Convenience goes out the window. No fast foods. No junk food. No pre-processed foods like frozen microwave dinners. Say sayonara to salt, sugar, and artificial sweeteners.
Got a Family Affair?
Are you alone and cooking for one? If not, if no one else in your household is on this diet, you're probably going to run into pitfalls. When a diet absolutely forbids something it's much harder to deal with those foods being present than when you can have some of any food as long as you watch your portion, like Weight Watchers.
Regular Exercisers, Note: Add Carbs
You can have more carbs if you exercise regularly. If you don't get enough, you'll probably find that you don't' have much energy to work out anyway. Carbohydrates are your body's first source of energy.
What the Book is Lacking, You Can Find Elsewhere
There aren't as many recipes in the book as you might think, when there is such a focus on "whole foods," but you can buy a cookbook separately -- there's even a cookbook for vegetarians.
The Latest Edition
Dr. Schwarzbein has written a follow-up book (published in 2002) since the original program's publication, undoubtedly in response to the ever-increasing popularity of low-carb, high-protein plans (and perhaps the implication that her diet is a little too similar to those): "...[Patients] were jumping on the low-carb movement and were harming themselves by going in that direction. I really wanted to keep people in the middle (qtd. in Sakaria)."
Sources:
- Diana Schwarzbein, M.D. Interview by Neela Sakaria. Ed. Neela Sakaria. 24 October 2002, <http://www.bookwire.com/>Bookwire</a>. 4 March 2003 <http://www.bookwire.com/>.
Paulsen, Barbara. "The Diet Advisor". Alexandria, Va.: Time Life Books, 2000. p. 139.
- <a href="http://www.schwarzbeinprinciple.com">Schwarzbein Principle Official Site</a>
"The Schwarzbein Principle: The Truth About Weight Loss, Health and Aging" by Diana Schwarzbein, MD, and Nancy Deville
