Lighten Up: The HealthQuest 30-Day Weight-Loss Program

Designed to address the major health issues facing African-Americans, such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, Lighten Up: The HealthQuest 30-Day Weight-Loss Program uses a three-part approach -- nutrition, fitness, and body-mind-spirit awareness -- to provide a sensible plan for permanent weight loss, without sacrificing the foods folks love. Lighten Up is an eye-opening look at the relationship between African-Americans' chronic health issues and their ancestral diet, and it examines soul food (notoriously high in fat, sodium, and cholesterol) and the role it plays in the African-American community.The nutrition component of the plan includes five comprehensive food pyramids as well as instructions on how to adapt them to individual diets. The program is also bolstered by "Think It Through" and "For Your Spirit" exercises, using affirmations, meditations, and self-reflection to empower the reader. Finally, more than thirty delicious, low-fat, low-sodium adaptations of favorite African-American dishes are provided, along with two weeks of menus and meal and exercise planners. Lighten Up is a true path to permanent weight loss for African-Americans.