it to my personal needs. We added the use of some wonderful supplements since I was so toxic; Paragone and Parazyme by Renew Life, and daily mega-doses of Metagenics probiotics (and later on, Dr. Ohhira's).

Luckily, the principles of the "diet" (which became a lifestyle for me) all invovled things I had experiment with before; acid/alkaline, yin/yang, blood type (taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't all work on my body), food combining...all things I had some knowledge of and that tend to overlap, really. A truly alkaline meal is usually properly food combined as it is (unless you're eating only protein, which is unbalanced), for example. So even though it was right around Christmas and my chiro said to wait until after, I was ready to heal! I jumped in, figured out a handful of recipes and easy meals on the plan and never looked back.

The first week was tough; I felt like I had the flu (sneexing, achey, tired, sore throat), but that's just a reaction to the toxic die off so I pushed on, knowing it was actually a good sign. Cleansing isn't always uncomfortable, but for someone as toxic as I was, I got off easy. Within 2 weeks, I felt better than I could remember and that was the tip of the iceberg. After a few months, I was a new woman; happy, energetic, excited, confident. After 6 months my entire life changed, on every level, in the most positive ways. Becoming truly healthy, in a way I never even knew was possible, changed my emotional and spiritual state as well. And I felt empowered because now I had the knowledge of how to allow my beautiful body to heal herself, which she had been trying to do all along.

BED is all about giving your body exactly what it needs and then getting the hell out of its way. ALL of my issues were gone after 6 months of doing it strictly. I hadn't been that healthy or radiant in my entire life. I found that I could go out and treat myself to something here and there without any ill effect, but I honestly didn't crave it much after the excess beasties were gone. A healthy body doesn't crave crap. And I then spent the next few years living on a modofied version; I LIKED the food! Millet with fresh carrots, ginger and dill....YUM! Broiled salmon with fresh spinach sauteed in coconut oil, garlic and fresh herbs...YUM! Quinoa flakes with stevia, cinnamon and nutmeg...YUM! Homemade ginger ale sweetened with stevia...awesome. You just find what you like, play with it, create about 10 dishes that are quick, easy and on the plan and you're set.

Yes, it takes some planning, shopping and prep but skipping Starbuck's and fast food actually frees up a lot of time and money. And after the initial cleansing phase, you'll have more energy than you'll know what to do with and making some veggies or salads won't seem like a hardship. I used to coach people through this process when I went to work for that wonderful chiropractor. It's a challenge and a learning experience, but the return is the gift of REAL LIFE! Radiance, vitality, energy, clarity, joy, beauty. Oh yeah, and I lost 40 pounds I'd wished I could lose all my life, and it wasn't even my focus anymore! It was a nice side effect.

So please, if you want some honest to G-d positive change in your life, true natural healing and to be empowered to control your own health and well being without drugs, find this book, anyway you can. (BTW, the cultured veggies are actually yummy and can be bought fresh at Whole Foods, the meals are really wonderful and satisfying and the rewards are priceless.)

Nothing short of life changing...but the question is, are you ready? Are you ready to put yourself and your well being first?

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Great book to supplement your other Nutrition research

I bought this book based on a recommendation from a friend. I have been reading a number of books on nutrition in efforts to feel better. This book includes things that are being discussed in other books such as Ultra Metabolism. Avoid foods that can cause yeast growth, or other potentially allergic foods - wheat, dairy, sugar, yeast. While I liked the recipes in the book, and the overall concept of starchy vs. non-starchy foods and balancing them with proteins and grains. I was looking for that "master list" of foods that categorize them. This part was skimpy and placed throughout the book, making it difficult to find.

Also, the recommended diet plan was difficult to follow and incomplete. One cannot expect to completely change one's eating habits overnight a this book suggests that you do. Also, the recommendation that you need to buy their products isn't helpful. One needs a healthy eating plan that doesn't steer you away too drastically from your current eating plan.

This is a great book to continue learning about healthy eating and how what you eat affects how you feel. I'll keep the book and refer to it, but it won't be my food bible.

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Covers an important topic, but lacks substance

It seems that in most cases that nonfiction authors are motivated by one of two things when creating their works. Some feel that they have some sort of information that needs sharing, and use books as a way to get their word out. These authors have a true passion for their topic, which clearly shows when reading their books. Others are driven purely by profit. Sadly, it seems that the latter is true of Donna Gates and her Body Ecology Diet. Though this book does cover an important topic, it lacks substance and fails to deliver. However, it may be a good source for someone used to only mainstream health books and wanting a simple primer on the subject.
While the book is easy to read, it seems to offer no new information that is not readily available in other books or on the internet. Gates seems to favor certain foods and products, such as coconut water kefir, yet fails to thoroughly justify her preference for them, and supports her claims with little scientific research. However, her section on the same subject does offer an excellent guide on making the coconut water kefir, which serves as one of the few saving graces of this book.
This brings me to one of the biggest gripes I have with Body Ecology Diet. Throughout the book are references to her website for more information. Unfortunately, the website fails to thoroughly expound on any of the topics in her book, and instead bombards visitors with a myriad of products that are touted as miracle cures to everything from Attention Deficit Disorder and Autism to Sexual Dysfunction. Of course, a majority of these products are sold either through her own storefront or through affiliate sites, earning her a hefty profit. While this review is about Gates' book, not her website, it is made relevant by the numerous times that the book refers readers to it, instructing them to purchase some product that is necessary if you want to follow her diet. In other words, don't expect to be able to follow Gates' version of the Candida diet without purchasing items from her storefront, or a well-stocked health food store.
I do not mean for this review to turn people off of a diet that targets Candida. It is simply that other books, such as Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, offer much more information, back it up with more hard evidence, and more importantly, do not require you to purchase more products from the author. Candidiasis is a real condition, and ridding yourself of it will bring about real improvements in your energy level and weight, among other things. It is just that Gates' work feels like a shallow and self-promoting rehash of currently available information. The most important thing when finding a book on the subject is finding one that works well for you. Therefore, I recommend readers look for a book written with passion that truly moves you to follow its advice. While this book's approach may work for some, I found myself wanting more.

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I think I'd rather have my $25 back

Most of this book is built on old themes... juicing, avoiding sugar, etc. No news there. Much of the remainder is built on ideas that haven't passed muster with mainstream medicine... blood-type diet, food combining, colonics, alkaline/acid diets, "contracting" vs "expanding" food types, yin/yang chinese medicine ideas. I'm not saying it's all bunk... just that I would prefer more studies cited and footnoted. Like other posters here, I would say the Nourishing Traditions folks are much more solid. Also, I think the "Gut and Psychology" book is very solid. "I Was Poisoned by my Body" also has an impressive number of tips on specific tests and other products she has methodically sorted out.

But the book in question has some tips on making kefir and cultured veggies that some might think helpful if you don't mind vague recommendations that a certain vegetable "strengthens the spleen" or "cleanses the liver".

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

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