The Perricone Promise: Look Younger, Live Longer in Three Easy Steps [Paperback]

The reason the book interested me was because of his appearance on my local PBS station. While I agree that his menus, supplements etc may be out of reach for a few people, many are well within the budget of someone who knows how to budget well and is willing to learn how to eat healthy.

His simple suggestions to stop drinking coffee in the morning and drink green or black tea instead is something most people can do.

Cannot afford Pacific salmon like I can? Then use the flax seed oil like he recommends. I also use flax seed oil. And who cannot afford to buy fresh or frozen blueberries? One bag of frozen blueberries is less than four dollars and will last you a whole week since one serving is only 1/3 cup.

A can of salmon which he says you can substitute if fresh isn't available or is to expensive for those living in the mid-west. One average size salmon fillet where I live is around 8 oz, which cut in half will make two meals.

Most people need only delete the junk food and invest in the good foods he recommends. Most people can afford to plant a few fresh vegetables in their yards or amongst the flower gardens, so that's something he also encourages.

As for some of the pricier items he suggests, I tend to think most Americans with well stocked and affordable health or whole food stores, can budget wisely and buy many of the items he suggests.

Look at his average breakfast which costs very little if you look at the amount needed. 3 egg omelet and/or 4-6 oz. grilled salmon, 1/2 cup cooked non-instant oatmeal, 1/3 cup fresh berries or small slice of melon. Green tea. 8-12 oz. spring water per meal.

For lunch he suggests something more salmon and a small 2 cup serving of a dark green lettuce salad with extra virgin olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon to taste, and 1/3 cup serving of fresh fruit.

For snacks he suggests Small handful of hazelnuts, walnuts or almonds or an apple. For dinner he suggests fish, another small sald and additional vegetables like 1/2 cup steamed asparagus, broccoli, or spinach, and 1/3 cup berries or melon and water.

He does allow an apple or nuts etc as a bedtime snack, but I dont eat anything three hours before bedtime.

Look at how much the average family spends on Pepsi, Coke and other soft drinks per month, yet a good water filter like the Brita faucet mount available via Amazon.com can give you a better beverage, good clean water, which will heal and vitalize your body for of what one six pack of sodas cost you in one month.

It's all a matter of what choices we make. And even he says that even if you follow only one part of his program you should be healthier. All I need do is look at how much the choices he suggests will save me in medical costs (co-pays) over the year and it's well worth it.

And I am walking proof that some simple changes like drinking water throughout the day, getting enough sleep, walking more, eating smaller meals, and having a more positive attitude can help you have better skin and loose weight and keep it off. And I have continued to do this, even after my husband died fourteen months ago, thanks to a drunk driver.

I was quite saddened to see that I am going to have to sell my house and personal belongings to afford the face creams and supplements he recommends. On a positive note, I have done the diet part of the book for 2 days now, and must say my energy has skyrocketed! I actually jumped out of bed this morning, and usually I hit snooze 3-4 times.

The book itself is well-written, but it is not riveting. It is quite scientific. If the information wasn't so amazing, I would have put it down right away. I love most of his tips. Eat lots of authentic foods, eat protein first at each meal, and use herbs LIBERALLY. The book says NOT to eat fat-free anything (I just about lived on expensive diet food products before). It was liberating to shop for fresh, whole foods this week. Thank you Dr. Perricone, you have written a great book, now please come up with a cream that the masses (Oprah excluded) can afford!

"The Perricone Promise: Look Younger, Live Longer in Three Easy Steps " leaves out one, very important step. The requirement to be independently wealthy or having just won the lottery. When an author sells his book for $20.00 and then reveals inside that you will need items totaling over $1400.00 more to reap the full benefits, he's assuming people are gullible and desperate. Going by Amazon ranking this the #2 book in sales, he may be right.
There is nothing in this book you won't find in a copy of Prevention magazine except for the referral to his website to buy his over priced products. As I've said before, lean proteins, lots of fruits and vegetables, and plenty of water will do the trick for most of us. I would discourage anyone from eating the amounts of salmon called for by the program unless you're sure your liver can handle the abundance of toxins it will now have to process. I hear there is a great liver cleansing diet out there, just in case.
I bought "The Perricone Promise" and read it with high hopes after seeing Dr. Nicholas Perricone on a talk show. It sounded good but I quickly realized it wasn't anything that was workable for the average consumer. Really!! the prices of these magical creams are outrageous and he won't guarantee the results without them. As an example, he sells a bottle of "N.V. Perricone Neuropeptide Facial Conformer" on Amazon for $570.00. This item promises to reduce fine lines and wrinkles and improve skin's appearance. I marched my copy back to Barnes and Noble and promptly got a refund.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 92 reviews  3.7 out of 5 stars