book reviews
Creating Healthy and Delicious Cuisine
In Yogi in the Kitchen (Avery Books, 2004), author Elaine Gavalas tackles both how you use your body and what you put into it, presenting healthy recipes accompanied by yoga moves and poses that aid digestion. So, while you’re preparing healthy food, you’re preparing yourself to eat and enjoy it. Gavalas, a yoga instructor and nutritionist who also wrote the Yoga Minibook series (Fireside), begins by providing sensible, solid nutrition and diet basics. The recipes are simple and familiar: veggie lasagna, berry-soymilk smoothies, curries, pasta dishes, and the like. You plan your meal; then, while the supper simmers, you stretch your body. Some recommended poses massage the stomach and intestines, others help relieve heartburn or abdominal gas. Yogi in the Kitchen is a fine primer (though highly experienced cooks and yogis might not be dazzled). It demonstrates clearly the holistic connection between your mind and body and how you fuel them.
—Leslie Gilbert Elman
People living with cancer and cancer survivors often feel like they are missing key information for their health—specifically what they should be eating. The emphasis is always on what they shouldn’t be eating. In One Bite at a Time (Ten Speed Press, 2005) Rebecca Katz creates everything from simple soups and chicken potpie to a fruit crisp with the intention of nourishing people with cancer, survivors, and their caregivers. The simple and well-balanced recipes include notes on preparation methods and key ingredients. Chapters devoted to “How Friends and Family can Help,” and “Nutrition at a Glance” round-out the already nutritious and delicious book.
