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A Physician's 28-Day Program for Total Face and Body Rejuvenation
Healthy, vibrant skin depends more on what you put in your cheeks than what
you rub on them, says dermatologist Nicholas Perricone. In The Perricone
Prescription, fresh salmon tops the list of must-eat foods for total
body rejuvenation. In fact, it is the star of Perricone's "Three-Day Nutritional
Face-Lift," a convincing trial run for those who are a bit hedgy about
committing to his 28-day diet and his supplement, skin care, and exercise regimen.
Perricone's clear explanation about the adverse effects of
inflammatory foods persuasively argues for shunning destructive, low-fat favorites
(including watermelon, carrots, and bagels) and "culinary horrors"
like pizza, pasta, and beef. Better to eat anti-inflammatory choices (those
with a glycemic index of 50 or less) like salmon, halibut, and trout. While
the book's mega list of recommended supplements is a bit hard to swallow (literally
and figuratively), the supportive information Perricone supplies about each
is certainly helpful.
Another detailed grocery list--this time for topical anti-inflammatories--addresses
skin care, and his wrinkle-free fitness plan promotes flexibility, muscle strength,
and endurance. Finally, a handful of savory recipes offers respite to those
who only know how to broil. So, despite all the salmon (and the angry kids whose
parents have purged their high-glycemic kitchens), Perricone's prescription
doesn't sound fishy at all.
Perricone (The Wrinkle Cure), a professor of dermatology at
Yale Medical School, believes that relatively simple changes in eating can effect
dramatic changes in physical appearance and well-being. He has created a month-long
program broken up into daily menus as well as a more restrictive three-day regimen
designed to produce immediate results. Perricone's guiding principle, which
he explains in some depth, is to reduce inflammation at the cellular level,
which, he believes, causes the skin to age and is also linked to degenerative
disease. Perricone suggests that protein and some fat is essential for everyone.
He is particularly keen on the benefits of fish. Certain foods high in carbohydrates
cereals, breads, bananas are taboo in this plan because of their high glycemic
index; they cause a spike in blood sugar and prompt the body's insulin response,
which stores rather than burns fat and causes inflammation. Perricone also recommends
an exercise regimen, and nearly a third of the book is devoted to a discussion
of antioxidants, vitamin supplements and creams. Some may question his nutritional
theories, and others may find the diet difficult to stick to, with its almost
total restriction of starchy foods. Still, Perricone is a proponent of Barry
Sears's The Zone, and readers who have followed that book and Perricone's own
bestselling earlier volume will probably appreciate this one.
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