Years ago I would have thrown this book in the trash, or better yet, never picked it up in the first place, as goes against everything I had ever heard about eating "healthy".
My, how things have changed!
"Low fat" and "no fat" have no place in my vocabulary anymore, unless it is to speak of how awful they are!
It started a few years ago when Joy, one of my best faraway friends, would tell me she NEVER bought that stuff, as it was fake and nasty!
It gradually became my mantra as well, as I became more and more label conscious and realized most of the ingredients on these fake foods were unpronounceable!
Nina Planck's book has no recipes, per se, just basic, simple explanations of why "real food", foods that our great-great grandparents would have eaten, are FAR better than the low-fat/no-fat, fake, industrial processed, crappity crap that lines 95% of our grocers shelves.
In the 70's, when Nina was 2 years old, her parents left prestigious jobs and bought a 60 acre farm in Virginia, and, with virtually no experience, began farming using organic methods.
Growing up eating "real" food, Nina had a great foundation for what was later to become her life's passion.
But...giving way to the diet fads of the 80's, she became a vegan and shunned the meat, butter, and eggs of her youth.
And with that change came problems.
Her digestion was poor, she caught colds and flu, and was moody and tearful.
And, in spite of running 3-6 miles a day, 6x a week, she steadily gained weight!
This book takes her from her strict veganism to becoming one of the top "real" foods advocates.
Backed with a huge amount of scientific evidence from reputable sources, Nina shows us why a traditional way of eating is FAR better for us than the SAD (Standard American Diet....SAD, indeed).
Her definition of what real food actually is..."it's old and it's traditional"...not only rings true to my ears, but her words are backed with chapter after chapter of facts and proof.
Her 2nd book, "Real Food for Mother and Baby" is a must read for all mama's of young children and those wishing to become pregnant in the near future.
It is now my favorite baby shower gift, along with "Pat the Bunny"!
When all is said and done, "Real Food: What to Eat and Why" is a book of encouragement.
Buy it, borrow it from the library, or if you live close enough, borrow it from me!
I loved it...
I think you will too!
Disclaimer: Nina is obviously an evolutionist and by endorsing this book, I am, by no means, endorsing her every thought!
I also disagree with her take on soy products and canola oil.
Insignificant in light of all the other wonderful stuff in this book!
xoxo,
Cindy
13 comments:
Thank you, Cindy! Your blog has been an encouragement to me as I search for how to be a good steward of this body of mine. I think I will add this book to my wish list!
hugs, Kristy
what is her take on soy and canola oil? Just curious :-) I've been reading about how bad they are, wondering if you agree. There are so many conflicting messages nowadays. I just try to eat as many organic, locally grown vegetables as possible. I figure that's pretty safe :-)
I think you've missed your calling ...wait ... this IS your calling ...I am so proud of you and the difference you're making in the lives of many!
thanks you darlin' for the linkback.
I think we both look and feel more healthy than we did 10 years ago ...
p.s. I've been cooking with grape seed oil now for about two years ... in some recipes, i just don't care for olive oil
So nice, I use Canola oil and really like it, I do not like Olive oil a bit, they say it is good for you but it changes the taste of things. Hugs and blessings Barbara
"In the 70's, when Nina was 2 years old, her parents left prestigious jobs and bought a 60 acre farm in Virginia, and, with virtually no experience, began farming using organic methods."
hmmmmm, sounds familiar :)
I love this book. I read her second book first as I was pregnant, and boy did it open up a can of worms! :) I love recommending Real Food as an intro to people who are new to these ideas - I think her style is easy to read and identify with.
Oh, and after reading your comments I wanted to mention that I used to use canola oil and have switched to coconut oil for everything. You can get refined coconut oil if you don't like the taste of coconut. There's a lot of info out there about canola oil and a lot of it is contradictory. Here's a great blog post about it: http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2009/10/27/food-for-thought-canola-oil-a-unique-omega-3-thumbs-up-or-thumbs-down/
I think I will borrow this book soon, but years ago I decided the no-fat and lo-fat stuff tasted awful and if I was going to consume calories they better be worth consuming. I don't even bother eating more than one bite of awful stuff anymore, and good food is most often very affordable and easy to prepare food too.
I am wondering if the people who don't care for olive oil have used a bad quality olive oil or stored it in heat, etc, for good olive oil is rich tasting, but usually not overpowering. Just wondering.
I know that after eating our own farm fresh eggs I can never go back to "store-bought", the difference in taste and quality is amazing, and many cities are now allowing people to keep a few hens. Well worth it! ( chickens are less noisy and smelly than your average pet dog )
Great post~ Yes, you have a calling and you're fulfilling it, preach on sister!
Ok..ordering both books from the library! LOVE the "nourishing tradition" way of life...and still love to read as much as I can...gleaning from these books what the Lord leads...have you read "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle"? That was a book I enjoyed...(same disclaimer, though)...but it really led me to do more preserving in many ways. Blessings to you!
Sounds like a great book Cindy! Thanks for sharing your views/review! I appreciate your disclaimer as well...sometimes there are things we can glean from these books without buying into all of it "hook, line, and sinker"...I so agree! I will have to look this one up...thank you!
Blessings,
Camille
Cyn, thanks for visiting Monday Mania to share this post! Love the review of Nina's book. More people need to read stuff like this!
OH MY! These are going on my ever growing Amazon wish list NOW!!!!
Merci!
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