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Clean Cuisine: An 8-Week Anti-Inflammatory Diet that Will Change the Way You Age, Look & Feel
What you eat matters more than how much you eat.
There is a diet and exercise plan that covers all the bases—food we should eat and food that tastes good; what is best for our bodies and what is easily doable in the real world—all while offering hunger-free weight loss. Developed by Andrew Larson, M.D. and certified Heath Fitness Specialist Ivy Larson, Clean Cuisine is scientifically proven to reverse diabetes, improve cholesterol and blood pressure, and ease the symptoms of other inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, asthma, allergies, and arthritis.
Broken down into eight easy steps and spread over the course of eight weeks, Clean Cuisine will enable readers to transform their bodies one delicious meal at a time by adopting an anti-inflammatory diet and choosing unrefined foods in their most natural, whole state.
With guilt-free, delicious recipes and a workout program that has been proven to deliver substantial results with just three 30-minute sessions a week, Clean Cuisine is the long-term answer to eating for optimal health, disease prevention, weight loss, vitality, longevity, and good taste.
There is a diet and exercise plan that covers all the bases—food we should eat and food that tastes good; what is best for our bodies and what is easily doable in the real world—all while offering hunger-free weight loss. Developed by Andrew Larson, M.D. and certified Heath Fitness Specialist Ivy Larson, Clean Cuisine is scientifically proven to reverse diabetes, improve cholesterol and blood pressure, and ease the symptoms of other inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, asthma, allergies, and arthritis.
Broken down into eight easy steps and spread over the course of eight weeks, Clean Cuisine will enable readers to transform their bodies one delicious meal at a time by adopting an anti-inflammatory diet and choosing unrefined foods in their most natural, whole state.
With guilt-free, delicious recipes and a workout program that has been proven to deliver substantial results with just three 30-minute sessions a week, Clean Cuisine is the long-term answer to eating for optimal health, disease prevention, weight loss, vitality, longevity, and good taste.
472 pages, Hardcover
First published December 31, 2012
80 people are currently reading
207 people want to read
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July 24, 2013I was already a strong proponent of real, whole foods before opening this book, but I was interested in the clean eating approach and the anti-inflammatory diet because of some digestive issues I've been fighting for a couple of years. I'm only weeks into following the guidelines in this book, and it will likely be a few months before I know if this approach is the answer for me so I can't speak to its efficacy per se — but I can share my top impressions of, and responses to, the book's content. I'll review the nutrition and exercise components of the book separately.
Nutrition
1. If you are just getting started in the world of whole foods, this book is an excellent choice. It gives a broad, comprehensive overview of our cultural understanding of "healthy eating," our modern dietary habits, and our reliance on processed food — and it speaks to why we need to shift our perspective. If, however, you're already well informed in this area, you already eat vegan a couple of days each week, and/or you live in Portland, you might feel like the authors are preaching at you. The content is extremely repetitive, and their use of "Clean Cuisine" as a proper noun — when another noun, like "clean eating" or "whole foods eating" would have been sufficient — feels rather pompous and off-putting.
2. Because the intended audience for this book is people who are new to the world of clean eating, the implementation plan for the diet is presented in phases over an eight-week period. This is fantastic for the intended audience but rather inaccessible to the rest of us. I wanted to dive into week 8 from the get-go, and to do so, I had to read through all eight weeks and jot down the changes from each week so I could make a summation. I respect that they don't want to overwhelm people who are just getting started; that gentle approach is so needed. But it would be helpful if they had an addendum that summarizes all of the nutrition changes, supplements, exercise, and other practices/tips in one place.
3. My favorite thing about this book is the incredible amount of freedom that the authors give you in crafting your eating plan. Their advice is deeply sane, and they even admit that vegan cheese is not good. (There are some very tasty vegan cheeses out there, but let's be real for a moment: That is not cheese. It's something else altogether.) Still want to eat meat every day? Go for it, but try to eat vegan the rest of the day, and make sure your choices are pastured, organic meats. Hate steel-cut oats? Try brown rice for breakfast instead. Don't like spinach salad? Use other lettuces for lunch, and try cooked spinach with dinner.
