Jul 30, 2010

book reviews.

hey all! tgif!

mom update: to all those that prayed and kept her in your thoughts, thank you! she is doing AMAZING. this morning she was up dancing, picking peppers in her garden, and generally trying to keep all of us in line :)

giveaway review.


as you heard yesterday, i won a foodie blogroll giveaway! wahoo!

i ended up with a $25 credit to iHerb, an awesome website where you can order hard-to-find products, like vegan vitamins and gluten-free products. score!

since my little sister is a celiac, i usually bake all her bread/muffins/granola bars myself. it's so much cheaper this way, and the giftcard was perfect to restock all our gluten-free flours!

thank you, Abby from iHerb!

book reviews.
being the nosy girl i am, i was pretty interested in some of the new books i have seen out on the internet.... you guys ever do that? 

so, to the library!

my swag:





basically, this book gives you an inside look at how food manufacturers think. the author interviews many employees of food companies and popular restaurants, and asks them how they make the food as palatable and appealing as possible, and why we eat so much of it.

very enlightening about why we find fast food and restaurant food so enticing. it was really disturbing, honestly, to read about all the processing that goes into our meal that we have no idea they do! we think a piece of chicken is chicken, but it's not... at all.

if you eat out a lot or live off packaged foods, you must read this book. your food is not what it seems!

2. savor: mindful eating, mindful life by thich nhat hanh and lilian cheung


i'll be honest, i skimmed this book. it's a wonderful premise, but i just couldn't get through how repetitive it was! i'm easily bored, what can i say?

if you are new to the mind-body connection concept between food and emotions, this might be a good book for you. it's written by a doctor and a buddhist, so it's a very interesting combination of spiritual and factual. if that's up your alley, give it a try!



i was totally blown away by this book. i want to marry brendan brazier! how is he single!?!?

on a more serious note, though, i picked up this book because wanted to see what the hype was about. one of my favorite bloggers, matt of no meat athlete, pretty much says this booked changed his life. naturally, my interest was piqued.

i loved this book because it broke down the science behind what happens when we eat. nothing bugs me more than when you read "eat this! it's good for you! it's healthy!" yeah yeah, that's nice, but WHY?

it's not good enough to tell me it's an antioxidant/superfood/omega-3. i need to know what the particular food does for me once i eat it. what does it do in my bloodstream? how will it effect my hair? my eyesight? my immune system? my skin? why should i spend money on it? why do i care?

thrive does this. it explains everything clearly, is very well-organized, and halelujah, i finally understand! it also has a guide for athletes/active people about, once and for all, what the most effective way to fuel before and after your workout is. you can sign up for a free 30-day newsletter to be emailed to you, if you're interested in learning the basics.

this is not a meat-slamming, veggie-promoting, PETA-thumping book. i loved it so much, i'm buying it! seriously - read this!

4. eating animals by jonathan safran foer


when it comes to your food, are you one of those people (like i totally was!) who says "oh, don't tell me! i don't wanna know!"

i hate to say this, but just because you don't ask about what's in your food doesn't change the fact - it's still there!

i would NEVER judge anyone for how they eat (vegan, juicing, carnivore, whatever!). that's totally personal, and totally up to you. but i will beg you, if you eat meat, PLEASE read this. please. you will be so glad you did!

5. last but not least: food rules by michael pollan


this book is as simple as it gets: 64 simple tips on how to eat as healthfully as possible.

i am a huge michael pollan fan, and this book is basically all his incrediblely sane thoughts, wrapped into an easy-to-read package.

if you've dieted all your life, are tired of the fast food lifestyle, or just need help simplifying how to eat naturally, this is a great place to start!

there it is... my thoughts on a few popular reads. i have a couple more coming (omnivore's dilemma, anyone?), so stay tuned!

have you read any good books recently?
have you read any of these?
anything i MUST read?
- rebekah

10 comments:

  1. The only one of those books that I've read is Thrive and I loved it! I'm wondering the same thing - how in the world is Brendan still single??

    The last book I read was Dr. Joshi's Holistic Detox and it was pretty good. I'm actually interested in trying his actual detox but have been delaying because the only fruit he recommends for the 21 days are bananas. I love bananas but.. I need my fruit!

    I'm glad your mama is doing well. :)

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  2. Glad your mom is doing well! :)
    And thank soo much for all these reviews. I am going to my library website right now to check out the "Thrive" one! I recently read The Omnivore's Dilemma but wasn't too impressed... it sort of seemed like a spinoff of that Supersize Me movie... can't wait to hear what you think of it!

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  3. I've read
    The End of Overeating and it's one of my faves!
    Also, Food Rules is GREAT!!

    Other good reads:
    The Vegan Diet for Chronic Disease Prevention by Kerrie K. Saunders
    The Engine 2 Diet by Rip Esselstein

    I'm constantly ordering books through our inter-library exchange system.
    Right now I have:
    "Mindless Eating: Why we eat more than we think" and
    I'm waiting for "Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a relentless God".

    I'm so much like you when it comes to what I eat and why. If there's no benefit to my mind and/or body when I eat it, I think "what's the point?"

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  4. Thanks for the book reviews! I just bought Savor: mindful eating, mindful life - so I'm hoping I like it even if it is a bit boring :-). And now it looks like I'll need to be on the look out for some of the books above too :-).

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  5. All of the books look interesting. I've read Eating Animals and I thought it was so well done. Meat eaters really need to be informed about that they're putting on their plates. My brothers refused to read it after me because they knew it would change their perspective and they like eating meat too much. I'm hoping I'll get down some more veg recipes so that they can happily choose not to eat meat 2/3 times a day. That book really opened my eyes.
    I also really want to read The Thrive Diet. Brendan Brazier what a man haha <3
    Thanks for the reviews Rebekah!

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  6. Oh my gosh. Food Rules is AMAZING. I loved how simple, to the point, and real it was. I gave it to my mom, but now I want it back. Mainly because I don't think they cared to read it. I'm hoping to buy An Omnivore's Dream (I think that's what it's called) and I fell in love with Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet, pretty much a good vegan book, gave me so many ideas and filled my brain with awesome info. I feel wise beyond my years. haha :) Too bad my hubby wouldn't buy the part about how dairy can be a bad friend. Shoot, I'd love to leave Mr. Cow forevah, I just love all the other nut milks n such.

    I would LOVE to become vegan, but it isn't practical for me since I love Mexico and want to live their forever doing mission work. What kind of missionary denies every meal she is offered because of a little cheese or some shredded chicken? It wouldn't make sense. But being a 6 day a week vegan works pretty well :)

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  7. Hey! Sorry I haven't commented lately, I've been up in DC! I am by no means vegan, but I thought Brendan Braziers concepts were interesting.
    What was the book you were reading when we got together again? I remember I was wanting to read it...

    Talk to you soon!!

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  8. Those books sound interesting. I've read a few of them, but I tend to avoid books about food and eating because they can trigger me. Right now I'm reading "Her Last Death" and am loving it.

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  9. Congrats on winning the Foodie Blogroll Giveaway! :) Hope you enjoy your prize. :-D

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  10. I read "In Defense of Food" and I didn't like it. It might be interesting to read if I didn't already know a lot about the food industry. I found it basic and far too boring.

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