Subscribe via RSS Feed

Category: Diet & Weight Loss

Review: Special Diets for Special Kids by Lisa Lewis, Ph.D.

[ 5 ] September 22, 2011
VN:F [1.9.13_1145]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Reviewed by Alyssa Katanic

For a little over a year now, our family has been shifting our eating habits in order to deal with various health issues including digestion problems, ADHD, and allergies/ food sensitivities. It has already been quite a journey, and we are still just beginning! There is so much to learn and it can be hard to figure out, “Okay! So what CAN we all eat and enjoy?” Thankfully, there are authors like Lisa Lewis, Ph.D. who have “Been there! Done that! Wrote the book!”

This version of Special Diets for Special Kids is actually a compilation of the previous volumes 1 and 2 with updated information and recipes from more recent research. It is an informational book and cookbook in one, and also includes a CD of over 200 Gluten-Free/Casein-Free (GF/CF) printable recipes!

What is “Gluten-Free/Casein-Free” any way? Lewis does a great job of walking readers through the meaning behind this term, and how and why such a diet has been beneficial for children with issues such as Autism, ADHD, allergies, and more. She also outlines a few other variations of the diet for those who are affected by different food sensitivities such as the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), the Body Ecology Diet (BED), and the Low Oxalate Diet (LOD).

If you are just learning about how your child(ren)’s (or your own) medical challenges can be helped through diet, Special Diets for Special Kids is a great starting point. If you already follow a GF/CF diet or variation, Lewis’ book is a great refresher course that will also add to your recipe choices. Lewis includes a variety of recipes to choose from (including four different pancake recipes!) to suit different tastes and sensitivities, as well as a range of cooking and baking abilities and level of cooking interest. Special Diets for Special Kids is full of resources and recommendations for other books, organizations, websites, and helpful and delicious products and where to find them.

Special Diets for Special Kids by Lisa Lewis is an excellent resource for dietary intervention. It is well designed and organized, and full of great information and good eats!

Rating: 4.5/5

Alyssa is a wife and stay at home, homeschooling mother of five, with two boxers, two cats, a soft shelled turtle named after Bob the Builder, and 7 frogs (admittedly a homeschooling project gone froggy). In all her spare time, she loves to read and believes that there is no such thing as having too many books!

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Future Horizons and Sensory World. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: Eat Naked by Margaret Floyd

[ 6 ] September 21, 2011
VN:F [1.9.13_1145]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Reviewed by F. Scott

This book does not contain any pictures of nude people eating or doing anything else. In fact, there are no pictures at all except for the cover. Quel dommage. What Eat Naked, by Margaret Floyd, does contain is very sound advice on what to put into your body. A nutritional practitioner in Los Angeles, Floyd paints processed foods as the enemy—and they are. Essentially, these are “foods” found outside of your produce section at the supermarket.

Floyd as a self-confessed and reformed “junk-food vegetarian” tries to steer her readers away from unnatural and harmful foods that constitute what we all know as the Standard American Diet, or SAD (she herself doesn’t mention this term). Junk-food vegetarians or vegans are a common phenomenon among those ideologically opposed to consuming animal products. Instead, they eat all manner of stuff simply because “no animals were harmed in the making of this food.” But you can relax because Floyd’s book is intended for omnivores.

So, we’re talking about unprocessed, natural, whole, and organic foods, and Floyd tells us about why they’re better, why to eat them, and where to find them. Our fruits and veggies are full of pesticides, so one must be careful, she says. Buy organic. (I say just eat the damn fruits and vegetables however you can get them.) Beef, poultry, eggs, fish, and dairy products are all okay—provided they come from the right place, which is not your average commercial farming operation or your average corner grocery store.

Animal products come full of things like antibiotics and growth hormones. Other toxins find a home in the fat that always accompanies animal tissue. Grass-fed beef, cage-free chickens, wild fish, and raw, unpasteurized dairy are what you want to look for. The problem is that these things can be hard to find—and expensive, if not illegal.

Floyd’s presentation is in two parts: (1) the basics of eating naked and “What is naked?” and (2) how to get naked. (I’m sorry but this whole “eat naked” thing must be some marketing person’s idea of how to sell books; it is repeated ad nauseum. It is all just a bit too girly rah-rah for this man. And all those exclamation points really increase the value of the book, too.)