4. The recipes live up to the hype. They promise flavorful clean meals and they deliver. I never had the misconception that clean/vegan meals were dull and tasteless, so they didn't need to sell me on this, but it's handy to have a quick reference of recipes right in the book — especially for green smoothies and breakfast smoothies (of which you can never have too many variations, in my opinion). I especially loved their tip to make chopped salads — and you don't need a $30+ mezzaluna to do it. A chef's knife works quite well.
5. To make this way of eating work for you, you will need a high-powered blender. There's really no way around it. The authors recommend a variety of other equipment — like the mezzaluna — but don't get overwhelmed. Put your pennies toward a Vitamix and ignore the rest.
Exercise
I will preface by saying that this is where the book fell apart for me. If I could go back in time, I would just skip this chapter altogether, because after reading it, it was difficult not to throw the baby out with the bathwater (and throw this book into the library donations pile). But I knew that the nutrition information was solid, so I can still recommend this book for that purpose while wishing that they had simply stopped at chapter 7.
1. The authors give so much freedom in the nutrition section and then offer zero freedom in exercise. No other workouts are acceptable, and they make snide remarks about other approaches to fitness. That gave me a bad taste in my mouth from the get-go. Anyone who has ever gone to the gym, taken a fitness class, or even walked around the block knows that you'll never do a form of exercise you don't enjoy. Exercise is where we need the most freedom, not the least.
2. The tone of this section is incredibly condescending and, frankly, a bit insulting. They present their exercise regiment as the only acceptable form of exercise (and if that isn't a red flag to you, it should be) and then go on to provide the scientific evidence for this claim — but many of the conclusions that they draw are associative, the examples they mention are anecdotal, and/or the connections they draw are misleading. For example, they make several digs at marathon runners, and then talk about how low-intensity, steady cardio isn't the way to burn fat or strengthen your body. I don't know how many marathon runners you know, but all of the ones I know are constantly pushing themselves — running high-intensity intervals, pushing for a faster mile pace, etc. If they want to make a case that a brisk walk around the neighborhood isn't doing much to help you (and they do say that directly — and I have more thoughts on this below), that's fine, but don't drag serious athletes into your argument. And furthermore, when was the last time you met a marathon runner, master swimmer, distance cyclist, triathlete, etc. who didn't have a strong, lean body? It's absurd to discourage these people from doing the exercise they are passionate about, and by doing so, you risk alienating them from a nutrition plan that could harmonize beautifully with their athletic training.
3. There is substantial evidence that having an active life is just as, if not more, important to cardiovascular health than doing intense workouts. And yet the authors don't speak to this at all and, in fact, contradict that research altogether and completely discount the value of brisk walks, bike riding, etc. Their tone is belittling when they speak of these activities. I know that we've all played the "oh, I walked to the mailbox today, so I can totally eat that cookie" card, but at the same time, you can't substitute 90 minutes of weekly exercise for intentionally being active in your daily life. There needs to be balance here. I completely agree that optimal fat burning does not occur during a 20-minute walk around the neighborhood — but that walk likely had countless other health benefits, and activity is always better than non-activity. Again, I think this speaks to the complete lack of freedom that the authors present in this section of the book.
4. The workouts themselves are good — similar to Jillian Michaels and other workouts in that vein — but make no mistake: These are not 30-minute workouts. The authors talk at great length about how short workouts are important and how their workouts will have you in and out in 30 minutes, but that simply isn't the case. Each workout consists of a warm-up, routine, and cool-down. At first, I expected to complete all three in 30 minutes — but as soon as I saw that the warm-up was 10 minutes, I knew that couldn't be the case. In fact, the routines alone are all a bit longer than 30 minutes, so by the time you've added on a 10-minute warm-up and a 10-minute cool-down, you're at nearly an hour all told. The authors emphasize the importance of stretching (which is often so overlooked, to the detriment of many aspirant exercisers), but if your workout has already taken 10-15 minutes longer than you expected, you're likely to skip your cool-down altogether because you need to hop in the shower and get to work on time.
Now, don't misunderstand me: I have no problem with hour-long workouts. I think that 60 minutes is a perfectly reasonable amount of time to spend exercising, especially if you're only working out three times each week. But the expectation that they set in the description is only going to cause disappointment and frustration. People are going to feel like they're doing the routines incorrectly because it's taking them so long, or they're going to get frustrated because they didn't allocate as much time as they needed to complete the routine. I wish that the authors had simply described these as fast-paced workouts that can be completed in 45-60 minutes, depending on which routine you do and how much time you allocate for cool-down stretching at the end.
