Non-Fiction: Clean, Green & Lean by Walter Crinnion

In my lifetime, I have seen diets come and go. You have too. Some of them, when they went, were unlamented. In the 1990s, for example, there was a time when certain diet gurus recommended the avoidance of carbohydrates to such an extreme extent, the health of his followers was at risk. (Bacon? Sure: eat bacon. But go easy on the whole wheat bread.)

The constant to many of these diets is simple: eat to lose weight and keep it off. Whatever the cost might be -- to your health or the environment -- will only be collateral damage and is a price that can be paid.

So it was refreshing to encounter Clean, Green & Lean (Wiley), a diet and lifestyle book written by a leading naturopathic physician. It’s a book that promises to help you lose weight in a healthful way while at the same time helping to save the planet: a combination that’s right for this moment and author Crinnion seems the correct person to bring the message. From the introduction:

But there’s more to this than how great you’ll look and feel. Sure, you'll lose weight without being hungry or increasing the amount of exercise you do. Sure, you'll be healthier, slimmer, and more energetic than you've been in years. But you'll also be helping to save the planet. If you're cleaner and greener, the world will be cleaner and greener.

If there’s a down-side it's that there is a lot of work to do but -- hey! -- no pain, no gain, right? I can’t imagine that Crinnion’s approach to weight loss through toxin attacks won’t lead him to the bestseller list almost immediately. This is the diet book of the moment. The good news? It’s good for you and the planet. May the toxin-fighting begin!