Eating Clean

February 1, 2016
“Clean eating” may be an overused phrase these days, but as this cookbook shows, it’s still a valuable way of thinking about food in a postindustrial world. Culinary nutritionist and blogger Valpone knows firsthand about the connection between food and well-being. Once sick herself with a variety of ailments, she offers her insights on the natural lifestyle that she says healed her and the rationale for going allergen free. There’s a plan here for a 21-day elimination diet, as well as a cornucopia of recipes—many of which reflect the current trends on health-conscious blogs—including spiralized veggie noodles, raw tarts, and baked oatmeal. Some of the entrees, such as the Pumpkin Enchiladas with Moo-Free Cashew Sour Cream and mini-black-rice-and-almond sliders verge on too-technical for a weekday. Yet there are plenty of quicker options, such as the requisite grain-free brownies and no-soy chickpea miso soup. Pure inventiveness shines through in breadless coconut vanilla French toast, Perfect Pumpkin Gelato, and curried maple hummus, making this book a valuable resource for those that don’t want to give up excitement along with their toxic substances. Photos.

February 15, 2016
Persevering through a battery of physicians and restructuring her food intake totally, Valpone achieved complete relief from chronic illness that had dogged and debilitated her for years. Causes of her poor health appeared to center on systemic accumulation of heavy metals and Lyme disease, among other disorders. To blaze a trail back to good health, Valpone successfully cleansed her body of toxins and jettisoned dairy products and gluten. She also rejected processed foods and anything pulled from a can. This sort of diet demands home cooking for virtually every meal. In the process, Valpone became expert at finding foods that met her requirements for both good health and satisfying flavors. She sought out obscure, nonstandard ingredients that promised anti-inflammatory benefits. The hundreds of recipes she advances may repudiate whole classes of edibles, but she is meticulous to keep her cooking flavorful and appealing by including many carefully sourced nuts, seeds, oils, fruits and vegetables.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)