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You: The Owner's Manual: An Insider's Guide To The Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger
If there ever was a pair of docs who can make the small intestine seem truly intriguing, here they are. Dr. Mehmet Oz is an alternative-medicine maverick and a cardiologist known to implement acupuncture during open-heart surgery. Dr. Michael Roizen developed the RealAge concept of calculating one's biological, as opposed to chronological, age. Here they've whipped up a witty guide to the workings of the entire body, appropriate not just for those who can't tell their pancreas from their pituitary. Even Cheers' Cliff Claven types who think they know it all will likely be humbled by the 50-question "body-quotient" quiz that starts off the book.
With much sassy humor (they describe the adrenals as similar in shape to Mr. Potato Head's hat), they give a guided tour of the body's anatomy and major systems (hormonal, nervous, digestive, sensory, etc.) including plenty of fascinating trivia along the way. How often should you get your thyroid level checked? How much gas does the average person produce in a day? And, most important, how many times a year do most people have sex?? Drs. Oz and Roizen know. They also reveal plenty of bizarre (and potentially life-saving) facts such as this: If your earlobe has a prominent vertical wrinkle, it's likely that your arteries are aging faster than they ought to be. If only 8th-grade health class had been this fun.
The docs' main goal in presenting all this info is twofold: first, it's your body, so shouldn't you finally learn how it works? And, second, they want to help teach ways of preserving the body's health and youthfulness. To that end, they've included an "Owner's Manual Diet," a 10-day menu plan designed not for weight loss, but to make you feel "years younger." Its simple recipes are each meant to benefit a certain body system, such as Tomato Bruschetta, packed with the antioxidant lycopene, which has been proven to boost immunity. --Erica Jorgensen
417 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
299 people are currently reading
2,021 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 368 reviews
January 28, 2015
Apparently YOU need a lot of supplements! My goodness. I was hoping to learn a little about the human body from this book. I did learn a few things, but primarily I learned that if I want my "Real Age" to be a certain SPECIFIC number of years younger then I need to take a certain SPECIFIC amount of A LOT of supplements. I was waiting to hear what web site I go to to buy the "YOU" supplement package because they really seemed to be pushing them hard. I'm not saying supplements don't have benefits, but I would've liked to have heard more about what foods I could eat to get these nutrients instead of just being told to pop a pill.Yes, they did recommend some foods for somethings, but they also recommended a lot of pills. That aside, I think this would be a helpful book for a senior citizen who wanted to be healthier but didn't have the slightest idea where to start. Plus, a senior citizen might have enjoyed the bad analogies and bad jokes a lot more than I did.
December 4, 2020
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars
The Doctors/Authors took turns narrating this book and made it fun to learn how my body functions and what to do to improve how it works and reverse or stop negative effects.
For years nutrition has been a subject of interest to me, so I was aware of which foods are good for you. However, this book was more than a great refresher. The doctors specified the amounts of foods necessary to strengthen or benefit each organ.
While I did not like listening to the many references to vitamin and mineral supplements, some people may want to hear them. I wondered if they had shares in the companies!
I appreciated the use of humour and would like to read (listen to) a more recent book on this topic by these authors/doctors.
The Doctors/Authors took turns narrating this book and made it fun to learn how my body functions and what to do to improve how it works and reverse or stop negative effects.
For years nutrition has been a subject of interest to me, so I was aware of which foods are good for you. However, this book was more than a great refresher. The doctors specified the amounts of foods necessary to strengthen or benefit each organ.
While I did not like listening to the many references to vitamin and mineral supplements, some people may want to hear them. I wondered if they had shares in the companies!
I appreciated the use of humour and would like to read (listen to) a more recent book on this topic by these authors/doctors.
April 15, 2010
This is a handy manual containing a potpourri of all sorts of information about the human body and its various systems and organs with the latest advice about how to keep them all healthy. Drs. Roizen and Oz write with the same down-to-earth style and whimsical sense of humor that each shows on his various TV appearances. The book has two quizzes--one with 50 multiple-choice questions about the body in general and the other with questions that help challenge the human brain and ward off senility. (I received terrible scores on both and felt like a dork, but at least I learned a lot in that process that I needed to know). A main theme running through the book is the concept of RealAge; that is, a person may be 50 years old in calendar age, but according to his/her lifestyle, diet, weight, etc., he/she may be several years younger or older. For example, taking 162 mg of aspirin a day (two baby tablets) makes the average 55-year-old two-to-three years younger in RealAge. There are lots of other examples of this phenomenon. "If you are 55 years old, increasing the number of times you have sex from 58 times per year to 116 times has the effect of making you as much as 1.6 years younger, and having great quality sex even more than that can have an effect up to eight years" (341). But going back to the aspirin advice, the authors note than the daily 162 mg dose of "the wonder drug" is good not only for the heart, but also decreases the risk of getting cancer of the colon, prostate, and breast each by 40 percent. The docs also give detailed advice about the amounts of vitamins and other supplements we all need to obtain optimum health. Chapters focus on the heart, nervous system, digestive tract, hormones, cancer, etc., and the book ends with suggested healthy meal plans and some recipes. My only criticism of this manual is that I don't care for the black and white drawings that feature little elves crawling all over various human organs. There are also a couple of comic strips that I found annoying, if not outright obnoxious. Despite this relatively innocuous descent into unsophisticated graphics, this book is one I highly recommend for basic information on the body and taking care of it.
