Fit for Life: A New Beginning

by Harvey Diamond

In this newly updated and repackaged follow-up to Fit For Life, one of the bestselling diet books of all time, nutritional specialist Harvey Diamond teaches readers how to live a long healthful life by making smart dietary changes, adopting a clean diet, and offering a blueprint for optimal health, pain-free living, increased energy and weight loss without deprivation.

Did you know that on average each one of us will consume approximately seventy tons of food in our lifetime? The amount of time, effort, and energy necessary to obtain, prepare, and consume all that food, plus the effort of your body to break it down, extract, and utilize what you need from it, and eliminate the rest, represents a hugely significant portion of your time on this planet. This book demystifies and simplifies the entire subject, while empowering you to know that you and you alone are in control of whether you live your life in good or ill health.

Through intelligent dietetic decisions, you can harness the powerful healing energy of food. Step by step, in simple, understandable language, readers learn what pain, ill health, and disease really are, how and why they occur, and how they can be avoided. The book explains all you need to know about the single most important ally you have, your body's lymph system, the heart and soul of the immune system and the mechanism in your body whose explicit job and function is to keep you well. The secret to long-term, vibrant health lies in the understanding of the lymph system and what steps you can take to support its activities, not thwart them.

This ultimate diet and health plan is a comprehensive, cutting-edge program to reduce weight, lower cholesterol, combat serious diseases, and maintain vitality. More than a review of diseases such as cancer or how to manage them, this important book makes the strategic transition from treatment to prevention. People are increasingly taking responsibility for decisions concerning their health. FIT FOR LIFE: A NEW BEGINNING empowers the individual to make health-care decisions that are bsed on personal research; indeed, it accelerates this process. While it does discuss diagnosis and treatment, its real message is that you can prevent disease.

Genres: Health, Food

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Harvey Diamond is the co-author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, Fit for Life, which has sold over 12 million copies worldwide and been translated into 33 languages. Internationally known as an author, teacher, and health consultant, he has appeared on hundreds of radio and TV programs including Larry King Live, Oprah!, Nightline, and Good Morning America. He lives in Sarasota, Florida.

Reviews

[Michael Migliaccio · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book in 2001, shortly after it came out. While some public information, such as the focus on cholesterol in food causing high cholesterol in people and blaming fat for heart disease instead of sugar, has long since been corrected, the principles of Natural Hygiene and how they can help you to avoid disease have not. I question whether Harvey Diamond was even involved in this cash-grab masquerading as an updated book. He has been out of the public spotlight for some time. As a result of this clunky attempt to present an old book as new, you might find yourself confused because everything is still written as if it were the late 90's.

The only thing that could be considered "new" is an odd and clunky addition to one chapter in which a doctor who I've never heard of before provides a tutorial on how the lymph system works, something Diamond already does elsewhere in the book. It's worth noting that this doctor was sued for malpractice and his reputation is questionable.

I would highly recommend that you procure a used copy of the original mass market paperback instead of this. Supporting your body's efforts to cleanse itself and prevent or even reverse disease is well worth the effort, and there is no better instruction manual on how to do it. Rest assured, it is not difficult to understand, nor difficult to practice. I urge you to not buy this version of the book, though, if for no other reason than to discourage publishers from repackaging old information as new.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important book for anyone with cancer to read or anyone wanting to find information to help loved ones with cancer. It seems to be the focus of the book but offers lots of preventative measures to take with our health in general. It's not just another diet book.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow! I loved this book. He tends to ramble and I think the book could of been half as long and still had the imformation it needed, but it really has made me think about what I am eating and how it affects me.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much is repetitive, but in a good way, helping to keep the principles of this way of life alive. The new info is well defined. I like his simple, goofy, entertaining writing style.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the most important health book I've read. Or I should say the one that had the greatest impact on my behavior.

[Allicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated this book and what it has shared with me. It is a good read, and not one that is dry. I was able to understand and see his concepts and tools of how to live healthy are possible. I felt that 3/4 of the way through the book I was wondering when I was going to get to the concepts, but once I did it was very enlightening. I would stress to read all that comes before the last 1/4 of the book since it all ties together. I really understand and can't wait until I am able to do mono diets. I plan on getting myself ready for one in two weeks. Right now I am working on the exercising and positive thinking aspects of his plan and then will do the mono dieting. I kept thinking of how my ancestors were able to live so long and healthy and now it all makes sense and also why so many in today's lifestyle are getting sick after having a long family history of health and longevity.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first two books. Too much of this was re-hashed.

[Samantha Nauschuetz]

This book was very informative. It was well written and the majority of it was easy to read and understand. Some of the excerpts from medical journals was a little too technical for regular people. I enjoyed reading this book and will recommend to my friends.

[ReadingMama · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are so many books dealing with conflicing ideas.... Yet I am still exploring the new and old ideas, each time learning and implemeting as I chose. The bottom line for me is 1) Enjoy food that is available 2) Always be thankful for the food that has been provided 3) Everything in moderation, nothing extreme, 4) Diet must be accompanied with proper excercise. Living over half decade, never been seriously sick, feeling better than ever, my life style of enjoying and appreicating food has served me well :-) Thank you Jesus!!

[Katie K. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess in fairness, I didn’t finish this book. But what I did read was not only offensive but scientifically incorrect. I finally gave up when he wrote, in reference to cancer, “It takes a long time and a great deal of neglect and abuse of the body for disease to finally occur.” Babies get cancer. Children get cancer. This hit me particularly hard because my friend is literally a vegan yoga instructor, and she got brain cancer. Can eating better help slow disease and prevent some forms of it? Absolutely. But is everyone who gets cancer responsible because they “neglected and abused” their bodies? Absolutely not. Blaming individuals for disease instead of helping to tear down the abusive and exploitative systems that contributes to raising cancer rates is, frankly, immoral.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative but since Harvey is not a qualified physician I question a lot of his advice. I also wonder if a lot of his advice is to convince you to buy his products. Interesting read though.

[Mansee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a brilliant brilliant brilliant book ! My father in law just got detected with cancer and a friend suggested this book ( God bless her !) .... Could relate to so much that was written in the book ...a must read for everyone !

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me forever to read this book, but in my defense I was reading several others at the same time. I thought this was his first book "Fit for Life", but it's actually the third (I think) - need to change up the titles! Did have some good information but took quite some time to get to the "how to" of avoiding cancer. Took some good stuff from it, though, and will start upping my intake of digestive enzymes for sure!

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave this book a 2 because it really doesn't relate to me...it's a good book but it's more like a disease control health book...I'm rarely sick and don't have diabietes so it's not what I am looking for...

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

didn't love this book. talks very much about how toxins effect healthy - it felt like it was directed more at those who have health struggles.