Book: Master Your Metabolism - Jillian Michaels

Let me start off by saying that if you know nothing about hormones or nutrition, you should definitely read this book. If you cannot do most of what she says in here, go watch Food, Inc. and I'm sure you'll want to go organic. I give this 3.5/5.

Going organic....that's what this book is mostly about, though not entirely. JM talks about hormones and how these hormones affect our body, and then she talks about how what we do to ourselves and things in our environment are disrupting your body's natural defenses, etc. So, if you didn't already know about that, which I assume is true for a lot of people, then go ahead and read it. It's nothing new, lots of other books will help you with that too, but if you like the way she says it, then go ahead and buy the book. I'm not a huge fan of JM, but I have tried working out to her 30-day Shred video and almost died!

What I did not like about the book is how she thwarts certain foods, like soy. Soy products have been used in Buddhist cuisines for a long time now, like mock meats, and I haven't seen many fat vegans around (except maybe myself). I don't have soy-based products like soy milk and yogurt everyday, but every once in a while, I crave for an icecream and being lactose intolerant, I go for soy/rice based desserts. Another thing she says is that you have to have dairy and meat, but a lot of people are allergic to dairy, and for some, it's against their beliefs to eat meat. Again, people from these cultures aren't obese. In fact, most non-Western cultures where they use soy a lot or don't eat meat have small portions, which explains a lot of things.

Finally, JM contradicts a lot of what she says in the book. For example, on one hand she says that you must eat meat and dairy and on the other, she says we should keep it to a minimum because of the toxins. She says similar things about a few other foods as well, like potatoes, certain nuts, etc. As for the medications, we do need it, but I agree with her that this nation loves self-medicating. So, if you want to know about the things you put in your mouth and what they can do to your body, definitely buy this book. You'll learn a lot about the basics, and I would recommend that you try to follow at least 25% of what she asks you to, and you should be leading a healthy lifestyle. If you already have a healthy lifestyle but want something more, skip this one....it's not worth it.

UPDATE: I have been on organic diet for 3 weeks now, eating at regular intervals, small portions, and exercising a bit. I still try to follow a vegan diet but every once in a while, when I go out for example, I end up eating non-vegan food. So far, I've lost 2 kgs in 3 weeks......