June 8, 2021
Хүний бие түүн дундаа зүрх судас, тархи, уушги, хоол боловсруулах систем, дотоод шүүрэл, хөдөлгөөн дасгал, нөхөн үржихүйн эрхтэн, дархлааны систем, хавдар зэрэг сэдвүүдийг энгийн уншигчдад тайлбарлаж бичсэн ном байна. Нэг талаар ойлгомжтой тайлбарлах гэж оролдсон нь сайн хэрэг ч нөгөөтээгүүр бүх зүйлийг тэгж тайлбарлах нь жаахан илүүц санагдлаа. Номын нэг авууштай зүйл нь дасгал хөдөлгөөн л ердөөсөө хүнийг урт наслуулж, эрүүл байлгах хүчин зүйл гэдгийг хэлэхийн зэрэгцээ дээрх сэдэв болгоны хүрээнд хуанлийн биш физиологийн нас нь яавал залуу байх тухай хэлсэн явдал. Физиологийн тухай сайн ном уншсан хүмүүс энэ номыг жаахан голох байх.
December 28, 2012
"You: The Owner's Manual" contains some genuinely helpful information but personally, I would consider that statement as damning by faint praise. It's a health book written by a host of doctors, the least it can do is contain some helpful nuggets of information.
As is, the book is weak. You can tell by reading it that the authors were seeking to really fulfill the needs of the elderly, older-than-fifty set but decided to attempt to broaden the book's appeal in order to try to pull in money from other demographics, but it doesn't work. The information is still generally geared to the older audience and the only appeal outside that niche are attempts through "humorous" examples, puns, and allusions to Britney Spears and the like. It falls flat and either comes across as patronizing, awkward, or annoying, like an older uncle who desperately tries to "keep it cool with the kids" by scouring the internet for pop culture referential knock-knock jokes.
The information, as stated, is genuinely helpful but this too should be stressed so others know what they're walking into here: anatomy and physiology are immensely complicated subjects. This book strives to simplify it to a comprehensible level for most readers, in order to empower them to take control of their health. As said though, most of it is somewhat skewed towards an older audience though, so if you're not part of that group and you were looking to read this just to learn something about anatomy/physiology/health in general... Skip it. The authors manage to simplify things to the point where it is confusing again, by the omission of several steps in any one given process, so instead of seeing A lead to B lead to C, you're just treated to A=C with an accompanying cutesy diagram.
And as a final note, should have been proofread by an editor better. Tons of missing words, missing clauses, unclear sentence structure, and incorrect punctuation. But that isn't the author's fault.
As is, the book is weak. You can tell by reading it that the authors were seeking to really fulfill the needs of the elderly, older-than-fifty set but decided to attempt to broaden the book's appeal in order to try to pull in money from other demographics, but it doesn't work. The information is still generally geared to the older audience and the only appeal outside that niche are attempts through "humorous" examples, puns, and allusions to Britney Spears and the like. It falls flat and either comes across as patronizing, awkward, or annoying, like an older uncle who desperately tries to "keep it cool with the kids" by scouring the internet for pop culture referential knock-knock jokes.
The information, as stated, is genuinely helpful but this too should be stressed so others know what they're walking into here: anatomy and physiology are immensely complicated subjects. This book strives to simplify it to a comprehensible level for most readers, in order to empower them to take control of their health. As said though, most of it is somewhat skewed towards an older audience though, so if you're not part of that group and you were looking to read this just to learn something about anatomy/physiology/health in general... Skip it. The authors manage to simplify things to the point where it is confusing again, by the omission of several steps in any one given process, so instead of seeing A lead to B lead to C, you're just treated to A=C with an accompanying cutesy diagram.
And as a final note, should have been proofread by an editor better. Tons of missing words, missing clauses, unclear sentence structure, and incorrect punctuation. But that isn't the author's fault.
October 20, 2009
There are countless self-help books ranging from diet, exercise, psychology, and the like. One of the authors has really taken advantage of this new found fame, Dr. Oz, and leads me to some skepticism regarding future pronouncements. Yet, most of the advice and info in this book originates from sound, proven scientific data. Most of the data herein is the culmination of hard evidence based on theory, model and proven in labs, and the anecdotal experience by two of the nations foremost physicians.
There are no secret cures, steps or magic recipes here that will produce profound medical, cosmetic changes; instead information that can lead to reducing risk of developing serious disease, and small scale improvements on maintaining quality of life and potentially improving it through diligent application of sound principles.
At the end, I couldn't help but wonder why all high school children aren't exposed to something like this, in reduced form, if not the complete accounting provided here. After all, what device that we have in our life, is more important that our own bodies? And yet, many are indifferent and/or ignorant to the fundamentals that are important to getting the most out of it.
There are no secret cures, steps or magic recipes here that will produce profound medical, cosmetic changes; instead information that can lead to reducing risk of developing serious disease, and small scale improvements on maintaining quality of life and potentially improving it through diligent application of sound principles.
At the end, I couldn't help but wonder why all high school children aren't exposed to something like this, in reduced form, if not the complete accounting provided here. After all, what device that we have in our life, is more important that our own bodies? And yet, many are indifferent and/or ignorant to the fundamentals that are important to getting the most out of it.
November 14, 2022
The information might be useful, but the stress on supplements, the juvenile layout, and the corny tone are all irritating.
March 3, 2012
Loy Machedo’s Book Review � YOU. The Owner’s Manual by Michael F. Roizen & Mehmet C. Oz.
I am old.
35 years old.
Ever since I crossed the 30 year mark, I have become pretty obsessed and cautious about my health. For reasons that I cannot explain, I have been on a quest to understand what I can do to keep myself fit and healthy.
Where once upon a time I used to leg press over 300 kgs and dead-lift (for my back) over 200 kgs, today I am pretty happy with a 15 minute light jog on the treadmill followed by light weights that do not cross over 20 kgs.
