An undeniable concept; overeating is an expensive habit. We readily recognize that smoking cigarettes or consuming alcohol comes at a price. Now, authors Deborah McNaughton and Melinda Weinstein, a mother-daughter team, expound on the concept in their new book, Rich and Thin: How to Slim Down, Shrink Debt, and Turn Calories Into Cash.

In an excellent review of the book, Michelle Singletary, personal finance columnist for The Washington Post notes:

McNaughton and Weinstein’s book contains a “Money Calorie Counter,” which details how much you can save by investing the money not spent on foods that are unhealthy. For example, let’s say you give up the expensive mocha latte you get five days a week. At about $3.35 a cup (with whipped cream), you would save $871 and 104,000 calories per year. If you get a 69-cent doughnut, add another $179.40 a year and 46,800 calories. All told, that’s $1,050.40 a year. If you were to put the money just from the latte in an investment each month that yields a 10-percent return over five years, you would have $5,620.64; in 10 years your money pot would grow to $14,868.33, and in 20 years you could have $55,117.52.

Blogcritics.org published an interview with Cathy Wong, N.D., C.N.S.,, naturopathic doctor, nutritionist and About.com Alternative Medicine Guide. She has just written a book, The Inside-Out Diet: 4 Weeks to Natural Weight Loss, Total Body Health, and Radiance. It is refreshing to see a book like this get some mainstream attention. Dr. Wong explains her approach:

A lot of diets can help people shed weight temporarily. But it doesn’t last and in the meantime people don’t feel good. They may be skinnier but they don’t feel or look healthy. That’s because when weight is shed, fat-soluble chemicals are released into the body. This makes you feel worse, interferes with hormone balance, metabolism, and actually impedes your ability to lose weight. That’s why you hit the plateau and the cravings and weight come back.

The Inside-Out Diet bypasses these problems because it supports your body’s natural function. It’s a gentle detox diet that supports the liver and gets rid of those chemicals, which means you’ll not only lose weight and keep it off, you’ll also feel and look better.”