The Spectrum by Dean Ornish -Review

 

Dr. Dean Ornish, M.D. is a professor at the University of California and bestselling author on wellness. Ornish's celebrity was established years ago, when he became the first medical doctor to prove that heart disease (high cholesterol, high blood pressure) could be effectively reversed by a strict low fat, vegetarian diet, exercise and stress management.
Ornish's most recent book, The Spectrum, does not target its emphasis on a specific issue like heart disease or weight loss per se, but rather the "spectrum" of health issues we humans confront, and how we can make healthy changes to address one or more of them at the same time.

The Spectrum is like a sketch - an outline - of a healthy lifestyle that you fill in to personalize to your life and your goals. There are several "spectrums" which make up Ornish's program. They are nutrition, exercise, stress management, and the nurturing and developing of relationships. The spectrums are rated on scales from 1 to 5, with 1 on the spectrum being a good place, and 5 on the spectrum being a bad place. We are all in one place or another on these spectrums, in a good place on some of them, a mediocre place on some, and a bad place on others. The first step is taking a good look at yourself, and figuring out where you are. From there, the idea is to follow Ornish's guide to better places. If you want to lose weight, reverse heart disease, improve your sleep or your skin, or decrease cancer risk - you decide how quickly and how far you want (or can) move up the spectrum.

Here is an example of the nutrition spectrum, which you analzye based on what and how much you eat from each group. Healthiest is a 1, unhealthiest is a 5:
Group 1: Fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grains, beans, nonfat dairy, egg whites, soy products.
Group 2: Avocados, seeds, nuts, oils, canned vegetables, low-fat dairy, decaffeinated beverages.
Group 3: Seafood, refined carbs, concentrated sweets, oils higher in saturated fats, margarine.
Group 4: High-fat animal products, whole-fat dairy, mayonnaise, pastries, cookies, pies.
Group 5: Red meat, egg yolks, fried foods, hot dogs, organ meats, butter, cream, tropical oils.

Obviously, the more natural and unprocessed foods you're eating from Group 1, the healthier you are, and more health benefits and good nutrition you're receiving. So the closer you are on this spectrum to Group 1, the fewer changes you need to make here. If, however, you're a solid 4 to 5, you've got a good amount of work to do to improve your diet. Note, however, that The Spectrum doesn't have any food rules or forbidden foods - it's neither militant nor guilt-inducing about food. It's more a soft-sell, gently suggesting and encouraging "the right way" to eat for health and looking and feeling better. The pace and militancy by which you get to weight loss is up to you. The book features recipes from award-winning (and Oprah favorite) chef Art Smith.

You will find that Ornish merges the dietary portion of the book with his interest in the science of nutrigenomics - which is the study of how food interacts with our genes, and affects our health. We are all of us genetically unique, and as such our bodies all react differently to our environments - which includes the foods we eat. A dietary regimen which succeeds in weight loss for one person will not succeed with the body requirements of another, just as one person may have a predisposition to respiratory ailments or breast cancer, while another will not. Ornish is among those in the scientific community who believe that carefully monitoring and managing what we eat can give us power to overcome genetic predispositions to many of our health problems.

Ornish's low fat diet recommendation is - fundamentally - the same advice he has always given, though here he allows for it to be modified according to the individual. His comprehensive approach - that in addition to diet, exercise and emotional health through stress reduction and relationship improvement are critical to overall good health - is also in line with his fundamental philosophy. Again, though, here he provides a broader selection of options to customize diet, exercise and stress management to your needs. A big fan of medititation for stress relief, Ornish includes a bonus DVD of guided meditations by Anne Ornish (his wife) with the book.

Overall: A much more relaxed approach to getting healthier than his earlier work, and the "spectrum" charts and ratings are a good tool to get you thinking more comprehensively about where your life is now, and where you might want it to be. The downside: the motivation to stick with it you must find elsewhere.

The Spectrum: Another View