My thoughts...I am going to do this backwards and start with the cons. Actually I should say con, because I see only one problem with the book and that is the title. The Mayo Clinic Diet. I believe the word DIET carries a negative connotation that leaves a bad taste (no pun intended) in your mouth. Also, after reviewing this, I don't believe this is a DIET plan, I believe it to be a smarter way to live your life and manage your health. This is not a rule book saying you have to eat cottage cheese 3 times a day or that you can never eat birthday cake again, it is a guide to establishing and maintaining a healthy weight. Keep reading.

The pros...This book is created by the brains at the Mayo Clinic. For those of you who are not familiar with "The Mayo Clinic, is a very large group of physicians and scientists who work together to care for patients. They treat more than 500,000 patients a year. They, if anyone, are the ones to take health advise from, which is why I decided to review this book.

Their plan is laid out in several steps:
1. add 5 healthy habits such as eat a healthy breakfast, eat fruits and veggies, eat whole grains, healthy fats and exercise. Common sense, right?
2. Break 5 habits such as no unhealthy sugars or snacks, moderate meats and eating out. Makes sense.
3. Adapt 5 bonus habits such as journaling, exercise, making better food choices.

It is all very simple and very achievable. So does it work? Well that is up to you. As the book recommends, you should take a quick quiz to be sure you are ready to make these simple changes in your life. If you cannot commit, it won't work and I don't need to be a doctor to tell you that.

The book also offers some recipes, such as the one found here, and some more health information for understanding your body. It is very thorough. It was accompanied by a really nice journal to keep track of your eating and exercising habits. The only thing I found the journal lacked was a specific column for tracking your fluids. Other than that it is very nice and very easy to use.

I had to laugh because one recommendation said "NO TV while eating and only as much TV time as you spend exercising." I don't watch much TV, but if I changed TV to BLOGGING in that sentence, I would probably look like a swimsuit model by Summer.

Overall I thought this book provided a great plan to optimize your health and maintain a healthy lifestyle. ( )