A Life in Balance: Delicious Plant-based Recipes for Optimal Health [Paperback]

Meg Wolff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 16, 2010

The first title in Down East Books' 'Best Maine Food' series, this inspirational cookbook proves that good food fosters good health. When conventional medical treatments couldn't stop Meg Wolff's breast cancer in 1998, doctors told her to prepare her soul. Instead, she began a diet based on whole grains, vegetables and beans - and started getting better. Now vibrantly healthy, Meg is living proof that changing your diet can indeed save your life. This cookbook is full of Meg's easy, delicious recipes and information to help inspire readers to eat better, and live better. Contains recipes from a variety of contributors including NBA great John Salley and Dr. Neal Barnard, head of the Physicians for Responsible Medicine.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A Life in Balance .Meg, after enduring the loss of her leg to bone cancer, and her breasts to a radical mastectomy when the cancer returned, decided to take it upon herself to search for answers that were far away from the traditional treatments of chemotherapy and radiation, both of which did not leave her with a particularly hopeful outlook for future years of disease-free happiness. Twelve years later, Meg has more than survived the illness which doctors predicted would take her life in a matter of months. Meg is thriving now, because she had nothing whatsoever to lose by adopting a plan for a plant-based diet, eschewing animal proteins and fats; sugars and other dubious sweeteners; and conveniently processed foods which taste great when you are stressed and in a hurry to be fed, but do not properly nourish. From this simple, yet radical dietary and lifestyle change, Meg has written A Life in Balance - Delicious Plant-Based Recipes for Optimal Health. With an emphasis on Asian ingredients which have proven to benefit the longevity of women on the Pacific Rim, Meg presents recipes which embrace whole grains; vegetables, herbs, and fruits; legumes; seaweeds; natural sweeteners; and soy products. Many of the recipes are not particularly difficult to prepare. Squashed Adzuki, a mash of four easy-enough-to-find ingredients, will be making its debut on my table very soon. Meg also presents dishes from such notable authors as Rip Esselstyn, creator of the popular 28-Day Engine 2 Diet; and Rory Freedman of the Skinny Bitch series of cookbooks. With so many varied dishes, there is no reason to be bored. The cookbook even presents some very unique and satisfying recipes for the sweet tooth in you. Yes, you can have your treat and eat it, too. . -Susan Wolfe, www.thewellseasonedcook.blogspot.com, 12/8/10

.Wolff's recipes range from black bean and cornbread casserole to pasta dishes, but plants are at the heart of this Maine resident's guidelines for eating toward health and healing. She feels strongly that a diet based on whole plant foods - that means eating primarily whole grains, beans & vegetables, no processed foods & sugar - is the path to healthy living, and credits her largely macrobiotic lifestyle to better health following two grave cancer diagnoses. Part of her message is that diet can dramatically increase your quality of life, especially for those with a life-threatening disease, and plants, rich as they are in healing compounds that fight cancer, are the conduit. They also make for delicious, colorful dishes that are hard even for confirmed carnivores to resist. Of course, we love Wolff's passion for wild blueberries; blues grace the cover of her new book, and she is an advocate of using them in delicious ways, including in fruit salads, cakes, and vinaigrettes. . - Editor, Wild Blueberry Association of North America Blog, http://www.wildblueberryhealthblog.com/2011/01/veggie-love-m 01/19/2011

.A Life In Balance is Meg Wolff's third book, this time a cookbook with a collection of easy, approachable plant-based recipes. For anyone who is new to a plant-based diet, or just trying to increase plant-based foods in their daily meals, Meg's cookbook is a terrific introduction. . .This compact cookbook, published by Down East, offers over 120 easy to follow recipes, including 31 recipes from guest contributors, including Rory Freedman, bestselling author of Skinny Bitch, Rip Esselstyn, author of The Engine 2 Diet, and John Salley, three-time NBA champion. . -Jeannette, Jeannette's Healthy Living Blog, http://jeanetteshealthyliving.blogspot.com/2010/11/meg-wolff 11/30/2010

About the Author

Meg Wolff is an expert on healthy eating and her blog, becomingwhole2.com, draws 2000 readers a week.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Down East Books (December 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892729066
• ISBN-13: 978-0892729067
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,013 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Way To Start A Plant-Based Diet, December 1, 2010

By 

Jeanette L Chen - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Life in Balance: Delicious Plant-based Recipes for Optimal Health (Paperback)

For a complete review with photos of recipes I tried from A Life In Balance, please visit: [...]

I first came across Meg Wolff at the Huffington Post where she writes regularly, featuring stories about the positive impact of a plant-based diet on health, as well as anticancer recipes.
A Life In Balance is Meg Wolff's third book, this time a cookbook with a collection of easy, approachable plant-based recipes. For anyone who is new to a plant-based diet, or just trying to increase plant-based foods in their daily meals, Meg's cookbook is a terrific introduction.

Meg Wolff, a two-time cancer survivor (first bone cancer, then breast cancer), switched to a plant-based diet 12 years ago, after doctors gave her virtually no hope (she endured a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation).