Where once upon a time I would guzzle down 36 eggs a given day � all with the egg white and yoke, expecting to become the next incarnation of Arnold Schwarzenegger, today I do my best to include some fruit or raw vegetable in my daily diet.
Why all these changes?
Is it because of the nagging joints pain I sometimes experience because of all this extreme physical lifestyle?
Is it because I found I had a cholesterol levels a bit higher than normal?
Or is it because or wanting to live a healthy lifestyle?
I cannot pin-point the answer but what I can say is that I am not prepared to live my life like a lifeless sack of human fat plopped on a wheel-chair with tube running all over my body and with a caring (or may be sexy nurse) pushing my over-weight and dying body around.
Sorry but no way.
It may be the fear or my own mortality that lead me to hunt for a book, but I am glad to say I found this one.
So let us review the book.
On the plus points:
•This book is very easy to read and extremely reader-friendly.
•It has a lot of humor (e.g., muscle cells surrounding dead heart tissue "start fighting with each other, like Jerry Springer's guests, instead of supporting each other, like Oprah's" [incidentally, the authors will appear on Oprah in May to promote the book]).
•Plenty of cartoonish drawings and quizzes to get your creative mind thinking
•It has broken down areas of the body into easy chapters - heart and arteries; the brain and nervous system; bones, joints and muscles; lungs; the digestive system; sensory and sexual organs; the immune system; and hormones. And there is a chapter dedicated to cancer: how it happens, different types, and the best ways to prevent it.
•At the end a 10-day, 30-recipe food plan and a less-is-more exercise regime.
•Some of the information did surprise me. For instance though I have been exercising for nearly 19 years and have read every possible book related to exercising, I found a few exercises mentioned in this book that I never bothered to give importance too. So yeah, brilliant stuff.
On the negative side:
•At times the information can become tiresome and boring. In fact, I read in great detail only those chapters that mattered to me � like cholesterol, heart, joints and the brain. The rest, I completed them using the techniques of speed reading.
•Though humor is good and easy of reading is always a welcome format, there is too much of fluff that could have been condensed the book to around one-tenth of its actual size.
Overall Comments
The medical knowledge shared in this book is simply marvelous and a great enlightenment to those who feel only the expert can understand the human body. I personally feel this is a welcome addition to my library and I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels they ought to know how to maintain the most expensive commodity they possess � their own body.
Overall rating 9 out of 10.
I am old.
35 years old.
Ever since I crossed the 30 year mark, I have become pretty obsessed and cautious about my health. For reasons that I cannot explain, I have been on a quest to understand what I can do to keep myself fit and healthy.
Where once upon a time I used to leg press over 300 kgs and dead-lift (for my back) over 200 kgs, today I am pretty happy with a 15 minute light jog on the treadmill followed by light weights that do not cross over 20 kgs.
Where once upon a time I would guzzle down 36 eggs a given day � all with the egg white and yoke, expecting to become the next incarnation of Arnold Schwarzenegger, today I do my best to include some fruit or raw vegetable in my daily diet.
Why all these changes?
Is it because of the nagging joints pain I sometimes experience because of all this extreme physical lifestyle?
Is it because I found I had a cholesterol levels a bit higher than normal?
Or is it because or wanting to live a healthy lifestyle?
I cannot pin-point the answer but what I can say is that I am not prepared to live my life like a lifeless sack of human fat plopped on a wheel-chair with tube running all over my body and with a caring (or may be sexy nurse) pushing my over-weight and dying body around.
Sorry but no way.
It may be the fear or my own mortality that lead me to hunt for a book, but I am glad to say I found this one.
So let us review the book.
On the plus points:
•This book is very easy to read and extremely reader-friendly.
•It has a lot of humor (e.g., muscle cells surrounding dead heart tissue "start fighting with each other, like Jerry Springer's guests, instead of supporting each other, like Oprah's" [incidentally, the authors will appear on Oprah in May to promote the book]).
•Plenty of cartoonish drawings and quizzes to get your creative mind thinking
•It has broken down areas of the body into easy chapters - heart and arteries; the brain and nervous system; bones, joints and muscles; lungs; the digestive system; sensory and sexual organs; the immune system; and hormones. And there is a chapter dedicated to cancer: how it happens, different types, and the best ways to prevent it.
•At the end a 10-day, 30-recipe food plan and a less-is-more exercise regime.
•Some of the information did surprise me. For instance though I have been exercising for nearly 19 years and have read every possible book related to exercising, I found a few exercises mentioned in this book that I never bothered to give importance too. So yeah, brilliant stuff.
On the negative side:
•At times the information can become tiresome and boring. In fact, I read in great detail only those chapters that mattered to me � like cholesterol, heart, joints and the brain. The rest, I completed them using the techniques of speed reading.
•Though humor is good and easy of reading is always a welcome format, there is too much of fluff that could have been condensed the book to around one-tenth of its actual size.
Overall Comments
The medical knowledge shared in this book is simply marvelous and a great enlightenment to those who feel only the expert can understand the human body. I personally feel this is a welcome addition to my library and I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels they ought to know how to maintain the most expensive commodity they possess � their own body.
Overall rating 9 out of 10.
December 27, 2009
A very readable introduction to the systems of the body and how to take care of yours and increase your health and reduce aging processes. Includes a healthy dose of humor and many suggestions for diet and dietary supplements, as well as a recipe section and a crib sheet on exercise. This would be a good introduction for folks on how the different systems of their bodies work � especially people who are confused by medical jargon. This is easy to understand and fluidly written. HOWEVER, there are many references to studies (studies have shown, etc.) with no citations or bibliography included. While these two authors are doctors and both have other published works, and while this is more of a pop-health title than a scholarly book, they should have included references so people could examine these studies and claims for themselves. They have been careful to debunk some myths and make it clear that just because one study shows something doesn’t mean that it has been repeated or that those results are the final word on anything. There’s a lot we do not know. I’d recommend this as an introduction for adults (and maybe teens to) to getting to know how their bodies work. Then there are lots of other resources they can turn to if they want to study the biological processes themselves or examine the scientific studies/papers that support some of these claims (it would have been easier to do this had those been cited!).
