The holidays provide us with an opportunity to spend time with family and friends and to eat, drink and be merry. However, after the holiday celebrations are over, the ever-tighter waistband serves as an unfortunate reminder of too much food and too little moderation (I know, I know-I ate far too many cookies myself). With New Year’s resolutions freshly written, many people decide to implement a new diet plan.
I was recently provided with an advance copy of the new book by Cynthia Sass entitled, “Cinch!” Sass is a nutritionist who serves as a consultant to the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. In her book, Sass dispenses with calorie counting in favor of teaching dieters to burn fat through interesting combinations of nutrient rich food.
During the first five days of the diet, only spinach, raspberries, almonds, eggs (preferably organic) and non-fat plain yogurt are allowed. At first, I found this approach to be a little gimmicky. Then, I realized that (1) I really like each of those foods and (2) it’s not that hard to follow any diet plan for a scant five days.
After the initial five days are up, Sass counsels dieters to adopt a Mediterranean-style meal plan emphasizing produce, whole grains, lean protein, plant-based fat and seasonings. The book provides a number of creative recipes using these food sources, but also gives dieters the tools needed to customize the Cinch diet plan to their own tastes. There is even a requirement that you indulge in a daily chocolate escape (now you’ve got my attention!) Sass also delves into some of the nutritional science behind her recommendations.
Since one of my New year’s resolutions is to eat a healthier diet, I think I am going to give the “Cinch” diet a try. The book was released on December 28th and should be available at most major booksellers. Disclosure: I was given a free copy of the book “Cinch” to review.
Beth Christian subsisted primarily on cheeseburgers and liverwurst sandwiches during childhood and refused to try most new foods. Her culinary horizons were expanded during her college days in Schenectady, New York, where she learned the joys of trying slow-simmered Italian dishes, Szechuan cuisine, and everything in between. When not engaged in the practice of law in Monmouth County, Beth is busy scouting out interesting restaurants, farmer’s markets and food purveyors near her home in Burlington County. Beth’s primary dining sidekick is her husband John, but she also enjoys having her daughter Meghan, son Michael and her wonderful friends come along for the ride.