5. If you want to do these workouts at home, you're going to need to invest several hundred dollars into equipment. In that way, these workouts are far less convenient than Jillian Michaels and others that offer similar benefits and a similar exercise style.
Nutrition
1. If you are just getting started in the world of whole foods, this book is an excellent choice. It gives a broad, comprehensive overview of our cultural understanding of "healthy eating," our modern dietary habits, and our reliance on processed food — and it speaks to why we need to shift our perspective. If, however, you're already well informed in this area, you already eat vegan a couple of days each week, and/or you live in Portland, you might feel like the authors are preaching at you. The content is extremely repetitive, and their use of "Clean Cuisine" as a proper noun — when another noun, like "clean eating" or "whole foods eating" would have been sufficient — feels rather pompous and off-putting.
2. Because the intended audience for this book is people who are new to the world of clean eating, the implementation plan for the diet is presented in phases over an eight-week period. This is fantastic for the intended audience but rather inaccessible to the rest of us. I wanted to dive into week 8 from the get-go, and to do so, I had to read through all eight weeks and jot down the changes from each week so I could make a summation. I respect that they don't want to overwhelm people who are just getting started; that gentle approach is so needed. But it would be helpful if they had an addendum that summarizes all of the nutrition changes, supplements, exercise, and other practices/tips in one place.
3. My favorite thing about this book is the incredible amount of freedom that the authors give you in crafting your eating plan. Their advice is deeply sane, and they even admit that vegan cheese is not good. (There are some very tasty vegan cheeses out there, but let's be real for a moment: That is not cheese. It's something else altogether.) Still want to eat meat every day? Go for it, but try to eat vegan the rest of the day, and make sure your choices are pastured, organic meats. Hate steel-cut oats? Try brown rice for breakfast instead. Don't like spinach salad? Use other lettuces for lunch, and try cooked spinach with dinner.
4. The recipes live up to the hype. They promise flavorful clean meals and they deliver. I never had the misconception that clean/vegan meals were dull and tasteless, so they didn't need to sell me on this, but it's handy to have a quick reference of recipes right in the book — especially for green smoothies and breakfast smoothies (of which you can never have too many variations, in my opinion). I especially loved their tip to make chopped salads — and you don't need a $30+ mezzaluna to do it. A chef's knife works quite well.
5. To make this way of eating work for you, you will need a high-powered blender. There's really no way around it. The authors recommend a variety of other equipment — like the mezzaluna — but don't get overwhelmed. Put your pennies toward a Vitamix and ignore the rest.
Exercise
I will preface by saying that this is where the book fell apart for me. If I could go back in time, I would just skip this chapter altogether, because after reading it, it was difficult not to throw the baby out with the bathwater (and throw this book into the library donations pile). But I knew that the nutrition information was solid, so I can still recommend this book for that purpose while wishing that they had simply stopped at chapter 7.
1. The authors give so much freedom in the nutrition section and then offer zero freedom in exercise. No other workouts are acceptable, and they make snide remarks about other approaches to fitness. That gave me a bad taste in my mouth from the get-go. Anyone who has ever gone to the gym, taken a fitness class, or even walked around the block knows that you'll never do a form of exercise you don't enjoy. Exercise is where we need the most freedom, not the least.
2. The tone of this section is incredibly condescending and, frankly, a bit insulting. They present their exercise regiment as the only acceptable form of exercise (and if that isn't a red flag to you, it should be) and then go on to provide the scientific evidence for this claim — but many of the conclusions that they draw are associative, the examples they mention are anecdotal, and/or the connections they draw are misleading. For example, they make several digs at marathon runners, and then talk about how low-intensity, steady cardio isn't the way to burn fat or strengthen your body. I don't know how many marathon runners you know, but all of the ones I know are constantly pushing themselves — running high-intensity intervals, pushing for a faster mile pace, etc. If they want to make a case that a brisk walk around the neighborhood isn't doing much to help you (and they do say that directly — and I have more thoughts on this below), that's fine, but don't drag serious athletes into your argument. And furthermore, when was the last time you met a marathon runner, master swimmer, distance cyclist, triathlete, etc. who didn't have a strong, lean body? It's absurd to discourage these people from doing the exercise they are passionate about, and by doing so, you risk alienating them from a nutrition plan that could harmonize beautifully with their athletic training.