November 21, 2007
I wish I would have learned biology or health with this book in high school. It makes the body so easy to understand. It reads as more of a reference book and I'll keep it around as such. For example, I had a sore throat recently and I remembered trying a salt water gargle in the past with little success. I looked it up in the book and I realized the only quick fix to feel better was a salt water gargle with warm water a certain number of times a day. It worked!
It's also made me stick with taking a multi-vitamin every day and with the back-up of my own Dr. of course adding 1200 mg of calcium + Vit D (which I didn't think I needed at my age).
It's also made me stick with taking a multi-vitamin every day and with the back-up of my own Dr. of course adding 1200 mg of calcium + Vit D (which I didn't think I needed at my age).
April 8, 2019
I read the 2005 version and the recent nutritional studies have debunked much of the advice recommended by this book. This is my own fault for delaying reading a book I bought 13 years ago. However, I would still expect to learn a bit about the human anatomy, but the content is so simplistic and rife with pop culture references and jokes that it's basically useless for this purpose as well. In a drawing of the hip bones, the pelvis is just referred to as "Elvis" and the superior pubic ramus is referred to as "superior public ramen (mmm!)". My 6th grade human body picture book did a more competent job.
I would have preferred to have nutritional advice that doesn't revolve around taking supplements. There is a nice cookbook at the end but I found it out of place since very little time is spent on the nutritional value of many of the ingredients compared to the time spent on supplements.
There is still a lot of good health advice, even if the 2005 version is a bit outdated, but I still would have preferred a technical book focused on helping me learn then one focused on making me laugh.
I would have preferred to have nutritional advice that doesn't revolve around taking supplements. There is a nice cookbook at the end but I found it out of place since very little time is spent on the nutritional value of many of the ingredients compared to the time spent on supplements.
There is still a lot of good health advice, even if the 2005 version is a bit outdated, but I still would have preferred a technical book focused on helping me learn then one focused on making me laugh.
July 3, 2017
I liked this book. A bunch of information on how all of your systems work together and the little changes you can make to help your body live longer. Most of it is commonsense but there were a few nuggets of information that I really liked. Exercise (and not even that much) can make a huge difference. Diet is becoming one of the biggest factors. In my limited understanding, nutrition is a science that is grossly misunderstood. We were all taught things as recent as a few years ago and they turn out to not be true. One week eggs are bad, wait now they are good. We received so much wrong or conflicting information, most of us have simply given up. However, I do think that everyone should research more about it. Over the past couple of years some really interesting and pertinent exploration is happening all around us.
November 10, 2018
This was interesting. Lots of information here. Lots to think about.
Some of it should be taken with a grain of salt I believe (they may actually prescribe that)... honestly if you added up ALL the supplements and things they recommend taking throughout this book you would likely be taking upwards of 40 pills a day. It's a little ridiculous. There should be like a grand summary at the end. I know you can pick and choose based on what problems you are having, what your family is prone to etc, but seriously. The information is presented in a simple way, but some of the stuff is a bit overkill/overwhelming.
Some of it should be taken with a grain of salt I believe (they may actually prescribe that)... honestly if you added up ALL the supplements and things they recommend taking throughout this book you would likely be taking upwards of 40 pills a day. It's a little ridiculous. There should be like a grand summary at the end. I know you can pick and choose based on what problems you are having, what your family is prone to etc, but seriously. The information is presented in a simple way, but some of the stuff is a bit overkill/overwhelming.
August 19, 2015
This book gave a good overview of your body and the things that you can do to make your "real age" younger. Things like smoking take off years from your life, while eating healthy and exercising can add years. Overall a good explanation of the different systems in your body and how to keep them working properly.
June 14, 2011
It was interesting to read so much about the human body. I thought it would be boring or long and drawn out but it was very clearly written and fun to learn so many great things and how complex and miraculous our bodies are.
April 1, 2012
I was hoping for something a little more in-depth, but as I read it, I felt like I was being talked down to. I'm not certain what I was expecting, but give me more than a 6th-grade reading level and bizarre illustrations...
September 13, 2014
قرأته بالعربية ...طبعا
June 25, 2008
I love all the 'You' books--especially the 'smart patient' one--I always learn so much!
October 3, 2017
Be forewarned, by reading this amazing book, you will want to change the way you live. Even we transplant patients who carefully follow our doctor’s orders will find additional “best practices� that will add to both length of years lived as well as improving overall quality of that daily living.
The underlying theme of this “manual� is to improve your life by understanding risk factors that impact how well and how long we live. Noted heart transplant surgeon, Mehmet Oz, MD along with Michael Roizen, MD, have used a Real Age theme (a concept originally created by Dr. Roizen) throughout their 416 large format book. They open with 10 pages of a 50 multiple choice “Body Quotient� quiz to help the reader identify risk factors affecting that age-that-we-feel (quality of life) as well as our life span or longevity. This Real Age test is also available on the web at if you want to discover your own real age even before reading the book.
