Fight Inflammation
Inflammation is good and bad: Good when it’s fighting off threats like viruses and bacteria, and healing damaged tissue. But bad when it reaches a chronic state, leading to allergies, aches and pains, digestion issues, and even diseases like cancer and heart disease. Anti-Inflammatory Drinks for Health (Adams, 2019), by Happy Healthy Mama blogger Maryea Flaherty, is filled with 100 smoothies, shots and broths packed with foods and nutrients scientifically proven to reduce inflammation. Try a Turmeric Smoothie, Celery Sunshine Juice or Rosemary Coconut Cooler.
Asian-Style Vegan
Many classic Asian dishes call for meat, fish sauce or butter. So, what’s a vegan and Asian food lover to do? In East Meets Vegan (The Experiment, 2019), vegan food blogger Sasha Gill has “veganized” 90 classic Asian dishes from India, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, China and Japan. “I want everyone to be able to enjoy the amazing food Asia has to offer,” she writes. “This book isn’t about restriction…it’s a celebration of plant foods and all the amazing things they can do.” Recipes include Butter Bean Tikka Curry, Pineapple Fried Rice and Miso Caramel Eggplant.
Body Positive
Like 67 percent of American women, Maggie Battista has struggled with health, weight and self-image. In her new book A New Way to Food (Roost, 2019), the cookbook author and founder of online food shop eatboutique.com shares 100 mainly dairy-free, plant-based recipes that helped her find her way to good health and losing weight. Recipes include Spring Roll Salad, Potato Zucchini Dumplings with Green Sauce and Spicy Zucchini Spaghetti. The book is also a personal memoir, filled with stories, tips, mantras and routines from Maggie’s journey of reconciling with food.
Clean Eating
In her latest book, The Clean Plate (Grand Central, 2019), actress and best-selling author Gwyneth Paltrow writes, “For me, the most powerful reset button is food. I don’t know any magic bullets, but eating clean comes close.” The book is a collection of 100-plus “clean” recipes, free of dairy, gluten, nightshades, peanuts, red meat, soy, and processed foods or sugars. Highlights include Cucumber and Avocado Gazpacho, Peruvian Chicken Cauli Rice Soup and Crunchy Spring Veggie Grain Bowl. It also features six weeklong cleanses by some of Paltrow’s favorite medical practitioners, incorporating recipes from the book.