Pratt, Steven G.
(Steven Pratt)

PERSONAL:

Male. Education: Jefferson Medical College, M.D., 1975.

ADDRESSES:

Home—CA. Office—9850 Genesee Ave., Ste. 310, La Jolla, CA 92037.

CAREER:

Physician and writer. Certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology, 1981; medical practitioner, 1985—; Scripps Memorial Hospital, La Jolla, CA, senior staff ophthalmologist.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Fellowship in Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, 1981.

WRITINGS:

NONFICTION; WITH KATHY MATTHEWS

Superfoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life, William Morrow (New York, NY), 2004.

Superfoods Healthstyle: Proven Strategies for Lifelong Health, William Morrow (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Steven G. Pratt is an ophthalmologist who focuses on the role that nutrition and lifestyle play in disease prevention and health. Pratt is also the author, with Kathy Matthews, of Superfoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life andSuperfoods Healthstyle: Proven Strategies for Lifelong Health.

Pratt began exploring the connection between diet and disease when he noticed that certain antioxidants improved macular degeneration in his patients. In Superfoods Rx, Pratt and Matthews identify fourteen "superfoods" that are full of nutrients and have proven positive health effects. The superfoods include: beans, blueberries, broccoli, oats, oranges, pumpkin, salmon, soy, spinach, tea, tomatoes, turkey, walnuts, and yogurt. In a Restaurant Business article, Pratt explained the rationale behind his choices: "These are the foods that have proven to help prevent and, in some cases, reverse the well-known scourges of aging, including cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type II diabetes, certain cancers, and even dementia. I picked them out after researching the world's healthiest diets." Also included in the book are "sidekicks," or substitutions, for each of the superfoods, and recipes that incorporate the foods into everyday meals. The book became a best-seller and gained even more popularity after it was highlighted on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Superfoods Rx elicited many positive reviews. Hillary Wright, writing in Environmental Nutrition, called it a "refreshing nutritional endorsement of food over pills," while Newsweek International reviewer Anne Underwood pointed out, "To say that Dr. Steven Pratt is passionate about food would be an understatement." Other reviewers appreciated the recipes, including San Francisco Chronicle contributor Carol Ness, who remarked, "Even though people know what's good for them, they don't always know how to work these foods into three meals a day." Likewise, a Muscle & Fitness/Herscritic concluded, "Pratt and Matthews let you know what you should eat, but the recipes make you want to eat them."

Pratt and Matthews followed Superfoods Rx with Superfoods Healthstyle in 2006. The book expands upon the original fourteen superfoods, and introduces a few additions such as kiwis and dark chocolate. The authors also provide a year-long health plan which incorporates the superfoods as well as healthy habits such as exercise, adequate sleep, and stress reduction.

Critics also praised the authors' second book. A Publishers Weekly reviewer felt that "the advice is sensible and the authors make no incredible claims," while Susan B. Hagloch, writing in the Library Journal,called it an "excellent lifestyle manual."

In an Observer article, Pratt stated: "Foods, the right foods, can actually change the course of your biochemistry. … These superfoods can help to stop damage at the cellular levels that can develop into disease. … And they have the delightful side effect of making you feel better, look better and have more energy."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Environmental Nutrition, November, 2004, Hillary Wright, review of Superfoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life, p. 2.

Library Journal, December 1, 2005, Susan B. Hagloch, review of Superfoods Healthstyle: Proven Strategies for Lifelong Health, p. 155.

Muscle & Fitness/Hers, February, 2004, "Why Not the Best?," review of Superfoods Rx, p. 21.

Newsweek International, November 7, 2005, Anne Underwood, "Good Life," review of Superfoods Rx, p. 62.

Observer, February 22, 2004, Amelia Hill, "The Secret of a Long (Slim) Life."

Publishers Weekly, November 14, 2005, review of Superfoods Healthstyle, p. 63.

Restaurant Business, April 1, 2005, Patricia Cobe, "Power Eating: Supersize Your Menu with Superfoods That Pack a Healthy Dose of Good Nutrition," p. 40.

San Francisco Chronicle, January 4, 2006, Carol Ness, "The Power of Super Foods," review of Superfoods Rx.

ONLINE

Scripps Health Web site,http://www.scrippshealth.org/(June 19, 2006), author profile.

Super Foods Rx Web site,http://www.superfoodsrx.com(June 19, 2006).