Book Review by Ginger Marin as posted to Goodreads in 2015.

I’ve read many nutrition and diet books and articles over the years and I have to say I was not very impressed with Dr. Richard Furman’s “Prescription for Life” mainly because I was expecting something new. This book, however, reads like a nutrition treatise for the complete novice as it largely advocates a Mediterranean-style diet along with exercise after forcing us to wade through numerous case studies of his patients’ and friends’ health issues, all a result of clogged arteries and high cholesterol.

A vascular surgeon, Dr. Furman’s mantra is to avoid foods with cholesterol at all costs. Maybe that’s the right prescription for some people but maybe not everyone. Some foods like an egg contain valuable nutrients in the yolk which also balance out other nutrients in the white. The good doctor ignores that part of the equation as well as telling us to stop taking vitamins and herbs, even though other doctors have informed us repeatedly that the nutritional value of our produce has declined markedly in the last 50-years. And his advice on the best breakfast of oatmeal with a ton of fruit piled on top would make other doctors’ heads spin – diabetes anyone? That’s a blood sugar spike for sure.

The book is too long and redundant. Dr. Furman also spends 3 chapters on erectile dysfunction and the last part of the book, the actual 21-Day Outline, is roughly 45 pages telling you to go back and read other pages of his book. A disappointing experience.