Living Beyond Organic: nutritional knowledge redefined! [Hardcover]

Christina Avaness (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2009

Part lifestyle, part cookbook, Living Beyond Organic teaches the reader what to eat, how best to prepare it, and why. Based on the ancient healing art of Raphaology Medicine which involves the study of phyto-nutrients (plant medicine), LBO provides the reader with true nutritional understanding and knowledge of how to eat to both regain and maintain optimum health. With its 21 day menu and recipes, along with a list of what to have in your kitchen and what to remove, the book makes the transition to the Living Beyond Organic Lifestyle exceedingly simple. The interweaving of the author's own family's story adds an effective personal element to the book. This is the first in a series of Living Beyond Organic books.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Christina Avaness, Living Beyond Organic: Nutritional Knowledge Redefined (Tiara Publishing, Jan.)

Age: 45

Reminds us of: Andrew Weil, if he believed in the Egyptian art of Raphaology medicine

Signature dish: Bison lettuce wraps with spicy dipping sauce

Bio: Avaness helped her husband recover from a heart attack at age 48 through natural healing. He lowered his LDL cholesterol through healthy eating, and Avaness learned so much about the process she wrote a book about it. This will be the first volume of a series.

Why she's got it: Avaness is outgoing and mediagenic; she'll begin filming a TV show, The Food Alchemist, in spring '09, teaches cooking classes in the L.A. -- Publishers Weekly, Sept 15, 2008

From the Publisher

Christina Avaness, Living Beyond Organic: Nutritional Knowledge Redefined (Tiara Publishing, Jan.)

Age: 45

Reminds us of: Andrew Weil, if he believed in the Egyptian art of Raphaology medicine

Signature dish: Bison lettuce wraps with spicy dipping sauce

Bio: Avaness helped her husband recover from a heart attack at age 48 through natural healing. He lowered his LDL cholesterol through healthy eating, and Avaness learned so much about the process she wrote a book about it. This will be the first volume of a series.

Why she's got it: Avaness is outgoing and mediagenic; she'll begin filming a TV show, The Food Alchemist, in spring '09, teaches cooking classes in the L.A.

- Publishers Weekly, Sept 15, 2008

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: Tiara Publishing; 1 edition (January 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0981589200
• ISBN-13: 978-0981589206
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #214,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #50 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Organic Cooking

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Because It's Organic Doesn't Mean it's Good For You!, March 18, 2009

By 

Dani S. "Wisdom Seeker" (Simi Valley, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living Beyond Organic: nutritional knowledge redefined! (Hardcover)

If you are serious about restoring your energy and ultimately your health, this book is an easy to understand guide to nutrional enlightenment. I have been following the program for almost 2 years. I have experienced (with medical proof) how "peak" foods boost the bodies ability to restore it's proper function. Following the suggestions in this book in combination with a knowledgable herbalist has successfully resolved conditions that left untreated would have lead to potentially very serious health conditions. If garbage in, garbage out means anything to you...give this book serious consideration. The website and your local health food store will carry just about every ingredient in the recipes provided. Every recipe is unique & delicious!! Once you get the hang of it, you can begin creating your own peak recipes...delicious, nourishing food! All I can say is please provide more!!!!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Specious Information, August 29, 2010

By 

whatwhat (new york city, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living Beyond Organic: nutritional knowledge redefined! (Hardcover)

THE BAD: While her complete lack of credentials (yes, I'm not counting mother and wife, as her bio states) shouldn't necessarily exclude her from writing what is essentially a nutrition book, this red flag only waved higher as I read what was a (hopefully) well intentioned but specious account on what constitutes the optimal healthful diet. I say hopefully well intentioned because the shilling of Absolute Vodka, Coors Light Beer (in a description that seemed written by a P.R. person) and the continuous reference to and use of RealSalt throughout the book and in the majority of recipes, made me suspect that this book is a prop for at least one of these products.

The bottom line is that there are a lot of bold claims but not much reasoning, research, cited studies, or examination beyond personal experience to support many of the statements made. Perhaps the best example of this shaky ground is when she claims that all varieties of bell peppers are bad for you. Ok, I'm listening....and then gives the reason for this that she once had the worst case of food poisoning ever from a ham, cheese and roasted pepper sandwich. Um...? For all she or we know the culprit could have been the ham, or the cheese, or the spread, or whatever meal she ate before that. Roasted red peppers make me nauseous and so I avoid them, but I don't write a book based on my personal experience with them. Nor should anyone. The author tells us to eliminate a lot of foods, but sometimes the suggested replacements are worrisome. For example, she suggests Sucanant but not Agave syrup for sugar and apparently hasn't heard of Steel Cut Oats in place of oatmeal. Why doesn't she know about these? It made me wonder what else she doesn't know about.



THE GOOD: There are many statements made as fact, i.e.: black pepper is bad for you, only use loose tea because tea bags are bleached, oatmeal is bad for you, carrots are bad for you, and on and on. Absolutely no research is used to support these claims. An unintelligent reader would take these many claims as fact, but an intelligent reader could use them as springboards for research. For example, I looked into the packaged tea bags I buy and found that, as I assumed of the company that makes them, they use no bleach in the bags. I'm glad I know for sure now, but if I blindly followed her "facts" I would have simply stopped using this product.

Some of the recipes look enticing, although many of them use the same ingredients and spices repeatedly. And the overall message of increased health and attention to your food is one that is welcome in this country. It's probable that 80% of people are eating much worse than what she suggests, so following this book could only be an improvement. (However, this is a very narrow view of nutrition in terms of actual foods used an suggested, so support this reading with other books and research.)



BTW: The reviewer who inferred that the author is basically saying organic food is an unnecessary rip-off either did not read the book or is engaging in wishful thinking. Her recipes specifically call for organic products, and she clearly states that organic produce has superior nutrition. The author's point is that, just as someone can be still be vegan on an unhealthy diet of french fries, someone can also consider themselves "organic" but manage to select and prepare the crappiest food available at the grocery store. Think "beyond" organic, not "instead of" organic. Duh!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Living Beyond Organic, March 10, 2009

By 

Bacamichi "Bacamichi" (San Diego, Ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living Beyond Organic: nutritional knowledge redefined! (Hardcover)

This book gives the reader an incredible amount of unknown information regarding the organic world. It also explains the rip-offs and products that you do not need to spend the extra money on just because it is labeled "organic'. A money saver!