3. There is substantial evidence that having an active life is just as, if not more, important to cardiovascular health than doing intense workouts. And yet the authors don't speak to this at all and, in fact, contradict that research altogether and completely discount the value of brisk walks, bike riding, etc. Their tone is belittling when they speak of these activities. I know that we've all played the "oh, I walked to the mailbox today, so I can totally eat that cookie" card, but at the same time, you can't substitute 90 minutes of weekly exercise for intentionally being active in your daily life. There needs to be balance here. I completely agree that optimal fat burning does not occur during a 20-minute walk around the neighborhood — but that walk likely had countless other health benefits, and activity is always better than non-activity. Again, I think this speaks to the complete lack of freedom that the authors present in this section of the book.
4. The workouts themselves are good — similar to Jillian Michaels and other workouts in that vein — but make no mistake: These are not 30-minute workouts. The authors talk at great length about how short workouts are important and how their workouts will have you in and out in 30 minutes, but that simply isn't the case. Each workout consists of a warm-up, routine, and cool-down. At first, I expected to complete all three in 30 minutes — but as soon as I saw that the warm-up was 10 minutes, I knew that couldn't be the case. In fact, the routines alone are all a bit longer than 30 minutes, so by the time you've added on a 10-minute warm-up and a 10-minute cool-down, you're at nearly an hour all told. The authors emphasize the importance of stretching (which is often so overlooked, to the detriment of many aspirant exercisers), but if your workout has already taken 10-15 minutes longer than you expected, you're likely to skip your cool-down altogether because you need to hop in the shower and get to work on time.
Now, don't misunderstand me: I have no problem with hour-long workouts. I think that 60 minutes is a perfectly reasonable amount of time to spend exercising, especially if you're only working out three times each week. But the expectation that they set in the description is only going to cause disappointment and frustration. People are going to feel like they're doing the routines incorrectly because it's taking them so long, or they're going to get frustrated because they didn't allocate as much time as they needed to complete the routine. I wish that the authors had simply described these as fast-paced workouts that can be completed in 45-60 minutes, depending on which routine you do and how much time you allocate for cool-down stretching at the end.
5. If you want to do these workouts at home, you're going to need to invest several hundred dollars into equipment. In that way, these workouts are far less convenient than Jillian Michaels and others that offer similar benefits and a similar exercise style.
March 1, 2014
I am of two minds about this book: it had some good content but yet had some major failings.
The Good: strong nutritional content, some good recipes ( I especially liked the salad dressings) and a well- structured overview of health principles. For someone just starting on lifestyle improvements, this would be a great guide. I personally appreciated the reminders of the nutritional value of flax, chia seed and hemp seed. I also appreciated the 'low meat but not completely vegan' approach. Often books fall squarely into the pro/con animal-protein camps- neither of which align to my ethical, nutritional or lifestyle needs. I also had to laude them for admitting that some things, like cheese, just can't be substituted well through other forms (eg vegan cheese).
The Bad: incredibly lame title, constant and annoying proprietary reference to itself ("Clean Cuisine eating"...), and too much personalization of the writers as if we are all best friends and care so much about their personal stories. They also could have dropped the whole exercise section: if I was looking for exercise suggestions, this would likely not be my forum.
My biggest complaint however is that I am SO turned off by the whole '8 weeks to a better you!' style that the book takes, as if these writers hold The One Key to lifelong health and happiness. This constant smug undercurrent (just like all of the recent 'health books' a la Atkins, South Beach, Paleo, Starch Solution, Skinny Bitch, etc) thoroughly weakens the whole premise and drastically lessens their credibility. Eating healthy is a lifetime approach and anyone who says "if you eat this way, the pounds will just fall off and you will immediately feel like a million bucks," is selling me a fable. I know this is a marketing ploy and needed to sell books, but still-- if you believe the content and are writing the book to share your insight, you should find it critical to maintain your integrity and not sell out.
bottom line- read it for the good nutritional content, but expect to be thoroughly annoyed by the authors storytelling and marketing style.
