Book Review—Dr. Anne: Good Health at Hand

Editor’s Note: Dr. Anne Seifert, a longtime Leisure World fixture, is known to many for her “Magic Hand Eating Plan” classes once taught her. Dr. Seifert is an epidemiologist, author and speaker. She holds an M.A. in psychology from Smith College and a Ph.D. In epidemiology from the University of California at Berkeley. Her latest book is “Dr. Anne Good Health at Hand,” a concise version of the workbook she used in LW for teaching good health/weight control. The following is a book review by Varnes Publishers.

FIGHT COVID-19 with Ammunition provided by “Dr. Anne Good Health at Hand,” which targets boosting health and losing the “quarantine 15.”

It’s a reasonable question to ask. Especially in these times. How do I stay healthy?

While well aware that we are in the midst of a pandemic there’s still more that we can do to help ourselves. What a great opportunity to shore up our health, learn how to stay healthy and do all this at home. Keeping ourselves fit and eating right gives our immune system a boost. Polls show 47 percent of women and 22 percent of men said they gained weight due to lockdown. For those who gained those 15 pounds in quarantine, “Dr. Anne Good Health at Hand” comes to the rescue.

Author Anne Seifert, an epidemiologist, identifies important health practices to keep in place. As investigator for an NIH research project, she studied over 2000 participants to answer the question: How do people stay healthy? Follow her guidelines, and you can reduce your risk of most chronic diseases, help your body fight infectious disease, look good, and stay well for the rest of your life. As for COVID-19 carrying extra body fat increases the risk for complications if you’re infected.

Her livable at home program meets the requirements of healthy well-balanced eating with portion control. This short book is quick to read and and understand. What makes it so user-friendly is that it’s personalized with short self-help practices allowing the reader to tailor the program to own preferences and circumstances. There are even instructions on how to form a personal support group using Zoom.

Her three action sections include:

•Learn how to keep weight under control since excess pounds erode good health. Dr. Anne was the first to use the hand as a visual measurer for portions and it remains the hallmark of her program. You have that measurer wherever you go.

•Incorporate exercise or physical play into daily life.

• Establish a quiet time. Meditation essentially gives a person the space and calm needed to make lifestyle changes. Stress reduction keeps comfort foods from taking over.

A new release, “Dr. Anne Good Health at Hand,” is currently selling at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and local bookstores. The book is to the point— to find the happy place where the reader can identify favorite foods and enjoy preferred exercises— to live a balanced healthy life.

She advises, “Turn this pandemic into an opportunity to get your health back on track.”

Anne Seifert holds an M.A. in psychology from Smith College and a Ph.D. In epidemiology from U.C. Berkeley and was previously a researcher at Harvard University School of Public Health, Dept. of Nutrition. Most recently she was interviewed about COVID-19 on