My email is flooded with PR representatives requesting reviews of health books about the latest diet trends. I delete the majority of those emails, because diets don’t work. All anyone needs is regular sleep, plenty of exercise, and a major overhaul of how they view food. It sounds simple, but learning how to live joyously is a difficult process that demands a lot of soul-searching.
Joy McCarthy’s new book, Joyous Health: Eat and Live Well Without Dieting, simply breaks down the basics of creating healthy meals, choosing the right ingredients, and learning how to live a joyful life. McCarthy is a Canada-based holistic nutritionist with a food blog, Joyous Health. The first half of her book is a fascinating read about nutrition without the scientific jargon, from which most people should be able to adapt various lessons to their lifestyles. The second half of the book is dedicated to recipes, including a carrot cake smoothie, coconut flour banana pancakes, and double-chocolate gluten-free cookies. In addition, “Joyous Tips” are sprinkled throughout the book. (One tip explains the difference between the use of chia and flax seeds.)
Following the quinoa berry bowl recipe on page 142, I took McCarthy’s advice about using seasonal fruit and used a chopped yellow Alphonso mango, since berries aren’t in season for another few weeks. If you cook the quinoa and chop the fruit ahead of time, you can make this simple recipe after a morning workout just as fast as a smoothie.
Diet trends come and go, because their short-term results can initially seem successful. As McCarthy explains in her book, real lifestyle changes are difficult at first, but the benefits are joyful and lifelong.
Joyous Health publishes May 6, 2014; you can pre-order your copy today. Meanwhile get the recipe for McCarthy’s Mango Bowl (originally Berry Bowl) at Parade.com.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of Joyous Living: Eat and Live Well Without Dieting by Joy McCarthy through Pintail, a division of Penguin USA.