The Good: strong nutritional content, some good recipes ( I especially liked the salad dressings) and a well- structured overview of health principles. For someone just starting on lifestyle improvements, this would be a great guide. I personally appreciated the reminders of the nutritional value of flax, chia seed and hemp seed. I also appreciated the 'low meat but not completely vegan' approach. Often books fall squarely into the pro/con animal-protein camps- neither of which align to my ethical, nutritional or lifestyle needs. I also had to laude them for admitting that some things, like cheese, just can't be substituted well through other forms (eg vegan cheese).
The Bad: incredibly lame title, constant and annoying proprietary reference to itself ("Clean Cuisine eating"...), and too much personalization of the writers as if we are all best friends and care so much about their personal stories. They also could have dropped the whole exercise section: if I was looking for exercise suggestions, this would likely not be my forum.
My biggest complaint however is that I am SO turned off by the whole '8 weeks to a better you!' style that the book takes, as if these writers hold The One Key to lifelong health and happiness. This constant smug undercurrent (just like all of the recent 'health books' a la Atkins, South Beach, Paleo, Starch Solution, Skinny Bitch, etc) thoroughly weakens the whole premise and drastically lessens their credibility. Eating healthy is a lifetime approach and anyone who says "if you eat this way, the pounds will just fall off and you will immediately feel like a million bucks," is selling me a fable. I know this is a marketing ploy and needed to sell books, but still-- if you believe the content and are writing the book to share your insight, you should find it critical to maintain your integrity and not sell out.
bottom line- read it for the good nutritional content, but expect to be thoroughly annoyed by the authors storytelling and marketing style.
February 7, 2018
I read this in entirety, but it was skimming. It was overwhelming instead of useful at 500 pages of tiny print. Way too much detail completely turned me off. Despite or perhaps because of that, I didn't learn anything new. Not any recipe photos, just a few photos of workout routines that everyone knows. (The exercise stuff was a weird add-on at the end.) And again my complaint about how this book is not friendly for people on a small grocery budget.
One thing I did like about this book is the author/s suggested a partial vegan diet which I have been doing for years. Also, they aren't insisting any one food is bad as long as certain things are in moderation. I appreciate that it's more a life-style for reducing inflammation than it is a fad diet. But it was just too much...
One thing I did like about this book is the author/s suggested a partial vegan diet which I have been doing for years. Also, they aren't insisting any one food is bad as long as certain things are in moderation. I appreciate that it's more a life-style for reducing inflammation than it is a fad diet. But it was just too much...
May 24, 2013
Skimmed through Part 1, which makes the case for eating whole vs. processed foods. Nothing really new here. Part 2 offers a good review of which carbs, fats and proteins to include in your diet. Check. Part 3 unveils the 8-week program (best part of this are the quick prep tips) and a 30-minute 'full fitness fusion' exercise program you can do at home. Not bad. Part 4 (the reason I bought the book) has 130 pages of easy breezy recipes and ways to make eating clean a piece of (gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free) cake.
October 30, 2014
While grammatical problems and poor proof-reading definitively get in the way ("there's a big ditfference") the main concept seems solid enough. Could have made the point in about half the length... One of the authors is a weight-loss surgeon, so weight loss is a big theme.
Got bored and returned it to the library.
Got bored and returned it to the library.
October 15, 2018
This is a very interesting and informative book. One big complaint is that its difficult to go back and find certain things. I took some notes and there is a large recipe collection. Some very foreign ingredients which I always struggle with. I have already started looking more closely at what I eat, more than ever before. I've made 2 trips to Natural/health food stores. Soaked some raw nuts and seeds, which I had never heard of?! They also have an extensive website to go along with the book which I plan to explore now that I finished reading the hard copy. And this book is now marked up excessively and I've dropped it in the tub more than once, not submerged, thankfully. Another thing that I didn't appreciate so much was all the science and reference to the "studies". A lot of strange/scientific language.
It bugs me that nutrition can be confusing, contradictory, expensive and time consuming.
BUT it pays off. I know that from my own and others past experience. So I'll just keep trying.... Just wish my husband was more interested. He's buying his own "Sugar Smacks" and sodas, etc. Hard to watch..... and ignore.....
