Disclaimer: Let’s get the legal stuff out of the way first. I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review but all opinions below are my own and I was not compensated for this post.
In an effort to force myself to read more, I’m hoping to post a book review every month. Last month I shared my review of Living With Intent: My Somewhat Messy Journey to Purpose, Peace and Joy by Mallika Chopra. This month I’m reviewing a great cookbook, Everyday Detox by Megan Gilmore.
Let me start by saying the best thing about this book is located right on the inside cover. The author simply states “No fasting, No dieting”. I simply love this. Diets may work for a short period of time, but until you implement healthier eating as a lifestyle change, you will not be successful.
I suffer from two non-medical but very real conditions – runger and being hangry. Runger usually happens to me after a run longer than 6 miles. I literally feel like I can eat everything. It’s worse in the summer because I’m dehydrated after an outdoor run, and dehydration can also lead to overeating. Being hangry simply means you get to the point where you are so hungry that you can become angry. Even worse is that I feel like I “deserve” to eat the entire fridge just because I ran a half-marathon or did a long training run. That is totally NOT the right way to think, so thats why I was looking forward to trying out recipes in this cookbook!
Megan Gilmore defines an easy approach to detoxing in the beginning go the book. These were the biggest takeaways (for me):
- Eating fresh, whole foods means you can stop counting calories. Calorie counting can be a flawed approach because it doesn’t take into account the quality of the food.
- Consume less processed and factory farmed food
- By simply adjusting how we eat (less large meals, more smaller meals), we can aid our bodies for better digestion.
- Try to only eat two of these food categories in the same meal – fresh fruit, starches, animal protein and nuts/seeds/dried fruit. You can, and should, also enjoy non-starchy vegetables with these food categories as well
The second section of the cookbook features what foods you will need to stock your detox-friendly kitchen. In going through this section, I found a few things that I should buy for the kitchen, which I did! I love that the cookbook has a mix of recipes for vegans, vegetarians and meat-eaters. She also includes a sample seven-day jump start menu. This cookbook contains 100 recipes broken into seven different sections. I’ve listed some of my favorite recipes from each section
Liquid Nourishment – Kale Lemonade, Back to Roots (beet/apple/ginger juice) and Banana Nut Protein Shake
Morning Favorites – Blender Banana Pancakes, No Bake Coconut Granola Bars and Overnight Chia Pudding
Salads/Dressings/Sides – Honey Dijon Dressing, No Fail Kale Salad and Creamy Caesar Salad
Soups/Sandwiches/Wraps – Thai Style Lettuce Wraps, Quinoa Mushroom Burgers and Skillet Fish Tacos with Citrus Slaw
Casseroles/Comfort Food – Cauliflower Fried Rice, Southwest Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, Cauliflower Flatbread Pizza
Sweet Treats – Almond Butter Freezer Fudge, Raw Lemon Bars and Strawberry Lime Sorbet
Back to Basics – Easy Marinara Sauce, Homemade Almond Milk and Raw Almond Butter
I still have many more recipes to try from this cookbook, but I would definitely recommend it to add to your cookbook collection. The recipes are pretty simple to make and don’t require too many ingredients or steps.
What good books have you read recently?
Farrah says
That looks like an awesome cookbook to add to my collection! :] I want to try those fish tacos! And the sorbet! …pretty much everything listed, hahah.
kookyrunner says
There are so many great recipes and I think the book is reasonably priced (under $20!)
Annmarie L says
I literally LOL's at your "conditions", I suffer from them too 😉 These recipes sound amazing and the book sounds like it's built around a great philosophy! Hooray for real food and not counting calories!
kookyrunner says
LoL! Everyone knows to leave me alone once I become hangry 🙂 This cookbook is really great and I love the no counting calories aspect of it as well!
Elizabeth Falcigno says
I need to invest in this book!! I love all the recipes on her site and her philosophy on eating!
-Liz
http://www.TheCleanEatingCouple.com
kookyrunner says
I would highly recommend this cookbook!
Kristen says
I also suffer from those conditions! I'm looking for some healthy eating tips right now, and these recipes sound great! I don't want to be on a diet either and would rather cut out the bad foods I'm eating and find healthier alternatives. I want to check this out!
kookyrunner says
I would highly recommend this cookbook! I also like that the recipes are not difficult and don't require too many steps!