The Pritikin Program for Diet and Exercise Meals

The Pritikin Program for Diet and Exercise was created by Nathan Pritikin. The book based on the diet became a best-seller on the New York Times Bestseller list and was entitled "The Pritikin Program for Diet and Exercise", and was co-authored by Patrick M. McGrady.

Pritikin was regarded as one of the major diet gurus of the early 1980's, a class which also included Dr. Robert Atkins, Gary Null, and Dr. Tarnower of the Scarsdale Diet.

The Pritikin Program was often described by Nathan Pritikin, its creator, as “mankind’s original meal plan.” That’s because the focus of the Pritikin diet is unprocessed or minimally processed straight-from-nature foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes (such as black beans and pinto beans), whole grains such as brown rice, starchy vegetables like potatoes and yams, lean meat, and seafood.

The Pritikin Program also emphasizes another key characteristic of humankind up until the last century: plenty of daily exercise, including at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise like brisk walking, weight training two to three times weekly, and stretching, optimally every day.