‘CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet’ flexes its muscles

Co-author, Dr Manny Noakes of CSIRO Human Nutrition, says that in addition to over 80 new recipes and advice on how to vary the diet to maximum effect, CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet Book 2 includes a comprehensive 12-week strength and fitness exercise plan.

“Exercise and diet should go hand-in-hand with any sensible approach to losing weight while achieving improved overall health,” Dr Noakes says.

“While book one provided good general advice on the types of exercise dieters should try to incorporate into their weight loss programs, we felt that providing a carefully structured, longer term exercise program would inspire CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet followers to embrace exercise as an integral part of their healthier lifestyles.”

Based on the need to improve cardiovascular fitness and overall physical strength, the 12-week illustrated exercise plan was compiled by CSIRO Human Nutrition exercise physiologist, Dr Grant Brinkworth.

Dr Brinkworth says current physical activity guidelines suggest that in order to reduce the risk of developing diseases associated with sedentary lifestyles, adults should set a long-term goal to accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on most or, preferably, all days.

“However, for weight control, even more activity is recommended,” Dr Brinkworth says. “Strength training may also have benefits over and above those attainable from aerobic exercise alone by increasing strength and function,” he says.

“The exercise plan provided in CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet Book 2 aims to ensure that people can attain these benefits without having to invest a lot of time and/or money in, for example, joining gyms or buying expensive exercise equipment.”

In addition to the new exercise plan and recipes, Book 2 includes a range of suggested variations to the original diet including: easy-to-prepare lunch options; the inclusion of a range of dairy food snacks; and, more information on the dietary effects of alcohol and salt.

The publishers of CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet Book 2, Penguin Australia, have so far recorded sales of over 700,000 copies of the original edition – thereby making it one of the largest selling non-fiction books in Australian publishing history. The second edition ($34.95 rrp) will be released for sale today.