Essentially, though the book is titled the "Abs Diet", it’s about general health. And general health is the way to perfect abs. As the experts say, the way to great abs is through a combination of healthy diet, cardio, and ab work. I’ve been into fitness and healthy eating for a while now so a lot of what Zinczenko says I’ve read before but that’s because it’s sound—it’s the basic fact that people refuse to accept—that you have to eat healthy and workout to stay lean. It’s not a novel idea. What Zinczenko has done is put it all into a short, easy read.

The book is written in an easy-to-follow format, the first half diet, the second half fitness. It breaks down diet into 12 foods from which you can eat unlimited amounts. There is detailed information about each of the 12 foods, and recipes with those foods. The second half of the book is the workout. Again, sound advice with pictures of each exercise in beginner and advanced versions. The book also tells you the downside to popular diets like Atkins, Weight Watchers, Dr. Phil and more and how the Abs Diet is different.

Probably the most interesting, important part of the book is the information about trans fats and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Because both are cheap to use, food manufacturers have been using them in all kinds of food you wouldn’t expect them to be in like ketchup, pasta sauce, cereal and cookies. HFCS came around in the 1970’s, and back then, Americans ate a half a pound per person per year. Today, it’s about 62 pounds per year.