With a sense of humor that is carried over to many easy to understand drawings of our body’s workings, these gifted authors share their understanding of practices that affect us in these two important areas of our lives. Theirs is a book fully loaded with facts (many highlighted in even more detailed side boxes as “Factoids� and “Myth Busters�) that are easy to understand by the way they are presented, using the analogy of a house to bridge the layman’s view of body processes to their own professional medical insights. Much of what they recommend is focused on preventing conditions common to our present day society, often recommending vitamins and mineral supplements with clear insights as to why each works the way they do within our body’s processes. I was impressed enough with such insights that despite the many pills I already take to protect my 12+ year heart transplant, with my doctor’s approval I added several more to my daily regimen, even being averse to taking pills in the first place.
In interesting reading style they have chapters that cover: your heart and its arterial system; the brain and nervous system; bones, joints and muscles; lungs; digestive system; sexual organs; the immune system (especially interesting to we immune suppressed transplant recipients); hormones; cancer, and finally, The Owner’s Manual Diet. Of the many risk factors discussed, being overweight was deemed so important that they included a full 60 page diet section, dedicated to weight loss and healthy living that also results in weight loss. This section includes not only the diet plan but many detailed recipes to make it even easier to adopt the plan they offer. Additionally, there is a detailed Index section that allows the reader to go back and quickly find anything they wish to review or recommend to others.
In summary, between exercise tips, eating guidelines, simple lifestyle changes, and alternative approaches, this book gives you an easy, comprehensive and life changing how-to plan for protecting yourself against the ravages of aging. Once you have completed it, you will change your way of living for the better.
see this and more than a hundred other organ donation/transplant related books - many with my personal reviews - at
The underlying theme of this “manual� is to improve your life by understanding risk factors that impact how well and how long we live. Noted heart transplant surgeon, Mehmet Oz, MD along with Michael Roizen, MD, have used a Real Age theme (a concept originally created by Dr. Roizen) throughout their 416 large format book. They open with 10 pages of a 50 multiple choice “Body Quotient� quiz to help the reader identify risk factors affecting that age-that-we-feel (quality of life) as well as our life span or longevity. This Real Age test is also available on the web at if you want to discover your own real age even before reading the book.
With a sense of humor that is carried over to many easy to understand drawings of our body’s workings, these gifted authors share their understanding of practices that affect us in these two important areas of our lives. Theirs is a book fully loaded with facts (many highlighted in even more detailed side boxes as “Factoids� and “Myth Busters�) that are easy to understand by the way they are presented, using the analogy of a house to bridge the layman’s view of body processes to their own professional medical insights. Much of what they recommend is focused on preventing conditions common to our present day society, often recommending vitamins and mineral supplements with clear insights as to why each works the way they do within our body’s processes. I was impressed enough with such insights that despite the many pills I already take to protect my 12+ year heart transplant, with my doctor’s approval I added several more to my daily regimen, even being averse to taking pills in the first place.
In interesting reading style they have chapters that cover: your heart and its arterial system; the brain and nervous system; bones, joints and muscles; lungs; digestive system; sexual organs; the immune system (especially interesting to we immune suppressed transplant recipients); hormones; cancer, and finally, The Owner’s Manual Diet. Of the many risk factors discussed, being overweight was deemed so important that they included a full 60 page diet section, dedicated to weight loss and healthy living that also results in weight loss. This section includes not only the diet plan but many detailed recipes to make it even easier to adopt the plan they offer. Additionally, there is a detailed Index section that allows the reader to go back and quickly find anything they wish to review or recommend to others.
In summary, between exercise tips, eating guidelines, simple lifestyle changes, and alternative approaches, this book gives you an easy, comprehensive and life changing how-to plan for protecting yourself against the ravages of aging. Once you have completed it, you will change your way of living for the better.
see this and more than a hundred other organ donation/transplant related books - many with my personal reviews - at
February 3, 2021
SUGGESTIONS:
HEART & ARTERIES: 60 min. (or 3 20-min. workouts)/wk stamina training (cardiovascular activity that elevates heart rate to 80%+ of age-adjusted max (220-age) for extended period of time. Optimal BP is 115/76; take it morning, day, & night. Can also ask doc about blood pressure test called the ankle brachial index test. Get yearly blood test to check for: Cholesterol (LDL builds up on nicks in arteries; want at least HDL 40+), Homocysteine (nicks arteries; aim for level of 9 mg/dl or less), C-Reactive Protein (measures inflammation), Blood Sugar (damages arteries; keep lower than 100 mg/dl). Can take personal exercise stress test (how heart deals with vigorous exercise). Eat at least one handful of nuts/day (esp. walnuts), at least 3 portions of fish/wk (esp. wild, line-caught salmon (incl. canned)), 31 mg of flavonoids/day (found in nuts, (green) tea, red wine, grapes, cranberries, 100% natural OJ, onions, tomatoes, tomato juice (2 1/2 glasses of cranberry juice or several cups of tea work)). Take 1/2 aspirin/day, the correct multivitamin twice a day (Magnesium 400 mg/day; 600mg calcium 2x day; 1000 IU daily vitamin D; 600 mg 2xday vitamin C; 400IU daily Vitamin E; Potassium (4 fruits/day, esp. bananas, avocados, melon); min. 1500 IU and no more than 2500 IU Vitamin A; 400 micrograms daily Folate+B6 and B12).
BRAIN: Take 2 baby aspirin/day w/1/2 glass warm water before & after; exercise brain by learning new things (use parts of brain you don't normally use), not sticking to same routine (reverse daily routine, travel), & pursuing goals that are just out of reach; Eat 1 oz./day of nuts, 3 servings fish (fist-sized)/week, 1 cup/day of soybeans, 8 oz tomato juice/2 T. spaghetti sauce/day, 25% of daily calories from healthy fats (olive oil, nut oils, fish oils, flaxseed, avocados), 1 oz./day cocoa-based chocolate; Take 400 micrograms folate in supplement+400 micrograms in diet/day, 6 mg B6+800 micrograms B12 in food or 25 micrograms in supplement/day, 1500 mg/day L-Carnitine, resveratrol (flavonoid found in red grape skins/wine; 1 glass/day red wine).
