Customer Reviews

Fresh Choices : More than 100 Easy Recipes for Pure Food When You Can't Buy 100% Organic

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
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I bought this book based on the great reviews. They were not wrong! This book is like the bible for buying food. Anyone who is concerned about what they are putting into their bodies should buy this book. This book is not only a recipe book, but a history book of how our food has evolved today. I only wish I had this kind of information before I started feeding my babies some of the highest pesticide foods out there. From here on out, I will use the knowledge I've gained from this book and do better for my family. After reading this, I cannot help but feel that the FDA is extremely lax with the food industry and what they allow to be put on our dinner tables. Buy this book, it will be the best money you've ever spent!

Fresh Choices has a lot of great information about food issues, like pesticide use, genetically engineered food, irradiation, food labeling, etc. Good information all in one place, quite the education if you're not in the know.

What I loved most was the recipes. I've only made a few so far, but it's the kind of cookbook you love to sit and read because everything sounds so good. The recipes don't take forever to prepare, the ingredients aren't terribly exotic, but the results are very flavorful and original. My family really liked the Orange Ginger Beef Stir Fry -- even the fussy 4-year-old who hates everything. The writers seem to be able to approach old stand-bys and give them a fresh twist. There are quite a few snacks and appetizers that seem to be geared toward kids, but there are also selections for the more sophisticated palate.

I was never really one for healthy eating, and I didn't know a thing about organic food, until a friend recommended this book. Ever since reading this, I'm much more careful about the produce and seafood I eat, and I will only order meat out if I have some sense of where it's coming from. By no means was I a true believer in this lifestyle until now, and I've been eating healthier ever since I picked it up - healthier both for me and the environment.

Americans in particular have become completely disconnected from the food-growing process. What most people don't know is what fruits and vegetables tend to be grown with the most produce, which can cause problems down the road. People don't tend to know which seafood is caught in ways that will soon deplete species and destroy ecoysytems. And people don't tend to want to think of conditions that animals are raised in.

This book is two parts education, one part food preparation. The education component is the most impactful, especially for someone like me with no previous understanding of the material. The recipes also look outstanding, with many useful food preparation tips.

For anyone who ever thought about eating more organic foods but didn't know where to begin, this book is where to begin. And for those who never considered it, challenge yourself to a new point of view.

Joachim and Davis' want to "steer you in the direction of the purest and safest meats, poultry, seafood, and dairy products." They say, "Options like pasture-raised chicken, grass-fed beef and RBGH-free milk are increasingly available in local food markets." (They aren't in most small town grocers, but with an informative book like this one hopes grocers will take the incentive and provide them.) The authors also recommend substitutes for those foods they don't recommend, such as switching from Atlantic cod to Alaskan Pollock, hook-and-line caught cod, or sable fish. It's not a book to be glanced at. The authors talk seriously about food processing, pesticides and more. They also use humor when pointing out facts. Highly Recommended.

Brenda @ MyShelf.Com

If you're like me, you're baffled by the confusing and often contradictory information about pesticides in food, genetically modified foods, mercury in fish, certified organics, and the like. The more I read, the dizzier I get. Fresh Choices is helping me sort out all of the complicated and scientific information about these issues. It does so in an easy to read manner, and it serves as a tool for me, the primary shopper in the family who wants to make sound, healthy choices about the food that goes on my table. I was particularly inspired by the profiles about people who have made a difference in the areas of health and the environment; from highly visible individuals to those working quietly behind the scenes.

Fresh Choices has quickly become one of my favorite cookbooks. It's a great blend of delicious recipies and important information to know as the grocery shopper and primary cook for my family. I've learned a lot about which fruits and vegetables have the least pesticide residues and how to choose meats and seafood that are low in toxins. The easy to follow, yet delicious recipies have been a big hit at my dinner table and I am confident I am making more healthful choices for my family at the grocery store. Every home should have a copy of this cookbook!

I have purchased four of these books for friends and family. I also used it in a class that I taught. It is an easy read and filled with life changing info. I would recommend this book as one of my favorites!