Nevertheless, Eat Naked is as good a place as any to start transforming your eating habits and in the process your body and your life. I find just about everything she says to be sound and accurate advice. Plus, the information she presents comports with my own dietary changes and experience over the last 10 months. However, I still don’t believe that drinking distilled water will leech my body of essential nutrients, as she claims.

Floyd directs you to her Web site, which I haven’t seen yet, so even more ideas await the reader there. That second part of the book, by the way, contains recipes, but they all seem to me to have too many ingredients. Thus, I offer you one of mine: Get an avocado. Cut it in half. Scoop out the green stuff. Eat it.

Rating: 4.5/5

F. Scott drinks a blended green smoothie every day containing kale or collard greens, two bananas, one apple, grapes, strawberries or blueberries, and two cups of distilled water.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Planned Television Arts. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: Gluten Free Cookies by Luane Kohnke

[ 6 ] August 2, 2011
VN:F [1.9.13_1145]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Reviewed by Shannon Hopkins

Anybody who is gluten-free or who knows someone with a gluten-free diet has likely thought or heard, “the thing I miss is dessert.” Even the healthiest diet includes the occasional sweet indulgence, and as more people are diagnosed with Celiac or choose to lead a gluten-free lifestyle it becomes more necessary to help them find new recipes to enjoy life’s little desserts. Luane Kohnke has put her baking expertise to the task, and in Gluten Free Cookies gives us “50 Recipes for Cookies You Crave”.

Kohnke starts with a short introduction and a comprehensive guide to gluten-free baking that not only highlights ingredients to use and avoid, but explains their purpose; discusses how to create a gluten-free baking environment; and functions as a how-to guide for even the most novice baker. Kohnke even relates the results of a test she performed with her gluten-free flour mixes (pp. 15-16) in which she had gluten-eaters test a wheat flour “control cookie” against gluten-free models of the same made with each flour blend, and provides a conversion table based on those results for converting wheat flour-based recipes to gluten-free ones.

Each recipe is accompanied by a colorful and crisp shot of what the finished treat will look like, and nearly all of the recipes occupy only one page. However, as the author points out, it is important to read the recipes all the way through before attempting — while the baking process itself is short, the preparation process for many of the recipes (especially those with filler) includes chilling the mix in the refrigerator or letting it sit for a certain period of time (e.g. the Oatmeal Almond Cookies with Dates, the batter of which needs to chill for at least two hours).

My family helped assemble a gluten-free baking party to test out some recipes. We found that many of the necessary ingredients are more expensive than your typical wheat flour, but it is definitely worth the cost to bring dessert back into the house. In order to test a variety of treats, we baked the Lemon Squares (p. 91), Double-Cherry Streusel Bars (p. 96), and the Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies (p. 31). The chill/store process frustrated our efforts somewhat, but we worked out a groove in which we could finish one cookie while another was prepping, and having clear and easy-to-follow recipes was a big help. A first-time baker would have little trouble following the directions as they are written.

I returned the next day for my samples of our gluten-free treats, and I was impressed by how closely they resembled the pictures! Clearly, we did something right. Each treat stood up to taste testing as well, though we observed that the peanut butter cookies tasted more heavily like peanut butter but ended on a drier note. With the proper amount of preparation, I would bake any of these recipes for anybody — even a gluten eater will love what comes out of the oven.

Rating: 5/5

Shannon lives in Cleveland, Ohio with her fiancé and a room full of books that she peruses when she isn’t trolling Apartment Therapy for new decorating ideas. In her free time she enjoys maintaining her blog, The Writer’s Closet, planning her wedding, and baking tasty gluten-free treats.

Review and giveaway copies were provided free of any obligation by Sellers Publishing. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: 29 Days…to your perfect weight by Michele Bertolin and Richard Fast

[ 7 ] May 6, 2011
VN:F [1.9.13_1145]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Reviewed by Poppy Johnson

If you don’t want to lose unwanted weight, don’t consider actually buying this book.

If you had to think for a second about meaning of the above sentence – you ARE ready to buy this book!

29 Days … to your perfect weight offers 100% positive reinforcement for whatever weight loss program you will use to lose weight. If you prefer to stay with your own regimen, you can add the program described in the book as a supplement to your own weight loss plan. 29 Days also includes a 29-day companion plan which offers online tips, articles, journaling, strategies, direction and coaching to help the reader reach his or her weight loss goal.

