Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Whole Foods to Thrive by Brendan Brazier (+Giveaway!)

My Thoughts

When I first agreed to feature Whole Foods to Thrive I had no idea how pertinent and useful the book would be to my life. Right before the book arrived in my mailbox I was diagnosed with celiac disease and lactose intolerance. As you can imagine, a diet without gluten (wheat/barley/rye) or dairy is extremely limited and after about 7 years as a vegetarian I started to incorporate a small amount of meat into my diet. Brazier's book is packed full of plant, nutrient-dense, recipes that do no contain the most common allergens- and yup, that includes dairy and gluten- which means not only can I eat them, but they are a healthy way to treat both your body and the environment well.

Whole Foods to Thrive begins with several chapters explaining Brazier's philosophy behind the book, including informative figures and stats about the environmental cost behind some of the foods we love. He explains how to get important nutrients like iron into your diet without relying on processed foods. The majority of the book is helpful and delicious recipes divided by meal and which use little symbols to help the reader if the food is raw or not, as raw food means that the healthy nutrients so many foods contain are not cooked away at high heat. Each recipe is clear and informative, containing not only the time needed to prepare, but a couple sentences explaining what it can be used for like a pecan and dill pate that can be used to replace the rice in sushi rolls. The recipes are from top-tier chefs and come from all over the country, so no matter where you live you can find one filled with local and delicious ingredients. After having to abandon my many gluten-filled recipes, I already know that Whole Foods to Thrive will be a book I am revisiting many times in the future.

From The Book

Sacha Inchi Baked Apple Cinnamon Cereal (pg 137)
Brazier has offered to share a delicious smoothie recipe from Whole Foods to Thrive.

Ginger Pear Smoothie with Sunflower Seed Hemp Milk

The riper the pear, the sweeter the smoothie. If you’d like it even sweeter, add one or two fresh or soaked dried dates. Since ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory, this is an ideal choice for a post-workout snack.

Time: 2 minutes • Makes about 3 cups (2 servings)

1 banana
½ pear, cored
1 cup water
1 cup Sunflower Hemp Seed Milk (see p. 126)
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tbsp hemp protein powder
1 tbsp peeled, grated ginger

• In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.
Chocolate Goodness Smoothie (pg 135)

Giveaway (Canada Only)
One prize pack contains six Vega smoothie mixes (either Shake & Go Smoothie mixes or Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer mixes) in an assortment of flavours like Vanilla Chai, Bodacious Berry, and Choc-a-Lot. Canada only. To enter you must be a follower, and leave a comment with a health tip and your e-mail address. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my e-mail or a new one will be selected. Giveaway ends June 1st at 11:59 pm MST. Good luck!

16 comments:

  1. That looks like a book that I would love to have on my cooking shelf. We love to eat whole foods over processed any day! I love the review, but can't enter as I am in the US. Awesome contest!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yum, I love smoothies. Such an easy way to get nutrients. My health tip is to have a drink of water before eating any food. It will help you understand if you are really hungry or just thirsty, and will reduce the portion size of food you do eat.
    helpersarah2009@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Holy Moly I'm having trouble today! The comment directly above this may not make sense now because I see my origional comment didn't publish as I thought it had.

    Let's try this again.

    My health tip is: for those with kids, add a big handful of spinach to a breakfast fruit smoothie and they won't even realize they are getting a healthy serving of a dark green veg first thing!

    My email is darksomebelle(at)hotmail(dot)com.

    ReplyDelete
  4. One tip I think is important is to eat three meals a day, especially breakfast. I think a lot of people miss out on 'brain power' because of weird eating habits.

    asherz86[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  5. A good health tip is to make sure you are getting lots of protein, especially if you are working out hard at the gym. You need protein both before and after a workout.

    I've lost 92 pounds after changing my eating habits drastically and working out 90 minutes a day.

    Your vegan smoothies sound delicious! Would love to try them.

    My email is geri(dot) durant@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I make sure that I keep healthy food in the house, and try to plan out a menu, so I'm not running out and just picking up anything to eat, healthy or not.

    mcsweeney.erinatgmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm a follower on gfc. My health tip is to get a slow cooker. This makes it so easy to cook up healthy beans, legumes, rice and soups.
    jentam777 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. I try to drink 2 glasses of water every morning as soon as I wake up. It hydrates me, gives me a jump start on my 8 glasses and begins waking up my body.

    carolynwilman at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi,

    I'd love to win this contest, as I've just discovered the Thrive Diet & it fits exactly with my current diet -- but gives me awesome recipes to include protein!

    My health tip: My daughters routinely come home from birthday parties with a loot bag with lots of junk food. Please be healthy and look for used books/movies to be your "loot bag". Or, make a craft with your child to give away: it's a great way to bond.

    rim7777777@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Since my daughter married a vegetarian I have become more interested in nutrition in general This book sound like a great start. My healthy comment is to keep yourself hydrated at all times. I never drink pop of any sort only water and tea with no milk or sugar.

    elkhornchris at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have this exact smothie and i love it i try to have one a day, and even my son loves it,

    tomgirlbc
    at
    yahoo.ca have joined the blog

    ReplyDelete
  12. "Whole Foods" grabbed my eye because it is one of my fav supermarkets.

    I and my entire family are making efforts to eat better & get ourselves educated about our food choices. Sounds like this book would prove very helpful.

    ReplyDelete
  13. GFC follower (Soozle) & my health tip is to have a glass of water before grabbing something to eat when you feel like snacking - good majority of the time you are really thirsty, not hungry!
    sbabij2 at shaw dot ca

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi,
    I am convinced a healthy lifestyle includes knowing what you eat.
    My tip... We make steel cut oats every night in the slow cooker. Put on warm and lots of water (we use 1 cup oats to 5 cups water). Add ground flax, raisins, almonds and a bit of cinnamon and you'll lok forward to breakfast every morning.
    Love fresh fruit and smoothies too!

    akm116@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. I follow with GFC and my health tip is to eat the rainbow.

    momtodc(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm reading this book now and working on my post for tomorrow. I am finding more and more trouble with lactose and am planning to try more of these recipes.

    ReplyDelete

Your comments make my day!