Dr. Pappas, shown above, is a principal scientist studying lipid metabolism in skin issues such as acne and aging with Johnson & Johnson.

The Internet is jammed with praise for Dr. Pappas' Saint-Tropez Diet book:

Amazon’s website has numerous favorable customer reviews. One reader said “it is like Dr. Pappas invites you for a personal chat, talking to you about his food science and his personal experiences alongside the Mediterranean. And gradually he is revealing why people in France eat better, live longer and look slimmer.” Another wrote “This book provides a thorough review of dietary fats and the research around weight loss from consuming omega-3 fats.”

“This is the first diet I’ve seen that may easily ‘seduce,’ you into sticking with it as a lifestyle once you’ve reached your health and weight goals,” wrote another reader.

Read Amazon Customer Book Reviews

By RUDI HEMPE
CELS News Editor & Reporter

URI Alumnus Dr. Apostolos Pappas: Nutritionist, Biochemist, and Best-Selling Author

URI Alumnus Dr. Apostolos Pappas has his first book out and by all reports there are a lot of health-conscious people, including the rich and famous, eating it up.

Pappas is co-author of The Saint-Tropez Diet, a 320-page guide to healthy eating using recipes that are easy to follow and yet allow devotees of the diet, as one critic put it, “to eat divinely well.”

In this era when fad diets seemingly come and go monthly, the Saint-Tropez has had staying power since the book was released almost a year ago, not only because its adherents say it works well but also because it has elicited favorable support from some of Broadway’s and Hollywood’s rich and famous.

One key element in the book is a collection of 150 recipes written by Marie-Annick Courtier, a French chef, who co-authored the book with Pappas. Critics are hailing the diet book because of its healthy approach that allows one to lose weight by using “artful recipes” including bruschetta, stews, salads and even crepes.

The idea for the book evolved out of Pappas’ years of research in biochemistry. Even without the book, Pappas’ background is interesting.

A native of Greece, Pappas earned his chemistry degree there and then decided to explore graduate studies in nutrition and food science at a U.S. university. He was advised to apply to several universities, including URI which was suggested by two of his cousins. Pappas was accepted by six schools including URI, but only URI offered him a graduate assistantship. Based on the economics, the location of URI, the reputation of its nutrition and food science curriculum and the advice of two cousins, “making the choice of URI was easy,” he said.

In 1995, Pappas earned his masters in food science and nutrition from URI and then went on to Rutgers to get his PhD in biochemistry.

He landed a job at Johnson & Johnson in New Jersey where today he is a principal scientist studying lipid metabolism in skin issues such as acne and aging.

All the while, he found himself giving nutrition advice to friends and acquaintances who were interested in losing weight in a healthful manner.

‘There were a number of factors that led to writing a book,” he says, and one of the factors was encouragement from friends. “I always wanted to write out my theory,” he adds, noting that he already had years of data available from his own research.

The publisher, Hatherleigh Press approached Dr. Pappas and suggested that he team up with a chef to provide suitable recipes that go hand-in-hand with his nutritional guidelines.

Basically the Saint-Tropez Diet stresses high amounts of omega-3s, vitamins and anti-oxidants and shows how to use these principles “for maximum weight-loss and health benefits,” according to the publisher.

The publisher suggested several chefs and Pappas settled on Courtier, a native of Paris, France now living in California. “We both believed in the Mediterranean diet and the use of wine,” he explains. Courtier has a culinary arts degree and is a certified fitness nutritionist and professional food manager.

Although he does not have the latest figures, The Saint-Tropez Diet is selling especially well in Florida, New York and California, says Pappas.

The Internet is jammed with praise for the diet:

“The Saint-Tropez Diet is not about gimmicks and weight loss tricks,” says the “Well Fed on the Town,” website. “It is about living a healthy lifestyle that is tested and true… By using delicious everyday ingredients, it is possible to eat divinely well and lose or maintain your optimum weight. It is about enjoying the pleasures of the sea and farm while still being able to take in such delights as chocolate and wine.”

Amazon’s website has numerous favorable customer reviews. One reader said “it is like Dr. Pappas invites you for a personal chat, talking to you about his food science and his personal experiences alongside the Mediterranean. And gradually he is revealing why people in France eat better, live longer and look slimmer.” Another wrote “This book provides a thorough review of dietary fats and the research around weight loss from consuming omega-3 fats.”

“This is the first diet I’ve seen that may easily ‘seduce,’ you into sticking with it as a lifestyle once you’ve reached your health and weight goals,” wrote another reader.

Still another site says that Courtney Cox, Sharon Stone, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Patricia Arquette are all following the Saint-Tropez Diet.

But aside from meeting a few diet-devotees, Pappas says he has not been able to travel about touting his book because of his full-time job at Johnson & Johnson. And, no, he has not met any of the stage and screen stars who are reportedly using the diet.

The closest he has come to the entertainment industry, he admits is in film and is working on composing a few scores for planned for the summer of '08, he explains, adding that the venture is more for pleasure than profit.

With one book under his belt, he has a second in the works but it has been put on hold while he writes a chapter on dermatology for a medical encyclopedia.

His second book, about 30 percent done, is on the obesity epidemic. “It is not only a problem here but increasingly in Europe too,” he says.

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