This not a book which offer you fad diets, low-calorie or high fiber food programs to follow, expecting you to exist on a strict regimen of only healthy foods and depriving yourself at every turn. Instead, you will get two online coach/buddy plan reminders a day for 29 days. There reminders include all of the tips and motivation that you will need to help you achieve your desired weight.

I started this plan excited and ready for change. I read the book, and followed the outline play strategies for losing weight. The best part is that after one week, my clothes fit differently. 29 Days taught me to set goals, and be more aware of my relationship with food. Anyone that is honest with themselves and is ready to commit to a new lifestyle is likely to succeed with this book.

I highly recommend 29 Days to anyone interested in developing healthier habits and relationships with food.

Rating: 5/5

After a decade of working in several NYC law departments and teaching, Poppy decided she enjoyed writing full-time. She currently works as a freelance writing consultant, and lives with her husband and sons on the East Coast.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Giveaway: Nutrition Diva’s Secrets for a Healthy Diet by Monica Reinagel

[ 102 ] March 22, 2011
VN:F [1.9.13_1145]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

I have 2 copies of Nutrition Diva’s Secrets for a Healthy Diet to give away!

About the book

Tired of trying to figure out what you should be eating for breakfast, or whether it’s ever OK to eat before going to bed? Want to know which type of milk, or cereals, or meats are best so that food shopping is easier?

Millions of people already eat, look, and feel better thanks to popular podcast host and board-certified nutritionist Monica Reinagel. In her highly-anticipated guidebook she sorts through all the conflicting nutrition information out there—and busts outdated food myths—so you’ll know exactly what to eat (and what to avoid) once and for all.

Monica walks you through every aisle of the grocery store and through each meal and snack of the day, helping you make healthier choices and answering your burning questions, including:

  • How often should you eat?
  • Which organic foods are worth the extra cost?
  • Does cooking vegetables destroy the vitamins?
  • Should foods be combined in certain ways for better digestion?

Complete with grocery shopping lists, simple, delicious recipes, and sample meal plans, Nutrition Diva’s Secrets for a Healthy Diet will have you feeling healthier, looking better than ever before, and no longer worrying about what to eat for dinner.

Check out QuickandDirtyTips.com for some sample recipes and free downloads from the book!

Mandatory entry: Please comment on this post with your e-mail address.

Extra entries (please post each entry separately, i.e. 2 posts for subscribing):
- Subscribe via e-mail, follow or subscribe to the feed. You must verify the subscriptions. (1 entry each)
- Enter another current giveaway (1 entry each)
- Share this post on a social network of your choice by clicking “Share/Save” button below (1 entry for each method)

This giveaway is open to US residents only. Deadline to enter is midnight on April 8, 2011.

Giveaway copies are provided free of any obligation by Macmillan. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: No Wheat No Dairy No Problem by Lauren Hoover

[ 5 ] January 2, 2011
VN:F [1.9.13_1145]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Reviewed by Jenna A.

When I was thirteen I found out that I was allergic to all dairy products. Imagine my horror when as a little girl I realized that I could no longer eat cheese, milk, ice cream, etc. etc. So begrudgingly, I began a path ionto uncharted territory, so to speak. Trying supplement after supplement, I found out the hard way that I was also allergic to the over the counter medications that were supposed to “ease” lactose intolerance. Because of this allergy, over the years I have found many alternatives to dairy products including veggie cheeses, rice, soy and almond milks, as well as Lactaid brands of milks and products.

Now, eleven years later, I am engaged to someone who has an intolerance to gluten, and we are always looking for new recipes to suit our “special needs”. With our combination of allergies, I was delighted to find No Wheat No Dairy No Problem!

Filled with tastey recipes that both please your taste buds and keep your stomach from rebelling, No Wheat No Dairy No Problem by Lauren Hoover is a must read for anyone with allergies. Although the book’s cover explains that these recipes hold no gluten, or lactose, they also contain no refined sugars which Hoover is allergic to. Whether it’s her fried fish fillets, that will make the reader’s mouth water or the Berry Crisp that is both sweet, crunchy and tangy, Hoover’s cookbook is a hit in my household! Having recipes ranging from simplistic to more complex gives us picky eaters so much to choose from!

