I have been completely discombobulated this week. Since Monday was a holiday, I am just totally off kilter, though kind of in a good way. We were so busy over the 4 day weekend, it flew by. Lots of time with family and friends, which is the best way to spend it.
And now I bring you a cook book review!
Pascale Naessens is one of those women its hard not to envy. She is a model, healthy eating advocate, ceramic artist, speaker and author from Belgium.
I had not heard of her before being asked to review her latest book, but I suspect that's because I am North American, as she clearly has made a name for herself already in Europe. Nevertheless, I was eager to read her take on healthy eating.
Pure & Simple is primarily a cookbook, but it is based on her approach to nutrition (which she says is not a diet) and includes an explanation of her perspective on healthy eating. In a nutshell, she eats a low carb, high protein, high fat diet of whole foods. Its nothing ground breaking. For carbs she sticks with small amounts legumes, brown and wild rice, oats, and pseudo-grains like buckwheat and quinoa (which are actually seeds). The bulk of the diet is non-starchy veggies and fruit, and lean proteins. She consumes some cheese, full-fat yogurt and heavy cream, but avoids dairy milk and all processed foods.
Though there is nothing unhealthy about her way of eating, she also promotes food combining, which is based on bunk science. That being said, there is nothing harmful about this practice, so its one of those things where, if it works for you (meaning that it helps you look and feel your best and be healthy and you enjoy it), than go for it. Just don't think there is any magic behind it because there is zero evidence that it inherently has any weight loss or health benefits.
I like that she avoids being too extremist, encouraging readers to indulge their guilty pleasures 20-30% of the time, to keep themselves feeling happy and satisfied. She also stresses the importance of exercise, and limiting alcohol.
The book is full of beautiful pictures, many of them including Pascale herself, who is drop dead gorgeous. But I am sorry to say that adopting her style of eating will not transform you into looking like her. That's about genetics!
The recipes are great, primarily because they use fresh foods and have short, simple ingredient lists. The recipe chapters include:
- Fish
- Seaweed
- Shellfish
- Meat
- Cheese
- Vegetables
There are just a few dessert recipes, and few vegan ones, but I don't have a single issue with the ingredients she uses, because, as you know, I abhor added sugars and refined flours, and there is almost none of that here.
There are no meal plans in this book, but she still claims that if you are overweight, adopting this style of eating will lead to weight loss. She is probably right, as long as you watch your portion sizes.
If you love flavourful, high quality food that is easy to make, you will very much like this book.
I recommend this book for anyone looking for simple, nutritious recipes to improve their health.
Disclosure: I was sent this book to review, but all opinions on this blog are my own.
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