Nourish Your Mind & Body {Eat to Live}

Dear Lovely Readers,

I don't consider myself to be a terribly preachy person. On the same note, when I find something that I love, {whether it's a product, a fashion designer, a salon, a movie or a bargain website} I let the entire world know. This time is no different.

If you're like me, you have perused the aisles of Barnes & Noble on a hunt for the next big diet craze. You've skimmed, dog-eared & ripped out pages from different books & magazines, in the hopes of retraining yourself to eat the right way. You've tried it all, but at one point have given up & gone back to your default eating style. If you're tired of nibbling on junk, binging on carbs or just feel that your diet needs an ass whooping, you're in the right place. I no longer am looking to diet, per se, I just want to eat healthy for good.

I have to give credit where it is due. My mother sang this book's praises for months {as I ignored her} until she finally ordered it for me & shipped it to my house. It sat on my nightstand for a week until I reluctantly picked it up last night. Its honesty shocked me as well as its simplicity. Dr. Joel Fuhrman spoke to me as no one has. He educated me & scared me at the same time. Sometimes a little wake up call is exactly what we need.

Nothing radical, just no high-protein, low-carb nonsense. Just a LOT of very useful information about nutrition. His most basic & important concept to eating right for weight loss & health prevention is this formula {I am part science nerd so I love me my formulas}:

Health = Nutrients/Calories

Your health is predicted by your nutrient intake {vitamins, minerals, fibers & phytochemicals} divided by your overall intake of calories. If your nutrient level is high {lots of fruits, vegetables, natural & low processing} relative to your calorie intake, your overall health will improve dramatically {kind of a duh}. Meats & white flour/sugar are discouraged, but the Dr. gives excellent information about why you will benefit from their removal. Dr. Fuhrman pretty much guarantees that excess fat will melt away while you reduce your risk of getting heart disease, cancer, diabetes & all the other things you want to avoid. It even says that eating this way can clear up allergies {a BIG plus for me, as someone who seems to be allergic to something new everyday}. It's all about getting back to the basics with lots of fruits & vegetables, high fiber & low processed foods. Even if we think we're healthy, this book provides so many little tidbits of knowledge, it's worth the quick read.

On a side note, before I got the book, I had adopted a similar natural food diet over the past few months because I was looking to shed about ten pounds & up my energy. I made sure to eat at least 5 servings of fruits & vegetables a day and replaced any white flour & refined sugar with whole wheat. In 2 months I was down 12 pounds and felt a dramatic difference in my energy level, clarity of thought & overall health. Even if you don't read the whole book, I have to personally vouch for the benefits of eating healthful food for your mind & body.

For anyone interested the entire book is available on google books right here.

Wave goodbye to high cholesterol with your old friend, Dr. Atkins. Go find another girl to pick on, Skinny Bitch. No more low-carb weekend jaunts to South Beach. I'm so over you all.

Much love,
Me

Summer Reading List

Don't get stuck at the beach reading last week's In Touch...

Here are the top twelve "not-so-chick-lit" beach reads compiled by the NY Times, shared by moi:

Best Friends Forever: by Jennifer Weiner
*Commencement: by J. Courtney Sullivan*
Dune Road: by Jane Green
Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire: by Margot Berwin
My Judy Garland Life: by Susie Boyt
Perfection: A Memoir of Betrayal and Renewal: by Julie Metz
Queen Takes King: by Gigi Levangie Grazer
Shanghai Girls: by Lisa See
Summer House: by Nancy Thayer
The Wedding Girl: by Madeleine Wickham
Trouble: by Kate Christensen

Twenties Girl: by Sophie Kinsella

*My pick for top summer read. In recent reviews it has been compared to Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep, which is in my opinion, one of the decade's best novels.*

However, the first book on my nightstand these days is Twilight, as urgently recommended by Monica at Ciao, Chessa! {check out her post on her Twilight obsession today!} and the rest of the world...I might be the absolute last person on earth to read these, but I will devour them all!

photo via August Love