This compact cookbook, published by Down East, offers over 120 easy to follow recipes, including 31 recipes from guest contributors, including Rory Freedman, bestselling author of Skinny Bitch, Rip Esselstyn, author of The Engine 2 Diet, and John Salley, three-time NBA champion.

The foreword is written by Dr. Colin Campbell, author of "The China Study," a study which provides scientific information on the overwhelming health benefits of eating a plant-based diet. Dr. Campbell writes, "Meg's book tells a real-life example of the power of a plant-based diet, not only to prevent but also to reverse chronic disease. We are reaching a tipping point, and a critical mass of success stories like Meg's is accumulating."

As Meg notes in her introduction, it only takes small steps to add up to better health over time. The recipes are easy to follow and range from basic recipes for beginners like Amazingly-Good-For-You Brown Rice and Oven-Roasted Veggies, to more adventurous recipes such as Black Bean and Corn Bread Casserole, and Sweet Potato and Arame Salad with Asian-Style Tartar Sauce. Sprinkled throughout the book are helpful tips, variations on recipes and notes, such as "Even Small Changes Can Make A Difference" and "Snacking Strategies."

The recipes are divided into seven sections: Grains, Bean and Bean Products (tofu, tempeh, seitan), Vegetables, Soups, Sea Vegetables, Salads, and Snacks and Desserts. I chose a handful of recipes to try, including several with ingredients I had either never tried before or was not that familiar with, such as delicata squash, arame, and tempeh. I also made a few recipes which were much more familiar, including Lemony Hummus and Glazed Brussel Sprouts.

I have to say that I was not a tempeh fan until I tried the recipe for Good Egg Café Tempeh Hash (contributed by Mary Ledue Paine, owner of The Pepperclub/Good Egg Café in Portland, Maine). This dish is one of Meg Wolff's favorite treats when she dines at this cafe, and now I know why. Another taste-altering dish was the Glazed Brussels Sprouts.

My 8-year old, who is not a brussels sprout fan, liked the sweet glaze on the sautéed brussels sprouts (he also gobbled up half of the Lemony Hummus as an afternoon snack). All of the recipes were easy to follow, and I was thrilled by the end of my mini cook fest to have an assortment of dishes to choose from for several meals to come.

I love Meg's inspirational and encouraging tone throughout her book. The clear and easy to follow recipes make taking steps towards a plant-based diet completely within reach.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The How of The China Study, December 7, 2010

By 

Veggie Vixen (Way Down South) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Life in Balance: Delicious Plant-based Recipes for Optimal Health (Paperback)

Dr. Campbell's world-rocking book The China Study tells you WHY you should switch entirely to a plant-based diet, and Wolff's book tells you HOW. This is not only a collection of SAFE recipes, but it's a collection of DELICIOUS recipes as well! I'm not going to lie: eating this way can be a challenge at first when we are used to comparably fast, processed foods, but after a few months of applying yourself, you get to the point where the old way of eating is no longer satisfying or even as tasty as the new way. Gone is the meat and dairy, gone is the sugar, and gone are the diseases of affluence that are associated with them. To say the trade off is well worth it is a grand understatement. I started eating this way when I was diagnosed, at 38, with pancreatic cancer. I have a young child and a child with special needs. I had no risk factors whatsoever. That was a year and a half ago. I'm a Christian, and I truly believe that for whatever reason, God led me to macrobiotics (a plant-based diet). Folks, I am alive, kicking, and feeling great! Plus, I'm gorgeous: my skin is tight, has a glow, and no one can believe I'm almost 40. People say I look like I'm in my 20's or early 30's. That wasn't my goal, but OKAY! :-) And I have become more grateful, which is something we could all stand to become. Sugar is sweet, but life is sweeter, and a life in balance is a beautiful privilege indeed. Don't miss the gift of life, and don't miss Wolff's books!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply balanced, June 5, 2011

By 

Jennifer Desrosiers (Falmouth, ME United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Life in Balance: Delicious Plant-based Recipes for Optimal Health (Paperback)

I love this cookbook. I have tried many of the recipes and love them all so far. My fourteen year old daughter has declared the Vegan Pad Thai her "favorite food ever" and Tom's Irish Fried Rice has become a lunch staple in our house. I had been searching for an egg-free, delicious fried rice recipe for a long time, but I'm done looking now that I have this book! The Summery Quinoa Salad is super yummy and a great way to get in lots of veggies without complicated cooking. I disagree with the reviewer who said the recipes are too basic. For me, who had to turn to veganism for health reasons, opening the book to the recipe for simple brown rice was a relief that allowed me to confidently say "You can do this!" And I have! A couple of ingredients I was unfamiliar with at first (shoyu, kombu)but after finding them and using them successfully, they are regulars in my cooking now. Throughout the book Meg has inserted tips about how to introduce more beans into your diet and how to deal with sugar cravings (the blueberry cake in this book will win over anyone!). I'm finding myself turning to this book over and over as I get more and more comfortable with a plant-based diet. Of all my new cookbooks that I have acquired in the last year since giving up meat and dairy, this one could very well be my favorite. Weird, indeed, but the author's genuineness is so present in the pages I almost feel as if a true friend is right there in my kitchen with me, encouraging me to stay on track. Love this book.