It bugs me that nutrition can be confusing, contradictory, expensive and time consuming.
BUT it pays off. I know that from my own and others past experience. So I'll just keep trying.... Just wish my husband was more interested. He's buying his own "Sugar Smacks" and sodas, etc. Hard to watch..... and ignore.....
April 16, 2018
There are some recipes I've tried, and liked the black berry smoothie, and more I plan to try this week. I'm on another phase diet antiestrogen that can use these recipes to enforce it.
I'll try the vegetarian chili and tweak it a bit.
Other stuff quite familiar with. Plan to do the stretches and yoga moves in the book.
I'll try the vegetarian chili and tweak it a bit.
Other stuff quite familiar with. Plan to do the stretches and yoga moves in the book.
August 6, 2018
Great information with references to further research their statements. Easy to understand explanations and practical approach to healthy eating and living. The program seems very reasonable and acknowledges that we as humans like our treats and extreme plans don't work out. I loved that they also included exercise as part of their program.
February 9, 2019
Loved the content and the fact that one of the authors has the same auto-immune disease that I have), but when it comes to a book about changing the way you eat, I’m lazy and just want a bullet point list with what, how, and why. Great recipes in back.
September 2, 2019
Technically, I only read half of this book- the other half is recipes and workouts. This was okay. I learned a few things but was mostly annoyed by how corny, PRETENTIOUS, repetitive and information-overloading it could be.
October 28, 2021
Very scientific which is helpful but I still feel like I would need a person al chef and trainer to live this lifestyle. I applaud those who can. I will be incorporating certain things a bit at a time. It was a lot of info in one book.
July 6, 2018
This was a very informative book and great for anyone already eating a clean diet.
March 6, 2019
3.5 stars. One of the better nutrition books I've read (more science, less questionable fad-driven extremism). Sadly the recipes overall don't seem that exciting.
September 8, 2019
I pretty much just went right to the recipes
February 5, 2013
After my mother's battle with colitis this past year and knowing several people suffering from MS and Fibromyalgia, this book and it's philosophy certainly intrigued me. I hear more and more, that nutrition and other homeopathic remedies are key to helping those suffering from cancer and other horrible diseases and wonder if there isn't some true worth to "clean eating". This book has certainly convinced me, but let me warn you...it won't be easy.
The authors, husband and wife, take you through 8 steps of incorporating clean eating into your regular lifestyle while touting the amazing life-changes and benefits from doing so. Ivy Larson can speak from experience as she suffers from MS herself and found this method to work for her. I have no doubt that following this plan will help you lose weight and feel better, especially if you have health issues. After reading some of the explanations of the ingredients in some of the foods we eat, it does make you cringe a bit. Do you really want to eat a meal of potassium sorbate and sorbic acid? I don't, but in our quick-fix, processed society, most of us are eating these ingredients daily.
This book is full of thorough explanations and tips to guide you through this nutrition program. It couldn't be a more direct and simple plan to follow. Then why is it so hard? Well, it is tough to give up all your favorites. Do you really want to give up Oreos? Second, not all of us have produce and organic food readily available. Even though I live a half hour from the closest grocery store, it is not somewhere I can go every other day. To feed a family of five, I would have to go frequently to get fresh produce and sometime even farther to find the types of organic food listed in the book to use in our meals. But, I think you can learn a lot about how to feed your family properly by reading this book and slowly incorporating their ideas into your meal planning would be a win-win for everybody.
This book is also filled with ways to incorporate fitness into your daily life. Photos and explanations of all types of exercises are included. Whether you are interested in yoga, sculpting or cardio, there is an exercise for everyone.
Finally the book closes with over one hundred pages of recipes and meal plans to really get this nutrition program in motion. From recipes like Fresh Cinnamon Apple-Pecan Cake to Cleaned Up Sloppy Joes to Creamy Broccoli Edamame Bisque, there is something for everyone's tastebuds. The only down side is that photos of the dishes are not included. When I got to the Smoothie section of the recipes I was excited to realize that I was doing something right. Their smoothie recipes are much like the ones I make for myself in the mornings. Spinach, fruit, and chia seeds are common ingredients in my smoothies, just like in the book. I will have to start trying kale, gingerroot, and coconut water in them as well.