No Wheat No Dairy No Problem fully explains the main ingredients, and also includes extremely informative step by step directions. Hoover also delights us with humor and relatability in her introduction, and makes the whole experience like a cozy afternoon with family. I definitely reccommend this cookbook for anyone who is looking to try something new, or those few consumers who have food allergies and are looking for ideas to help them break out of the normal anti-allergenic foods box.

Jenna lives in a small town in Ohio with her fiance and cat Osiris. Along with her passion for reading and the literary world, she is also a painter, poet, fiction writer, and amatuer photographer.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Lauren Hoover. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: Too Hot in the Kitchen by Holly Clegg

[ 4 ] October 29, 2010
VN:F [1.9.13_1145]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Reviewed by Alice L.

When I opened the package for Too Hot in the Kitchen, I immediately knew I was going to like this cookbook. It was pink, petite, and there was a fun sassy looking animated woman on the cover. It was attention grabbing, not intimidating, and as described by the author Holly Clegg, seemed to be a  “cookbook for all women”.

I was having a play date with four moms and their children the following Thursday, so I looked through the recipes for finger foods that would be easy to cook, forgiving to the waistline, and, of course, would look nice too. After all, as the saying goes, “we eat with our eyes first.” It was the first time I was having the moms over to my house so I didn’t want to screw up.

The recipes in the cookbook were organized and categorized in a way that proved to be very helpful. Clegg also titled each category with witty and fun titles such as “Effortless Entertaining” or “Fill up with Fiber”. Each of the recipes had the corresponding nutrition facts on the side and many of them had beautiful images of the finished dish. Because of the colorful images, I felt more confident in knowing what my concoctions were supposed to look like. Too Hot in the Kitchen also featured dermatological tips/recipes utilizing a few simple ingredients; I mean, who doesn’t like a home-made remedy facial mask?

Back to my search for finger foods, I have to say there were too many to choose from! In the end, I made Jesses’ Cheesecake Squares. We all love the taste of cheesecake but not the calories, and this recipe was exactly what I was looking for – the “healthy cheesecake.” Needless to say, it was a big hit and even my husband couldn’t get over the taste and the healthy factor.

Too Hot in the Kitchen by Holly Clegg is chock full of fun recipes perfect for cooking with your girlfriends or for your family. Many of the recipes are low on calories but very high on the taste!

Visit Holly Clegg’s website for more information and some sample recipes!

Alice is a former city girl who now resides in an Ohio suburb with her husband (and college sweetheart) Justin and their busy toddler, Amelia. She is a stay-home-mom and when she is not chasing her daughter, she enjoys cooking, reading, and little bit of retail-therapy.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Edelman. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Giveaway: Fit for Life by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond

[ 90 ] August 8, 2010
VN:F [1.9.13_1145]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

3 readers will win a copy of Fit for Life by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond!

It’s the program that shatters all the myths: Fit for Life is the international bestseller that explains how to change both your figure and your life. Nutritional specialist Harvey and Marilyn Diamond explain how you can eat more kinds of food than you ever ate before without counting calories…and still lose weight! The natural body cycles, permanent weight-loss plan that proves it’s not only what you eat, but also when and how, Fit for Life is the perfect solution for those who want to look and feel their best. Join the millions of Americans who are Fit for Life and begin your transformation with:

* The vital principles that bring you permanent weight loss and high energy

* The Fit for Life secrets of timing and food combining that work with your natural body cycles

* A 4-week meal plan, menus, shopping tips, and exercise

* Delicious recipes and more.

Mandatory entry: Please comment on this post with your e-mail address.

Extra entries (please post each entry separately, i.e. 2 posts for subscribing):
- Subscribe via e-mail, follow or subscribe to the feed. You must verify the subscriptions. (1 entry each)
- Enter another current giveaway (1 entry each)
- Share this giveaway on a social network of your choice. Click the “Share/Save” button at the end of this post (1 entry each)
- Follow Luxury Reading on Facebook (2 entries)

This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada residents only. Deadline to enter is midnight on August 30th.

Giveaway copies are provided free of any obligation by Wellness Central. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

Related Posts with Thumbnails
View Post
Page 1 of 3123

Page optimized by WP Minify WordPress Plugin