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Forewarned	Customer Rating:
Ray Kurzweil writes in a methodical and logical fashion that leads the reader to understand the power of his findings. Our typical American diet is a killer; his 10% Solution is the cure. The hard part is the discipline needed to change our lifetime eating tastes and choices. The avoidance of cancer and heart disease seems worth the effort.

Unoriginal !

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Normally I like Ray Kurzweil's books, but this one is not among those. There is nothing original in this book! Don't waste your money! Its better to read Dr. Joel Fuhrman MD (Eat to Live), and Dr. Dean Ornish MD (Hart Disease Reversal Prog.). These two are actually practicing physicians and can offer insights into the experience gained through work with many patients. Anyone could have written a 10% solution by reading these two sources alone. Ray Kurzweil can do better than this, for example his "Fantastic Voyage" is quite good.

Good book but sadly out of date!

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I own and have read this book as well as the newer follow up (published in 2004). This book is now nearing 15 years old. I read it very recently and began to employ the methods taught in the book. It was not until reading Kurzweil's newest book that I saw he has changed many of his ideas since the writing of this book in 1992-93. For example; in 10%, you should not eat more than 10% of your calories from fat. Carbohydrates are encouraged, sugar is not *that* big of a deal, and caffeine is the enemy. In the new book, fat can be 25% of your calories each day, carbohydrates must now stay very low, sugar is to be avoided at all costs, but caffeine is ok! In fact, the author now drinks 8 cups of green tea per day. Green tea is lower than coffee in caffeine, but 8 cups a day is still a lot of it. I enjoyed reading this book, but I wish I had realized that the information contained within was out of date and no longer to be followed. It would have saved me $20.

How to save a million American lives a year!

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Cancer is a prevalent disease that is dramatically reduced by a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet. Societies with the lowest cancers such as breast, ovarian, colon, uterine, and prostate are very low fat. Societies with extremely high fat diets have extremely high levels of cancer. In China, the diet consists primarily of vegetables and grains. Most Chinese are not wealthy enough to afford the luxury of our high-fat foods. Cholesterol levels are typically 100 to 150, with an average level around 127 and heart disease is rare. Cancer feeds off cholesterol in the blood and effectively cleanses the blood of cholesterol. Societies that eat low fat dies have very low cholesterol levels and extremely low rates of both heart disease and heart disease. For example, colon cancer dramatically lowers cholesterol levels, and if the patient lives long enough cause a regression of the atherosclerotic plaque. LDL transports cholesterol from the liver to the body and has been strongly implicated as a primary agent for the buildup of atherosclerotic plaque. Triglycerides are the free floating fat in the bloodstream and elevated triglyceride levels is a risk factor for heart disease. HDL carries cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver to be discarded. A normal cholesterol to HDL is 4.5. Fat should not exceed 10% of the daily calorie limits. Fruit and vegetables are especially healthy for you. Fish have low to moderate levels of fat called Omega 3 which are beneficial and help break down Omega 6 fats in the body. Meat high in saturated fats should be eaten sparingly, if not at all. Meat is high in cholesterol and following the 10% guidelines reduces both LDL and iron levels and can reduce heart disease by 90%. "Atherosclerosis Research Institute of the University Of Southern California School Of Medicine" found that the more polyunsaturated fats where consumed by a group of middle-age men who had undergone coronary bypass surgery, the greater was their risk of developing new lesions in their arteries. Fat causes blood cell aggregation or blood sludging and this makes it impossible for them to pass through smaller capillaries that provide oxygen to the body's tissues. If you eat a meal high in fat, you will temporarily deprive your brain of significant oxygen, which is one reason that people feel groggy after eating a meal rich in fat. Polyunsaturated fats interact with oxygen to form free-radicals molecules that can damage cell membranes and are associated with premature aging and development of cancer. Low in saturated fat has no cholesterol at all. Exercise needs to be a part of scheduled daily activity and between 300-1000 calories a day needs to be burned in a one hour workout. Exercise combined with a low fat, low sodium and low cholesterol reduces heart disease and cancer problems massively. Exercise and diet reduces spontaneous clotting, improves bowl functions, reduces the likelihood of colon cancer, suppresses appetite, decreases bone loss, strengthens the heat, increases blood flow, increases blood flow to the brain, and reduces levels of stress and elevates mood for a sustained period of time. In several studies of type II diabetes who undertook a four-week course in life-style adjustment that emphasized the type of diet and Kurzweil exercise recommendations, most individuals were able to terminate their usage of diabetes medication while achieving normal blood glucose levels. At one time, 50 million Americans were dieting to lose weight. They spent $33 billion a year on diets and diet aids. 95 percent of those dieters will regain their weight. Excess weight can double the chances of heart disease and triple the chances for diabetes. High protein diets are a disaster. High protein diets increase uric acid levels and results in atherosclerosis, fatigue, nutrient deficiencies, and kidney stones. A lot of the weight loss is reductions in water content and glycogen stores. How to eat? The heart and soul of the Kurweil diet is grains. Grains are the complete food: breads, pastas, cereals, and whole grain or grain products. Legumes such as beans, peas, and lentils are excellent sources of carbohydrates, soluble fiber, protein, essential fatty acids. Fruits and vegetables are healthy, but avoid avocadoes and olives. Fish is preferable to meat. Omega 3 in some individuals thins the blood and reduces cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Also acceptable are clams, oysters, mussels, and scallops. Shrimp and lobster should be eaten in limited amounts. Salmon is a great fish. Cholesterol intake needs to be reduced to 100 milligrams a day compared too the 500 milligrams or more consumed in the typical Western diet. Sodium needs to be reduced to less than 2000 milligrams a day compared to the 6000 milligrams typical in the Western diet. Fiber aids in the digestion and healthy function of the gastrointestinal tract. Fiber should be 40 grams a day. Stop smoking, period. Low or no alcohol and there evidence indicates alcohol consumption in any form does not reduce heart disease.

Historically not accurate

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Year 1900 America. Extremely high fat diet (think butter, lard and salt pork.) Cancer and heart disease was extremely low. What happened? It's not the fat that the industrialized societies increased in our diets... it's the processed foods! White flour and sugar. Fake fats. Engineered vegetable oils like canola, safflower and soybean which were not eaten until recently. Saturated fat and beef consumption has GONE DOWN in this country and to what effect? Lowfat diets were not what native populations ate to stay healthy and strong. If you really want to learn about eating to build a healthy body, read "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration" by Weston Price and the modern cookbook based on his research, "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon. They will change your life.