BONES, JOINTS, MUSCLES: walk 30 min/day (can be broken up), 30 min/wk (3 10-min sessions) weight-bearing/resistance exercise, 60 min/wk stamina training (cycling, swimming, rowing, elliptical machine; choose different ones on different days), 30 min/wk (5 min/day) yoga or stretching (e.g.: walk 30 min/day+additional 30 min (S,Su),+20-min stamina (M,W,F),+10-min resistance (T,Th,S),+end sessions w/5 min yoga or stretching (M-S). Calcium (1200 mg (1600 if over 60)+ additional 20 mg for every 4-oz cup of coffee you drink & 100 mg for every 30 min of sweating), 400-500 mg magnesium (almonds), 1000 IU Vitamin D if under 60/1200 IU if over 60 (4 glasses low-fat milk works), Omega-3 Fatty Acids (fish, walnuts, . . .), 1200 mg Vitamin C/day, 1500 mg extracted glucosamine combined w/supplement chondroitin (Triple Flex, Osteo Bi-Flex, Cosamin DS).
LUNGS: Take 10 deep breaths in morning, ten at night. Take 400 mg/day Magnesium.
DIGESTION: 35 g. fiber/day (esp. lima beans, buckwheat cereal, soybeans, . . .), Avoid late meals, 64 oz. water a day, Eat about 70 calories healthy monounsaturated fats (e.g., 6 walnuts, some peanut butter, 12 cashews, . . . ) before a meal to slow digestion and make you feel fuller throughout day, 25 micrograms B12, supplement with rounded teaspoon daily psyllium.
LIFE & PANCREAS: Drink charcoal-filtered purified water over unfiltered tap water. Eat unrefined, unprocessed foods. Choose proteins like lentils, soy, beans, nuts, seeds over red meats that might have toxins. Eat cruciferous vegetables that are good cancer-fighters, foods loaded with vitamin B (like whole grains) and C (like citrus fruits and leafy green vegetables). To improve liver health: Lecithin (can get from varied diet), Zinc, Milk Thistle (80-200 mg/1-3xday), Dandelion (900 mg/day)
SEXUAL ORGANS: Selenium and Lycopene (in tomato products; 10T spaghetti sauce/wk ideal because tomatoes are cooked and combined with fat for best absorption) for prostate health. 800 IU Vitamin E for women, 800 micrograms Folate, B vitamins, 3 grams omega-3 fatty acids/day, 15 mg zinc, Vitamin C.
SENSORY ORGANS: To remove excess ear wax, put drop of mineral oil in ear, lay on side, let soak in for 1 hour; To help make skin look younger, use alpha hydroxyl acid (AHA) to increase skin cell turnover; Wear sunglasses that block UVA/B rays; Use creams made with capsaicin for pain. Use SPF 45 sunblock every day on all exposed surfaces of skin. For eyes, drink plenty of water to keep moist, take 1000 micrograms lutein 2xdaily (in spinach, corn, other leafy veggies), and vitamin C and bioflavonoids in fruits (eat 4/day) and veggies; Take 600 mg daily DHA-Omega-3s (found in fish oil and salmon) to prevent macular degeneration; Certain vitamins when taken together can prevent vision loss and help macular degeneration.
IMMUNE SYSTEM: 500 mg Vitamin C 2xdaily; unpasteurized yogurt (contains Lactobacillus acidophilus) or 20 mg 2x daily acidophilus; 31 g flavonoids daily (in oats, onions, broccoli, tomatoes, apples, cranberries, strawberries, cranberry juice, tomato juice or tea, grape juice, red wine); Pumpkin seeds (contain zinc). To shorten length of cold, take (as soon as you feel symptoms) zinc lozenges every 6 hrs, or 500 mg vitamin C 4xday, or cup of chicken soup 4xday.
HORMONES: Control blood pressure. To help body process estrogen: cruciferous foods and isoflavones (soy products, garlic onions, olive oils, fish oils, calcium, fruit). Magnesium (whole-grain breads and cereals, soybeans, lima beans, nuts, avocados, beets, raisings, dates) and potassium-rich diet (bananas, avocado). Take blood pressure, have thyroid checked every other year, every 5 years check blood sugar.
CANCER: 1000 IU vitamin D daily if younger than 60 (1200 if older) (in supplement or by drinking 10 glasses of nonfat milk or fortified orange juice a day); 525 micrograms Folate (in spinach, tomatoes, OJ, . . .) in form of supplement; 10+T tomato or spaghetti sauce w/ a little fat (olive oil/nuts) a week. No more than 1000 micograms Selenium daily (also in garlic, fish like sardines, herring, Brazil nuts); 7+ handfuls cruciferous vegetables a week (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower); 100-500 mg vitamin C 2x daily; Also can take 400 IU vitamin E daily with vitamin C; After age 30 get a skin screening every year for skin cancer; + mammograms every year, colonoscopy every 10 years; 1/2 Aspirin with glass of warm water.
DIET BASICS: Eat daily 9 handfuls of fruits and vegetables; at least 1 ounce of nuts; whole-grain breads and cereals that contain fiber. Eat fish at least three times a week. Eat 10 T cooked tomato products a week; Drink 64 oz water, 2 glasses skim or low-fat milk, 1 glass wine daily; To take daily: 1) multivitamin (taken with a little fat) with at least 400 micrograms folate, 1000 IU vitamin D, 1200 mg calcium, 400 mg magnesium, a daily value of all others; take half the total twice daily. 2) 2 baby aspirins or half regular-strength aspirin with a half glass of warm water before and after 3) Omega-3 fatty acids (2 grams) or can be obtained by consuming 12 walnuts/day and fish above.
