The Pritikin Program has been around since the late 1950s, when cardiology patient Nathan Pritikin began researching his own chronic heart disease. Looking at the diets and lifestyle habits of various populations worldwide, Pritikin saw lower rates of heart disease among those who consumed less saturated fat, ate more natural, unprocessed foods and exercised regularly.
In 1977, Pritikin and his cardiologist, Dr. David Lehr, appeared on television’s “60 Minutes,” introducing the nation to a new model of preventive therapy and treatment for heart disease.
Though research has continued over the past 50 years, those basic Pritikin principles still are standard recommendations of the American Heart Association and the medical community at large. The complete program, practiced at the Glendale, Calif.-based Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa, has been made widely available in the new, easy-to-follow book, “The Pritikin Edge: 10 Essential Ingredients for a Long and Delicious Life.”
Co-written by Dr. Lehr’s son, Paul Tager Lehr, and Dr. Robert Vogel, cardiologist and chief medical director of the Pritikin Center, this timely book addresses the rising American maladies of obesity (child and adult), high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes, as well as heart disease.
With lively anecdotes and juicy research tidbits, Part 1 of “The Pritikin Edge” argues for the overall health benefits of following the Pritikin program. Its recommended changes in lifestyle and dietary habits are “absolutely achievable,” say the authors. But, they stress, to be successful and lasting, these changes must be accompanied by mental and emotional shifts. “Depressed people tend to eat poorly, smoke more frequently, and exercise rarely — all major contributors to heart disease,” they write. Conversely, upbeat emotions have proven healthy consequences.
For readers who think they’ve heard it all before, Vogel and Lehr use a variety of tactics to draw them in and move them to give the Pritikin way a try. Case studies of “real patients” show how they began with incremental changes and, inspired by each small success, kept going.
“Margaret,” for example, was concerned about her blood pressure and weight — 5 feet, 4 inches tall and 172 pounds when she first saw Vogel. She believed she ate well, including lots of soups and salads, and didn’t understand why she continued to gain weight.
After her consultation with Vogel, Margaret started with just a few weight-loss techniques: For lunches during work, she avoided fast-food restaurants with their limited menu of mostly high-calorie foods, opting for healthier choices at the deli of the nearby supermarket; switched from high-salt canned soups to healthier varieties; reduced her intake of fatty dressings and cheeses, flavoring her salads instead with vinegar or lemon juice and spices; and bought a pedometer, increasing her walking by 3,500 steps, or about 2 miles a day.
A month later, Margaret weighed in at 167 pounds, a 5-pound loss. She was eating her reduced-calorie salads nearly every day for lunch and began dinners with a large helping of soup or salad, while cutting the size of her entree. Her daily number of steps now ranged between 5,000 and 5,500. In addition to weight loss, her blood pressure had dropped from 13 6/86 to 13 0/82. Seeing proof of her improvement, she wanted to continue the slow but steady slimming she’d begun and to further lower her blood pressure by adding a few more dietary and lifestyle changes.
Not only does the book teach by using real-life examples, but it also dispels common myths and misinformation about health. While most of us know that trans fats are bad, many don’t know that they not only raise our bad cholesterol but also reduce our good cholesterol. Manufacturers put trans fats in food to keep it fresher longer, which can lower its price. But the cost to the heart’s health can be deadly.
This and other research-backed information — and our own misconceptions — are illuminated by the book’s simple “Lifestyle IQ” test that’s trickier than you’d think. For instance: Which is healthier for you, olive oil or canola oil? Go with the canola oil because it is rich in heart-healthy Omega-3s. Or, try this one: How much more would you weigh in five years if you ate one extra 100-calorie cookie per day? The answer will shock you.
This how-to guide to better health includes exercise tips and recipes. But whether you follow the book word-for-word, or merely incorporate a key recommendation or two into your life, “The Pritikin Edge” will give you the edge on feeling better.
Jan Crain Rudeen is a Denver-based freelance writer.
The Pritikin Edge: 10 Essential Ingredients for a Long and Delicious Life
by Robert A. Vogel and Paul Tager Lehr
$25
