Hawaii Diet

I read the other reviews and like to add mine. I have tried every diet on the market for the last 35 years, I bought every diet book and have gone from meat to raw diets, over and over again, with no lasting results as to weight loss or practicality, something you can live with for ever. This book has the answer and I am so thankful to Dr. Shintani for this book.I am also glad that I kept on searching and found the answer. This book may not have the greatest menus, BUT it is the DIET that you are after, the menus you can create yourself or take normal menus and adapt them. Let this not put you off. Good luck and may your search stop here, Teresa


Excellent Book   March 5, 2001
 12 out of 14 found this review helpful

If you are looking to learn more about HEALTHY, WHOLE, NATURAL foods, this would be the book to read.

THIS IS NOT A 'DIET' - you will not want to go on this for a short period of time. Anyone who has been successful in losing weight KNOWS that you must change your negative habits. This includes thoughts, as well as actions. Yo-yo dieting is deadly - find yourself a healthy LIFESTYLE to easily maintain for a life time.

This book, not only focuses on the foods to get healthy, it also focuses on the balance a person must achieve in their lives (whole lives, not just the weight). Balance, connection, relativity is the key to becoming a whole, healthy person.

I strongly encourage you to take the time to read this book.


Super book (only drawback are some of the foods you may need   January 14, 2001
 30 out of 31 found this review helpful

I've experimented with Dr. Ornish's plan, Dr. Atkins' plan, and with vegetarianism; I am NOT running Ornish down, but I gotta admit I DO like tuna fish now and again (by the way, the tuna fish I buy is not only dirt-cheap but is actually totally devoid of fat; and even regular canned-in-water tuna is incredibly low in fat). So Ornish's plan is not something I could strictly adhere to. Dr. Atkins' Diet led me gain body fat and weight; I dropped that like a hot brick. Vegetarianism is cool but it got to be a hassle with my family. Then....I chanced upon THIS book (and in fact got this book from my brother for Christmas).

Dr. Shintani is sort of like Dr. Deepak Chopra: He combines the best of Western medicine with the best of the ancient medicine of his own culture (in Chopra's case, that's Ayurvedic medicine; in Shintani's, of course, it's the wisdom and medicines of ancient Hawaii, before we Westerners screwed things up for them). And he explains -- without bashing, or badmouthing, or distorting facts to make them fit what he wants -- how in fact his diet plan can work.

Simply put, we all know that if you don't eat too many calories you either will not gain weight or in fact you'll LOSE weight. Ah, but how do you do that without feeling deprived? Basically by eating whole, unprocessed, natural foods which not only are low in fat and high in nutrients, but are high in satiety value (you'd have to eat a whole heck of a lot of them to get anywhere NEAR 2000 calories, plus a serving of them would fill you up so you feel satisfied and won't feel like eating more anyway). He suggests things like poi, taro, whole grains, non-dairy and non-meat sources of protein and calcium, and very low-fat foods. BUT he allows for various exceptions: For instance, you can use egg whites or skim milk if you like, or eat tuna and other low-fat meats and fish. He includes a Hawaii/Pacific diet, a Hawaii/mainstream American diet, and a Hawaii/Meditteranean diet so that you DO have choices and variations.

I would have given this book 5 stars, but for one little thing: Some of the recipes call for things that quite frankly we don't see too much of here on the East Coast (my produce store, what with its wonderful choices of apples, pears, cabbage, tomatoes, etc., just refuses to stock breadfruit! phooey!). So, you might not find the recipe section extremely useful, although many of the recipes, such as his low-fat oatmeal, are easy to make and really good too. Other than for that one little qualm I've got, it's a great book. At the very least, check it out: You'll learn a lot from this guy.


This book changed my life   October 8, 2000
I have been on the Hawaii Diet for about a month, and bought the book because I am a vegetarian and had a difficult time finding any vegetarian diets. I have only lost about 8 pounds, but considering I have had a major party or wedding every weekend for the past month, that's not bad. (Besides, I'm a terrible cheat!)

The big change is in my energy level. For the past few years, I've always felt weary to the bone. I've wondered if there were something seriously wrong with me - it took a major effort to accomplish even routine tasks. I wasn't sleepy, or fatigued from work - the tired feeling was much too deep to be caused by external factors. Medical exams found nothing wrong, except mildly high cholesterol.

After about three weeks on the diet, I realized that I have energy again! I greet tasks with joy, because my body is ready to perform them.

I will probably always be a terrible dietary cheat (cheese omelets on occasion or a big bowl of ice cream), but I think I will eat this way for the rest of my life. I can't image going back to feeling the way I used to feel.

Thank you, Dr. Shintani! Your diet has truly changed my life.


Keep looking.....   January 29, 2000
 13 out of 24 found this review helpful

This book does have some useful information on benefits of eating right, but some of the emotional philosophy can be a turn off. Yes I am losing weight, not amazing results, but enough to keep me encouraged. The biggest downfall is the recipes. They call for a long list of ingredients which isn't cheap for people on a budget. Plus, only a few recipes are actually good, some are just O.K., and more often than not, just plain awful. Keep your money on this book and keep looking for a better book on vegan eating!