HEART & ARTERIES: 60 min. (or 3 20-min. workouts)/wk stamina training (cardiovascular activity that elevates heart rate to 80%+ of age-adjusted max (220-age) for extended period of time. Optimal BP is 115/76; take it morning, day, & night. Can also ask doc about blood pressure test called the ankle brachial index test. Get yearly blood test to check for: Cholesterol (LDL builds up on nicks in arteries; want at least HDL 40+), Homocysteine (nicks arteries; aim for level of 9 mg/dl or less), C-Reactive Protein (measures inflammation), Blood Sugar (damages arteries; keep lower than 100 mg/dl). Can take personal exercise stress test (how heart deals with vigorous exercise). Eat at least one handful of nuts/day (esp. walnuts), at least 3 portions of fish/wk (esp. wild, line-caught salmon (incl. canned)), 31 mg of flavonoids/day (found in nuts, (green) tea, red wine, grapes, cranberries, 100% natural OJ, onions, tomatoes, tomato juice (2 1/2 glasses of cranberry juice or several cups of tea work)). Take 1/2 aspirin/day, the correct multivitamin twice a day (Magnesium 400 mg/day; 600mg calcium 2x day; 1000 IU daily vitamin D; 600 mg 2xday vitamin C; 400IU daily Vitamin E; Potassium (4 fruits/day, esp. bananas, avocados, melon); min. 1500 IU and no more than 2500 IU Vitamin A; 400 micrograms daily Folate+B6 and B12).
BRAIN: Take 2 baby aspirin/day w/1/2 glass warm water before & after; exercise brain by learning new things (use parts of brain you don't normally use), not sticking to same routine (reverse daily routine, travel), & pursuing goals that are just out of reach; Eat 1 oz./day of nuts, 3 servings fish (fist-sized)/week, 1 cup/day of soybeans, 8 oz tomato juice/2 T. spaghetti sauce/day, 25% of daily calories from healthy fats (olive oil, nut oils, fish oils, flaxseed, avocados), 1 oz./day cocoa-based chocolate; Take 400 micrograms folate in supplement+400 micrograms in diet/day, 6 mg B6+800 micrograms B12 in food or 25 micrograms in supplement/day, 1500 mg/day L-Carnitine, resveratrol (flavonoid found in red grape skins/wine; 1 glass/day red wine).
BONES, JOINTS, MUSCLES: walk 30 min/day (can be broken up), 30 min/wk (3 10-min sessions) weight-bearing/resistance exercise, 60 min/wk stamina training (cycling, swimming, rowing, elliptical machine; choose different ones on different days), 30 min/wk (5 min/day) yoga or stretching (e.g.: walk 30 min/day+additional 30 min (S,Su),+20-min stamina (M,W,F),+10-min resistance (T,Th,S),+end sessions w/5 min yoga or stretching (M-S). Calcium (1200 mg (1600 if over 60)+ additional 20 mg for every 4-oz cup of coffee you drink & 100 mg for every 30 min of sweating), 400-500 mg magnesium (almonds), 1000 IU Vitamin D if under 60/1200 IU if over 60 (4 glasses low-fat milk works), Omega-3 Fatty Acids (fish, walnuts, . . .), 1200 mg Vitamin C/day, 1500 mg extracted glucosamine combined w/supplement chondroitin (Triple Flex, Osteo Bi-Flex, Cosamin DS).
LUNGS: Take 10 deep breaths in morning, ten at night. Take 400 mg/day Magnesium.
DIGESTION: 35 g. fiber/day (esp. lima beans, buckwheat cereal, soybeans, . . .), Avoid late meals, 64 oz. water a day, Eat about 70 calories healthy monounsaturated fats (e.g., 6 walnuts, some peanut butter, 12 cashews, . . . ) before a meal to slow digestion and make you feel fuller throughout day, 25 micrograms B12, supplement with rounded teaspoon daily psyllium.
LIFE & PANCREAS: Drink charcoal-filtered purified water over unfiltered tap water. Eat unrefined, unprocessed foods. Choose proteins like lentils, soy, beans, nuts, seeds over red meats that might have toxins. Eat cruciferous vegetables that are good cancer-fighters, foods loaded with vitamin B (like whole grains) and C (like citrus fruits and leafy green vegetables). To improve liver health: Lecithin (can get from varied diet), Zinc, Milk Thistle (80-200 mg/1-3xday), Dandelion (900 mg/day)
SEXUAL ORGANS: Selenium and Lycopene (in tomato products; 10T spaghetti sauce/wk ideal because tomatoes are cooked and combined with fat for best absorption) for prostate health. 800 IU Vitamin E for women, 800 micrograms Folate, B vitamins, 3 grams omega-3 fatty acids/day, 15 mg zinc, Vitamin C.
SENSORY ORGANS: To remove excess ear wax, put drop of mineral oil in ear, lay on side, let soak in for 1 hour; To help make skin look younger, use alpha hydroxyl acid (AHA) to increase skin cell turnover; Wear sunglasses that block UVA/B rays; Use creams made with capsaicin for pain. Use SPF 45 sunblock every day on all exposed surfaces of skin. For eyes, drink plenty of water to keep moist, take 1000 micrograms lutein 2xdaily (in spinach, corn, other leafy veggies), and vitamin C and bioflavonoids in fruits (eat 4/day) and veggies; Take 600 mg daily DHA-Omega-3s (found in fish oil and salmon) to prevent macular degeneration; Certain vitamins when taken together can prevent vision loss and help macular degeneration.
