Eating Clean and Green
Reviews by Kristina Sepetys
Eating clean means avoiding processed and refined foods in favor of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats. Skipping foods made with refined sugars and additives, and/or overly processed foods, can help to control disease, encourage weight loss, and just make for better tasting food. If you struggle to lose weight (especially around your midsection) or get sick frequently, feel constantly tired, or have a low sex drive, you might benefit from a diet with fewer sugars and processed foods.
Eating Clean: The 21-Day Plan to Detox,
Fight Inflammation, and Reset Your Body
by Amie Valpone
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016)
After suffering for a decade from a range of serious ailments like Lyme disease, hypothyroidism, and leaky gut syndrome, Amie Valpone (a chef and nutritionist specializing in simple gluten-free, soy-free, and dairy-free recipes) healed herself through clean eating and detoxing. In Eating Clean, Amie provides guidance on how to fight inflammation and reset your body, including a 21-Day Elimination Diet, instructions for food reintroduction, a two-week meal plan, an extensive pantry list, and instructions for detoxing your home and life. The book has over 200 recipes that are vegetarian and free of gluten, dairy, soy, corn, eggs, and refined sugar. Try Honey Cinnamon Quinoa Granola, Breadless Coconut Vanilla French Toast, Abundant Mango Cardamom Walnut Bars, “Creamy” Tarragon Cauliflower Soup, Carrot “Fettuccine” with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pumpkin Seeds, and Vanilla Bean Coconut Ice Cream. Writes Valpone, “This meal plan is filled with nutrient-dense foods to help you see results, remove toxic triggers, and reverse symptoms you may be experiencing such as bloating, gas, arthritis, acne.”
Clean Green Eats: 100+ Clean-Eating Recipes
to Improve Your Whole Life
by Candice Kumai
(Harper Wave, 2015)
Writer, chef, health journalist, and former model Candice Kumai eats clean to help eliminate fatigue, belly bloat, poor digestion, and constant cravings. Her food philosophy is simple: Eat more plants, fewer animals, less dairy, little sugar or gluten, and zero processed food. “Whole foods make you feel good,” Kumai pronounces at the start of her cookbook. “And, when you feel good, your whole life starts to improve.” Kumai’s cookbook features over 100 simple, gluten-free and nutrient-rich recipes made from fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and other unprocessed ingredients. Recipes are mostly plant-focused, with sensible portions of high-quality animal protein mixed in. Photographs of dishes mounded with fresh vegetables, herbs, fruits, and other wholesome ingredients are appetizing and inspiring. Recipes include easy-to-prepare dishes like homemade condiments and pantry staples, Cinnamon-Spiced Granola, Superfood Curry Salmon Salad, cleansing smoothies, and Vegan Dark-Chocolate Avocado Cake. Find lots more recipes and inspiring photographs at her blog at candicekumai.com.
Naturally Lean: 125 Nourishing Gluten-Free,
Plant-Based Recipes – All Under 300 Calories
by Allyson Kramer
(De Capo Lifelong Books, 2016)
Healthy, whole-foods based, vegan, and gluten-free recipes for breakfasts to desserts and everything in between from blogger and author Allyson Kramer. Low-cal doesn’t have to mean low satisfaction: These gluten-free, plant-based recipes are high in nutrients, under 300 calories per serving, and delicious in taste. Try Jicama and Beet Green Frittata, Cinnamon Plum Streusel, and Avocado Chick’ N Salad, among other tasty recipes without fillers, refined sugars, or processed ingredients.
