In a recent interview, I was asked how The 10-Day Detox Diet is different from my other books and what caused this book to hit a nerve so strongly that it debuted at #1 both on Amazon and on The New York Times Best Seller list?
As you may know, lately, I’ve done a lot of interviews and answered a LOT of questions. But this one made me think. What is it about this book that has made people sit up and listen?
Is it that sugar is eight times more addictive than cocaine?
Is it that people are tired of the weight-loss-weight-gain roller coaster?
Is it that the calories-in-calories-out theory doesn’t work, and even if it did, it’s impossible to count calories accurately?
Or is it that people are just tired of limiting their food intake?
It’s probably all of the above and more!
And these are just some of the reasons why I wrote this latest book. What is it? And how does it differ from my other books? Let me explain.
The 10-Day Detox Diet grew out of a deeper understanding of the biology of food addiction and how it is so often at the root of people’s failure to change their behavior and their diet. The fact that we eat 152 pounds of sugar and 146 pounds of flour per person per year in America makes it impossible for people to control their behavior around food. These substances are highly addictive; in fact, they are eight times as addictive as cocaine. Rats will keep eating sugar even while they are getting electric shocks to make them stop!
The truth is that we blame people for being overweight, but it’s not their fault. Our taste buds, hormones, brain chemistry and hormones have been hijacked by the food industry. The 10-Day Detox Diet helps reset your hormones and brain chemistry and turns off inflammation in just 10 days, and the result is not only a significant jump-start on weight loss but also a dramatic change in health.
Six hundred people did a trial of the program—they not only lost more than 4,000 pounds in 10 days and dropped blood sugar by 20 points and blood pressure by 10 points but they reduced all symptoms from all diseases by 62 percent in 10 days. There is no drug on the planet that can do that. Food is the most powerful medicine on the planet.
The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet book is for you if you:
- want a brief but compelling glimpse into how powerful the affect of food is on your mind-body system and how quickly eating real food can shift your health and your weight.
- have FLC Syndrome (feel like crap) and want to feel better in 10 days.
- have been struggling in shame, guilt and secrecy about your addiction to food and want to stop compulsive and impulsive eating for good.
- are busy and crunched for time and need a fast program that is evidenced-based and reliable.
If you have followed me for a while, you know that I am the chairman of The Institute of Functional Medicine. Functional Medicine is a personalized approach to address the root causes of disease. It introduces a new way of thinking that uses food as the primary medicine. It is medicine by cause, not by symptom. We treat the system, not the symptoms.
Functional Medicine is the science of creating health. And it works across the entire spectrum of chronic disease to improve function and optimize health. In fact, the very notion of disease has become obsolete, as we understand the root causes and how everything is connected. To understand more about this model, watch my TEDMED talk on Functional Medicine.
My books and programs are focused on healing different conditions and are about using food and the principles of healing in different ways. And as the science evolves, there is a deeper understanding of how that works and how to bring this healing to millions.
Let’s now review some of my other books to see how they’re different and to learn which one may be best for you:
The Blood Sugar Solution and The Blood Sugar Solution Cookbook (2012)
The Blood Sugar Solution and companion cookbook are for you if you:
- have pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes or have weight to lose and are looking for a lifestyle (not another diet) to get you or keep you off your medications.
- want to jump-start and optimize your health and prevent cancer, heart disease, dementia and more and want to learn the secrets of creating the tastiest meals with ingredients that leave you feeling nourished and satisfied—not deprived.
- want a low-glycemic, anti-inflammatory, gluten- and dairy-free way of eating.
- want a plan that teaches you flexibility, how to get back on the wagon when you veer off course and how to maintain your health and weight while normal life activities occur (holidays, work events, family events, family dinner, etc.).
- are fascinated by the science of Functional Medicine, intrigued by the seven keys to wellness and want to see how this medicine works for you.
