‘Superfoods for Dummies’ – Book Review
What can you expect from the book
In all honesty I was wondering how you could fill a whole book with just superfoods and keep it interesting. Don’t get me wrong, I love superfoods as part of a diet, but can a book be written on the subject without just becoming just a series of nutritional comparisons? This could get a little bit dull after 300 plus pages. Unlike other publications and internet-based resources, ‘Superfoods for Dummies’ doesn’t just supply you with a long list of superfoods, then pat you on the back and wish you well, oh no – the writers Brent Agin and Shereen Jegtvig have manage to supply you with a whole resource for explaining not only superfoods, but a healthier way of eating. Yes, you do get a list of superfoods with full information, but you also get shown how to introduce them into your life, with recipe ideas, shopping tips and even advice on growing your own superfoods.
Does it work?
I never like books or websites that tell you to change your lives without really covering the reasons why. It’s all very well to say you have to eat this and eat that and don’t eat the other, but if you don’t give people proper education then the change, in my experience, will never last.
Brent and Shereen manage to give a light hearted and easily digestible (excuse the pun – Beeble) overview of how your body works and what it needs to live a healthy life. Even if you are not interested in superfoods this book will still give a you complete overview of what your body needs and why. If you want to lose weight then it is essential that you learn more about your body and if you are not interested in getting a biology degree to do so, then this book will give you a great foundation for your new regime. By having this solid foundation it will enable you to introduce superfoods to your diet more easily with a greater chance of success.
Other topics
There is so much in this book and the authors have managed to keep it interesting throughout. Some of the topics they cover are as follows:
- Losing weight on superfoods
- Benefits to your health
- Supplements
- Getting your family to enjoy superfoods
- Shopping for superfoods
- Preparation and preserving superfoods
- Recipes including superfoods
- Top ten superfoods
Bad points
As you can probably tell I really enjoyed reading this book, it has actually taken me a while as I didn’t just skim read it once (a first for me!). However there was one point that I wish was different and it wasn’t the authors fault. There are not enough pictures! Now I am not asking for a comic strip or pop up book but when you are talking about foods it helps to see colour pictures of them in all their glory. It would certainly make them more appealing to the reader. This may be just me but if you follow a recipe I always like to know what it is supposed to turn out like. A nice colour photo of each recipe would have been a real benefit in this case.
Summary
Don’t buy this book as a cook book but do buy it if you want to make a real long term change to your health, weight and lifestyle. It will give you a great foundation to make healthy choices for your body and it is this new knowledge that will help you to maintain your lifestyle change. Time to introduce superfoods to your diet? We think so.
