Book Review: Eat Like a Girl

Eat Like a Girl: 100+ Delicious Recipes to Balance Hormones, Boost Energy, and Burn Fat by Mindy Pelz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The book is a guide for how a “girl” should eat based on hormones and health goals. There is a lot of information on the power of food and fasting, in addition to how fake foods, constant dopamine hits, toxins, and more can negatively affect your health. Dr. Pelz provides tips, guidelines, and resources on navigating this world with a 30-day plan and recipes.

There are four parts: Part I: Eating for Your Hormones, Part II: Using Food to Support Your Fasting Lifestyle, Part III: The Fasting Cycle, and Part IV: Recipes.

There are many strategies throughout the book. On page 96, the checklist for accelerated fat burning is a great guide that summarizes Dr. Pelz’s recommendations: follow your hormonal cycle, try longer fasts, eat fiber and good fat with every meal, eat enough protein, avoid liver agitators like alcohol, create an exercise variation plan, walk after large meals, minimize toxin load and obesogen exposure, detox, prioritize sleep, eat during daylight hours, and evaluate stress levels.

Some may be deterred by the choices you have to make in order to personalize the plan and make it work for you. You have to (1) decide a track—omnivore or plant-based; (2) choose the intensity—beginner or advanced determine the length of fasts; (3) choose how to cycle your reset—menstrual versus moon cycle; (4) choose an accountability buddy—friend, Facebook group, health coach, Reset Academy. Also, it is a lot of information to absorb, so you may want to focus on a few concepts initially before diving all in.

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Book Review: The New Whole30

The New Whole30: The Definitive Plan to Transform Your Health, Habits, and Relationship with Food by Melissa Urban
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Whole30 is a 30-day protocol that guides the reader through removing foods commonly associated with food intolerances and sensitivities and reintroducing them to see whether they tolerate them well. This book is an updated version of the program published in 2015. The author states that changes were made based on the latest science and seeks to eliminate the smallest number of foods while maximizing nutrition and health. The goal remains the same: food freedom.

There are five parts. Part 1: Welcome to the Whole30, which covers the program rules, the rule changes, a new plant-based version, checklists, planning instructions, and the Whole30 timeline. Part 2 covers the frequently asked questions (FAQ). Part 3, Cooking Whole30, provides the tools and cooking tips for success. Part 4 is dedicated to the original Whole30 program with rules, a meal template, a shopping list, and compliant recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, sides, sauces, snacks, and more. Part 5 covers the plant-based version with the same resources of rules, a template, a shopping list, and recipes.

An elimination diet and reintroduction protocol remain the gold standard for identifying food sensitivities. I highly recommend this book for those committed to finding their food freedom.

Goals of the plan
· Identify food sensitivities and adverse food reactions
· Create new tools to navigate stress and negative emotions
· Restore a healthy relationship with food and your body
· Create a personalized, sustainable, joyful diet based on your learnings (p. 19)

The Whole30 timeline provides a picture of what the journey will look and feel like based on the millions who have previously completed it. The FAQ section is thorough and helpful. Although I don’t enjoy cooking, I appreciate the variety of cuisines represented in the recipes and the valuable tips. If this is your first time trying an elimination diet and reintroduction protocol, this book has you covered.

The tone and rules of the new Whole30 are softer. Some might miss the tough love or disagree with the changes. If this is your first time trying an elimination protocol, don’t be overwhelmed by all the recipes—you can keep it simple.

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Book Review: Work

Work: How to Find Joy and Meaning in Each Hour of the Day by Thich Nhat Hanh
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Our joy and happiness depend on how we live and the time we spend working. This book presents mindfulness as the key to positively impacting your life and the lives of those around you. Six short chapters cover the art of mindful living and working, beginning the day, mindfulness at work, coming home, a new way of working, and 30 ways to reduce stress at work.

This book is not for everyone. It may be a good introduction if you are unfamiliar with Buddhism or mindfulness. Most people would benefit from reading chapter six, which has 30 short tips on reducing stress at work.

If you struggle with mindfulness, applying the recommendations of mindful breathing, mindful eating, mindful walking, mindful meeting, etc., may be difficult. Personally, I struggled to get through this book. Even so, I was glad I persevered through it--there were some good nuggets.

For example, the five contemplations on mindful eating (p. 24): (1) Food is a gift. (2) Eat with mindfulness and gratitude. (3) Eat in moderation. (4) Eat to preserve living beings and our planet while reversing the effects of global warming. (5) Accept the food as nourishment for all.

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Book Review: Make It Easy

Make It Easy: A Healthy Meal Prep and Menu Planning Guide—A Cookbook by Danielle Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book will guide you through the process of menu planning and prepping. It is full of general cooking tips, in addition to easy recipes that are free from grains, gluten, and lactose.

There are three parts. In part 1, Getting Started, discover which meal-prepping persona you are and how to navigate this new world of freezer meals, reheating tips, stocking your pantry, tools and appliances, and basic recipes. In part 2, 15 Weeks of Meal Plans, take advantage of shopping lists, ingredient combinations to reduce waste, and less time and stress in the kitchen. Part 3, More Recipes, offers back-pocket dinners and make-ahead meals.

If you are looking for a guidebook to teach you how to plan your meals to reduce your stress and time in the kitchen while still providing nourishing meals to your family, this book is for you.

There are many practical items, such as the stock your pantry and freezer checklist, shopping list QR codes, meal plan QR codes, notes, shortcuts, and make-ahead options. Her website also offers an updated list of her favorite and trusted brands.

The author mentions that her seasonings are Whole30-approved; the reader may not know what the Whole30 program or approval means. Also, if you are new to this author, she believes in grain-free and gluten-free living but doesn’t explain why.

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