Rating some top-selling diet books

The G.I. Diet

The G.I. Diet by Rick Gallop

"This is a well-balanced diet," Beck said. "it doesn't exclude any food group and it really emphasizes again low-fat animal foods, fish for the heart as well those low glycemic index carbs."

This scored very high because it's practical, she added. The only drawback is it didn't provide a lot of good information about serving sizes and menu planning.

"It's very healthy. He categorizes foods into red-light foods which are processed and high in fat and/or calories; green-light foods, eat as many as you want in the first phase, they're all low glycemic index, very healthy foods."

The plate is divided into quadrants, a quarter for the protein, a quarter for the low glycemic starch and half vegetables.

Beck's rating = 4 stars

The Ultimate Weight Solution

The Ultimate Weight Solution by Dr. Phil McGraw

"There's really nothing new here," Beck said. "It is based on mostly healthy foods that are associated with a lower risk of heart disease. He promotes chicken, fish and low-fat foods."

Like the G.I. Diet, the plate is divided into quadrants, quarter protein, quarter starch and half vegetables.

"This diet really skims over nutrition in a simplistic way," Beck explained. "What he does is he takes the good, healthy foods and calls them 'high response' or 'high yield' foods -- foods that take longer to prepare, longer to chew and digest, and they're healthy so they're better for you. And the foods to avoid are the 'low yield' or 'low response' foods."

Beck's rating = 3 stars