Book Nook: 'South Beach Wake-up Call'

THE SOUTH BEACH WAKE-UP CALL: Why America Is Still Getting Fatter and Sicker, Plus 7 Simple Strategies for Reversing Our Toxic Lifestyle, by Arthur Agatston, MD. Rodale Books, 340 pp., $27.99.

Agatston, whose original "South Beach" diet books have sold some 23 million copies, is a Miami Beach cardiologist whose nickname for today's young adults is sobering: "Generation S," he writes, "the sickest generation." A generation whose excess belly fat leads to inflammation, then "rusting" on the inside -- premature aging, heart disease and more.

But you can "rust-proof" your body with a proper diet, exercise and enough sleep.

THE SCOOP His "7 strategies"? Control the Clutter, Free Your Mind; Make Every Meal Matter; Shop Right!; Cook as If Your Life Depends on It; Eat in More, Dine Out Smart; Get Moving, Get Fit; Sleep Better, Live Longer. Each chapter has suggestions for parents.

THE BOTTOM LINE Of course, there are guidelines for his famed South Beach diet (including its gluten-free first phase), recipes and more. Plus an impressive bibliography and resources list.