Customer Reviews

The Healing Power of Whole Foods

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book after I began to think that, despite how healthy I THOUGHT I was eating, certain health problems I was suffering from including borderline obesity, recurrent infections, and skin problems (for the latter two doctors told me there was nothing that could be done) were at least in part nutrition related (the rest I believe is stress). The explanations as to why one should cut out refined carbohydrates (i.e. white flour, white rice, all sugars, etc.) were good and made sense even to a nutrition/biology newbie, but I have read more in depth explanations on the web. The author's extensive lists of what is okay and what is not okay to eat make shopping for the whole foods lifestyle and label reading easy. The recipes have been great though I have had to alter a few a little (like adding more oil to the banana bread recipe) to my own taste, and there are tons of recipes. While I felt that a "perfect" whole foods was diet was a little unrealistic for me and my family, I (and my whole family) have been following a "liberal" whole foods diet with great ease and success. My skin is clearing up, the infections have lessened in frequency and intensity, and I have lost 15 pounds in the 4 months that I have been following a "liberal" whole foods diet. I wonder what would happen to my health if I followed a "perfect" whole foods diet! Even if you think you are healthy now and think you eat well, get this book, after reading it you will be amazed to find out that you may have thought wrong, and this book gives you great tools to do something about it!

I suppose this book is an acceptable first step for someone eating the standard American diet (SAD), but it is a first step only and using "whole foods" in the title is midleading. For example, the book includes recipes with ingredients such as eggwhite powder, non-fat and lowfat yogurt, whole wheat pastry flour, etc. in the recipes, none of which are "whole foods" but are actually "processed" or "refined" foods. There is also too much focus on "low fat". There is some decent ELEMENTARY advice about eliminating the "bad" (refined) fats and sugars, alcohol and caffeine, but nothing you couldn't find easily on the internet. There is too much scientific information out there now about how crucial whole, raw fats are for brain, nerve and endocrine function to advocate the above mentioned "refined" foods. A better cook book is "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig, PhD., which has many recipes and is packed with up-to-date nutritional information about fats and goes beyond the elementary info in this book to discuss the importance of raw dairy, lacto-fermentation and other important nutritional subjects.

The Healing Power of Whole Foods is a real treasure, a powerful book that can help your health. I have used this book to help reverse my chronic health condition of two decades duration. The Perfect Whole Foods Diet described in this book is unique among all the different diets I have tried. The Perfect Diet has a very strong healing ability, and going on this diet can often be enough to resolve certain chronic symptoms or illnesses. It requires the total elimination of refined carbohydrates, and Beth gives excellent instructions for following it. Only by following this diet was I able to see how different foods I was accustomed to eating were damaging my health! This book and diet have provided such effective help for my health that I promote both the diet and the book to everyone I know. Don't miss out on the chance to really improve your health and feeling excellent. The Healing Power of Whole Foods is a wonderful resource for health.

Beth's book is full of ideas, recipes, and information about natural foods that you WILL use! Beth's easy to understand and inspirational book is a must for those wanting to learn every aspect of the basics of eating and healing through whole foods

This book offers hope for those with chronic health problems. The book is very specific and detailed about what is and is not recommended to eat. Lots of recipes are included.

I am on the Perfect Whole Foods diet and this book is a "god-send". It is filled with wonderful recipes and advice for someone wanting to heal their intestinal tract with diet. It has "revolutionized" my view of foods and given me fun challenges in the kitchen.