What It Is

Unlike most diets, the Perricone diet -- in its current incarnation, at least -- doesn't focus on weight loss. Instead, dermatologist Nicholas Perricone, MD, claims that he's found a diet and regimen of supplements and lotions that can make you look younger and live longer.

But wait. Perricone also says his approach can also decrease inflammation in every organ system, improve your metabolism, lift your mood, make your heart resistant to disease, decrease the risk of cancer, improve bone density, repair the skin, rejuvenate your immune system, and possibly help you lose weight.

What It Is

The new Beverly Hills diet centers on "conscious combining" -- eating the right foods at the right time.

The original Beverly Hills diet began with a highly restrictive 42-day initiation phase. The new one forgoes many of the earlier extremes, and now, according to its author, meets recommended standards for a balanced weekly diet.

Note the phrase "balanced weekly diet." As far as Judy Mazel is concerned, our dietary troubles began when we adopted a 3-square-meals-a-day plan, and they'd soon be over if we stopped combining carbohydrates with proteins, proteins with carbohydrates, and fruit with anything.

What It Is

Since low-carbohydrate dieting has taken America by storm, it was only natural that cookbooks would follow. First came The Low-Carb Cookbook, succeeded by Living Low-Carb, both by Fran McCullough, an avowed foodie and award-winning cookbook editor. Struggling to keep her own weight down, McCullough was led to a low-carb diet, which suited her to a T. In her quest for meal-time pleasure without plumpness, she put together a collection of more than 250 recipes for the 1997 The Low-Carb Cookbook. The book was an instant success and best seller. Living Low-Carb followed in 2000, which contains more explanation and adds 175 recipes.

McCullough's latest book explains the differences between the most stringent low-carb diet plans and the more liberal ones that she favors. She then outlines how to adapt the latter group of diets to fit a pleasure-eater's perspective. Rather than a "diet" book, Living Low-Carb is more of a lifestyle and self-help guide with recipes for everything from home fries to Moroccan-styled chicken to what she calls Intense Chocolate Cake.

What It Is

Jenny Craig isn't a Janie-come-lately to the diet field. The program began in 1983 in Australia and started U.S. operations in 1985.

The Jenny Craig method is a three-level food-mind-body plan to help people lose weight and keep it off.

At the first level, the program teaches clients how to eat the foods they want -- in small, frequent portions.

At the second level, the program teaches clients how to increase their energy levels via simple activity.

At the third level, the program teaches clients how to build more balance into their lives in order to maintain weight loss and healthy diet.