IMMUNE SYSTEM: 500 mg Vitamin C 2xdaily; unpasteurized yogurt (contains Lactobacillus acidophilus) or 20 mg 2x daily acidophilus; 31 g flavonoids daily (in oats, onions, broccoli, tomatoes, apples, cranberries, strawberries, cranberry juice, tomato juice or tea, grape juice, red wine); Pumpkin seeds (contain zinc). To shorten length of cold, take (as soon as you feel symptoms) zinc lozenges every 6 hrs, or 500 mg vitamin C 4xday, or cup of chicken soup 4xday.
HORMONES: Control blood pressure. To help body process estrogen: cruciferous foods and isoflavones (soy products, garlic onions, olive oils, fish oils, calcium, fruit). Magnesium (whole-grain breads and cereals, soybeans, lima beans, nuts, avocados, beets, raisings, dates) and potassium-rich diet (bananas, avocado). Take blood pressure, have thyroid checked every other year, every 5 years check blood sugar.
CANCER: 1000 IU vitamin D daily if younger than 60 (1200 if older) (in supplement or by drinking 10 glasses of nonfat milk or fortified orange juice a day); 525 micrograms Folate (in spinach, tomatoes, OJ, . . .) in form of supplement; 10+T tomato or spaghetti sauce w/ a little fat (olive oil/nuts) a week. No more than 1000 micograms Selenium daily (also in garlic, fish like sardines, herring, Brazil nuts); 7+ handfuls cruciferous vegetables a week (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower); 100-500 mg vitamin C 2x daily; Also can take 400 IU vitamin E daily with vitamin C; After age 30 get a skin screening every year for skin cancer; + mammograms every year, colonoscopy every 10 years; 1/2 Aspirin with glass of warm water.
DIET BASICS: Eat daily 9 handfuls of fruits and vegetables; at least 1 ounce of nuts; whole-grain breads and cereals that contain fiber. Eat fish at least three times a week. Eat 10 T cooked tomato products a week; Drink 64 oz water, 2 glasses skim or low-fat milk, 1 glass wine daily; To take daily: 1) multivitamin (taken with a little fat) with at least 400 micrograms folate, 1000 IU vitamin D, 1200 mg calcium, 400 mg magnesium, a daily value of all others; take half the total twice daily. 2) 2 baby aspirins or half regular-strength aspirin with a half glass of warm water before and after 3) Omega-3 fatty acids (2 grams) or can be obtained by consuming 12 walnuts/day and fish above.
March 12, 2020
3 - 3 1/2 stars. I bought this book some time ago and took my time to read it, but found it a somewhat interesting read. I liked the common sense approach to the different parts of the body, the information was good on the whole. I took off a few points because of the silly references/jokes/puns and I thought the cartoons were not appropriate, with silly names for body parts. On the whole, it was a good way to get information and if he had kept it a little more factual and cut out the cartoons, I would have given it more points.
May 10, 2020
I read an earlier edition of this book, and decided to give it another go recently as I struggled with maintaining a health-focused lifestyle since start graduate school. Despite Dr. Oz's ethically challenged practice of promoting questionable treatments, this particular book remains science-based. Yes, supplements are discussed, but generally only if there is a good reason to use them instead of food-based nutrients. Frankly, if I could I would give a copy of this book to everyone I know and make them read it from cover to cover, and then take a test afterwards.
December 28, 2017
This book is very easy for normal people like me to understand.
We can change our life by changing a little bit of our habit everyday.
The only problem is that this book always recommends people to use supplement. I think about 1/3 of the total recommendations.
This issue makes me be doubtful of the credibility.
Anyway, still very good!
We can change our life by changing a little bit of our habit everyday.
The only problem is that this book always recommends people to use supplement. I think about 1/3 of the total recommendations.
This issue makes me be doubtful of the credibility.
Anyway, still very good!
February 1, 2021
This is a great book that simplifies the major ailments of our body, the myths surrounding them, the root cause(s), and how to avoid getting them.
The authors make it interesting by explaining in plain English and funny quips.
I listened to the audiobook version, borrowed from the local library.
This is one of those books worth reading/listening to again in the future.
The authors make it interesting by explaining in plain English and funny quips.
I listened to the audiobook version, borrowed from the local library.
This is one of those books worth reading/listening to again in the future.
May 28, 2018
This book had good information, but the attempted jokes and analogies were so corny that it was really distracting and was annoying to me. Not everyone will be bothered by this. If the authors kept the attempted jokes out, this would have been a 3.5 or 4 star rating from me.
March 25, 2020
Lots of great info. Fun to read and easy to understand. I wish I would've had this 18 years ago. A few things I didn't like, for example how every chapter recommends aspirin. But other than that it's a great informational read.
July 8, 2020
This book started me on my journey to really wanting to understand more about my body, and my health. It's more of a reference book in that you can jump around from to different chapters depending on what you're interested in learning more about.
March 22, 2021
I've always had a hard time understanding healthy bodily functions. This read explained every single body function and the effect of not eating proper.
One of the best birthday gifts I still read up from time to time.
One of the best birthday gifts I still read up from time to time.
May 14, 2023
Much like the other books in style and format. There are a few new things here. I just don't like the way they recycle parts of the book into stand alone books (liver etc,) Anyway, a good basic functional knowledge of your body's systems.
February 2, 2025
Ironically, this book did not age well. Filled with (a) some valid information that most people already know or (b) a lot of junk science, plus (c) sexism. Tries to be funny sometimes and fails. A terrible book, possibly useful as fuel for a fire.
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