Thursday, June 19, 2008

World's Healthiest Foods, Book Review

Where to start with this book, I guess right at the begining, the cover in this large book(almost 900 pages) George Mateljan has beautiful close up photos of whole foods, the colors are great and it definitely makes me ask myself "What's for Dinner?".
George writes a note about "the healthiest way of eating" and the how and why he chose the foods he did. The nutritional value, availability, taste and so on of each food. He continues to inform the reader(in this case me!) about how to choose, prepare and even cook these foods, including photos, which can be a great help when trying something new. He covers his 'healthiest way of eating'. Writing of eating, whole, natural foods, in season and preferably organic whenever possible. There is a meal plan for those that have difficulty planning, and in my own opinion, when I plan for meals I eat healthier and feel better. The book includes clear understandable descriptions of each food, it's nutritional values are charted, he tells you when the food is in season. The book is colorful and written for anyone, not just the nutritional professional. George stresses the importance of not overcooking your foods, discus's his best recommended methods for each food. This book does not only cover vegetables and fruits, but also covers, meats, fish, and herbs & spices, and whole grains. He does note that we shouldn't only eat the foods in this book, that there are many other foods that we can and should eat; however, I can not imagine how large this book would be if all whole foods were covered in the amount of detail here. He answers questions, and his information is clearly referenced and obviously researched.
In the last section he covers nutrients, What they are, what they do and which foods have them. The information is thorough and laid out in a manner that the reader can understand and follow.
Overall, this is a great and informative book. I have enjoyed the reading and know that every time I pick it up there will be something new I can bring into my kitchen and health.
You can see this book on his website World's Healthiest Foods, and read more articles, information beyond what is in the book.

3 comments:

Red said...

If you like that book, then here is one you will love as well.

Nourishing Traditions, by Sue Fallon. All I can say is Wow! This woman knows her stuff, and she makes you relaize the crud we are pumping into our bodies (not us, cuz Permission cracks a mean whip) and it makes you want to go into your cupboard and start chucking stuff out tonight.

I will give your book the once over, thanks for the info!

fitncrafty said...

Hi Red... Funny you should bring that up, it is another book on my bookshelf and part of my MS program. I just read most of the begining of her book. She bases her work on the the work of dentist Weston Price(google weston price foundation) there is a lot of good information about food additives.. no offense I dont want to eat brains in any form!

Red said...

I don't agree with everything she goes for, but so much of her stuff is really good. I take what works in my family or in my life and let the rest of the stuff fall by the wayside.

What works in your family may not necessarily work in my home...and to each his own. But I look forward to seeing what your book has to offer!