Try The Blood Sugar Solution Cookbook if any of these meals appeal to your senses:
- Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai
- Blue Cheese Cowboy Burger
- Double Peanut Butter Chocolate Cups
The epidemic of type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes has exploded. In the last ten years, we went from one in ten kids with pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes to nearly one in four kids. And now, one in two Americans has pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes. I felt we needed a comprehensive plan to address the root cause of “diabesity,” which is insulin resistance. It is not just our food that causes diabesity. Many factors are often missed, including not only our high sugar intake but also hidden triggers of inflammation, including environmental toxins, unhealthy gut flora, food allergens like gluten and dairy, stress, nutritional deficiencies and more. The book and the cookbook provide a comprehensive plan to get to the root of this epidemic and reverse diabesity.
The UltraSimple Diet (2007)
The UltraSimple Diet book is for you if you:
- have a sneaking suspicion that the food you are eating is triggering inflammatory conditions, such as eczema, allergies, asthma, headaches, joint stiffness, arthritis and digestive problems or if you just feel sick and tired.
- want a structured plan to help hold you accountable to your commitment to your elimination diet.
- enjoy understanding the science behind inflammation and toxicity and how food can be harmful or medicinal depending on your unique biochemistry.
One of the most important healing tools in Functional Medicine for a whole host of chronic inflammatory and toxic symptoms is a comprehensive elimination diet that eliminates the most common food allergies and sensitivities. I use this all the time in my practice for my patients, and I realized they needed a simple, practical guide for how to do this. Most people don’t connect the dots between how they feel and the food they eat. Eliminating the most common food sensitivities (gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, nightshades, citrus, etc.) and adding whole, fresh food can help people reboot in as little as one week. This book was a blockbuster sleeper success. If you have allergies, autoimmune, digestive problems or just feel lousy, The UltraSimple Diet is a great way to reboot and heal and identify which foods are a problem for you.
The UltraMind Solution (2009)
The UltraMind Solution book is for you if you:
- want to understand how nutrition and lifestyle affect your brain function and want to follow a plan to optimize your brain health.
- have heard about certain nutrients helping depression, anxiety, attention deficit, memory problems or other issues of “broken brain syndrome” but don’t quite understand what, how or if you should be taking supplements.
- feel like you just aren’t the same version of yourself who was once active, sharp and excited about life and you aren’t ready to feel “old.”
Everything in the body is connected. As I began treating the body as a whole system, I observed that when I treated people’s stomach issues or allergies or skin problems, improved their metabolism or helped them detoxify from heavy metals or optimized their nutrient levels, such as vitamin B12, folate, B6, magnesium, vitamin D, or omega-3 fats, those patients had dramatic improvements in their mental health, including depression, anxiety, brain fog, as well as attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, autism and even memory loss and dementia. Most understand the mind-body connection but few were talking about the body-mind connection—how the body affects the brain. The UltraMind Solution is one of my favorite books because it really goes into the science of Functional Medicine, and I am a bit of a science geek. But it also provides a pathway for healing so much that goes wrong in our head. If you have a brain, read this book!
I’m sure you can see a common thread here regarding these nutritional principles. They are similar, because the science shows us that there is really only one basic good “human diet.” It’s not like one diet prevents cancer but another prevents diabetes and yet another prevents heart attacks, dementia or autoimmune diseases. A whole-foods, low-glycemic, predominately plant-based, phytonutrient-rich diet is the foundation of health and prevents and can treat most chronic diseases.
I hope these books mean as much to you as they do to me. My wish is for them to make a lasting impact on your health, so that you can trust your body’s innate ability to heal given the right ingredients—healthy food, some fun movement, real relaxation and deep, authentic love.
For more information on all of my books and programs, please visit The Healthy Living Store.
And if you’re inspired to detox, to end your food addiction and your sugar and carb cravings and renew and reboot your health, check out my #1 bestselling book The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet! Plus, get these great bonus gifts right away to jump-start your program:
- In the Kitchen with Dr. Mark Hyman – In this three-part online video series, I teach you how to cook amazingly delicious healing foods quickly.
- The Missing Ingredient Report – Why we get stuck and how we can sustain our weight loss goals.
- Dieting 101 Guide – My review of the top 10 weight loss programs, in which I share what works and what doesn’t and WHY?
Wishing you health and happiness,
Mark Hyman, MD