I Am Respecting My Body Today By What I Put Into It And What I Expect From it
Always on the lookout for books that give new ideas on easy ways to provide more healthy meals for my family, I picked up this book at the Usana celebration in September. Flipping through the it, I saw gorgeous photos that made my mouth water. What also caught my eye was a section on meal planning- with options for both meat eaters, fish eaters, and vegetarians. You see, although I would love to eliminate meat from my own diet, I have three grown men in my life who would not appreciate such a change in their diets.
When I started reading “The Super Antioxidant Diet” by Robin Jeep and Richard Couey, PhD, I realized quickly that I had bought more than a simple cookbook. Robin Jeep includes her personal story , encompassing a holistic approach to wellness. Ms Jeep has overcome emotional trauma and physical health problems which lead her to write this guide. Looking back at the cover, I noticed an extension of the title: “A Health Plan for the Body, Mind, and Spirit”.
The book is in three distinct sections:
Reclaim Your Health
Vibrant Cuisine
Journey to Wellness
The first section explains the antioxidant diet including benefits, specific foods included, challenges faced, and great hints on starting a change in your diet. I liked that fact that she allows the individual to progress at their own rate. In fact, jumping wholeheartedly into the strict anti-inflammation diet all at once is not recommended.
A couple of items caused me to pause- her recommendation for vit D supplementation is outdated- as current research shows that taking levels to 2000 IU is not only safe, but recommended for optimal health. Ms Thorp also has written from a Christian point of view. She includes frequent references to the Bible as a guide to her life- not a problem except that nowhere on the book’s cover are the readers given a hint of this inclusion.
The second section is filled with excellent recipes that are fairly simple to prepare, with a large choice in ingredients. I was happy to discover a healthy alternative to using soy sauce as a predominant flavor enhancer: Bragg Liquid Amino Acid has been working very well without the high levels of sodium of soy sauces and I had no trouble finding it in my local health food store. I also liked learning that adding a piece of sea vegetable kombu while cooking beans helps reduce the gaseous problems that can be embarrassing. It is, however, a shame that the appendix does not include an easy ingredient reference for these recipes. I found it difficult to find specific recipes to use.
The third section, Journey to Wellness, stresses that our emotional and spiritual well-being works in synergy with the foods we eat, taking us to wholeness. Basically, to feed our bodies, we must also feed our souls. I enjoyed this section of the book-it takes a fresh look at wellness from a whole mind/body/spirit approach. Again, be aware that this entire book was written from the Christian perspective.
On the whole I would recommend this book to most anyone interested in improving their health through diet, positive emotional techniques, and a Christian spiritual well-being. I do understand, however, that someone looking solely for a book on the antioxidant diet would be disappointed. Although many delicious recipes are included, they are only a small part of the whole.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this book, or recommendations on other books related to this subject. Please comment below – I am constantly learning from all of you.