The bottom line is if you are suffering from an anti-inflammatory disease or any other health related issues, this nutrition program could just be the medicine you need to feel better. If anything, it can't hurt. It has worked for Ivy Larson and I bet it could work for you too.
The authors, husband and wife, take you through 8 steps of incorporating clean eating into your regular lifestyle while touting the amazing life-changes and benefits from doing so. Ivy Larson can speak from experience as she suffers from MS herself and found this method to work for her. I have no doubt that following this plan will help you lose weight and feel better, especially if you have health issues. After reading some of the explanations of the ingredients in some of the foods we eat, it does make you cringe a bit. Do you really want to eat a meal of potassium sorbate and sorbic acid? I don't, but in our quick-fix, processed society, most of us are eating these ingredients daily.
This book is full of thorough explanations and tips to guide you through this nutrition program. It couldn't be a more direct and simple plan to follow. Then why is it so hard? Well, it is tough to give up all your favorites. Do you really want to give up Oreos? Second, not all of us have produce and organic food readily available. Even though I live a half hour from the closest grocery store, it is not somewhere I can go every other day. To feed a family of five, I would have to go frequently to get fresh produce and sometime even farther to find the types of organic food listed in the book to use in our meals. But, I think you can learn a lot about how to feed your family properly by reading this book and slowly incorporating their ideas into your meal planning would be a win-win for everybody.
This book is also filled with ways to incorporate fitness into your daily life. Photos and explanations of all types of exercises are included. Whether you are interested in yoga, sculpting or cardio, there is an exercise for everyone.
Finally the book closes with over one hundred pages of recipes and meal plans to really get this nutrition program in motion. From recipes like Fresh Cinnamon Apple-Pecan Cake to Cleaned Up Sloppy Joes to Creamy Broccoli Edamame Bisque, there is something for everyone's tastebuds. The only down side is that photos of the dishes are not included. When I got to the Smoothie section of the recipes I was excited to realize that I was doing something right. Their smoothie recipes are much like the ones I make for myself in the mornings. Spinach, fruit, and chia seeds are common ingredients in my smoothies, just like in the book. I will have to start trying kale, gingerroot, and coconut water in them as well.
The bottom line is if you are suffering from an anti-inflammatory disease or any other health related issues, this nutrition program could just be the medicine you need to feel better. If anything, it can't hurt. It has worked for Ivy Larson and I bet it could work for you too.
February 5, 2013
Clean Cuisine by Ivy and Andrew Larson is an 8 week anti-inflammatory nutrition program that will change the way you age, look & feel. This book is all about controlling your hunger through eating nutrient-dense foods. Eating a diet rich in unrefined, whole carb foods filled with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, antioxidants and fiber, will make you feel full, without filling you full of calories, and it’s the author’s contention that the bulk of our diets should come from these powerhouse foods.
Ever since hubby and I were diagnosed with high cholesterol 5 years ago, I’ve been on a mission to improve the way we eat. We have incorporated a meatless day each week, we’ve incorporated more fish, we have stopped using prepackaged convenience foods, and we have been moving away from a meat, starch and vegetable meal pattern to a more vegetable focused one. We have nearly eliminated all highly refined grain products, opting for the much healthier whole grain versions almost exclusively. So, the 8 week Clean Cuisine program doesn’t seem like too radical a change to implement in our lives.
I love the detailed information about each vitamin, mineral and nutrient that is given in this book. The authors bring strongly researched arguments as to why a nutrient-dense, vegetable-centric diet is essential in fighting inflammation. Not only do they tell you why you should follow this lifestyle change, they give you a detailed, step-by-step 8 week program to help you implement it. You’ll also learn about the after-burn effect of short, intense 30 minute workouts and how your body will actually burn more calories after the workout, then during it. They provide detailed, whole body, natural movement, resistance workouts, designed to take advantage of the afterburn.
The 8 week plan contains a ton of recipes and menu plan ideas. And they show you how to easily transition into this lifestyle change. The recipes sound delicious and I intend to prepare and try out a number of them. Check out the Clean Cuisine website for more information and recipes. If you have been searching for a way to lose weight without feeling hungry, I think this plan might just be for you!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the Publisher or Author. I was not required to write a positive review.
Ever since hubby and I were diagnosed with high cholesterol 5 years ago, I’ve been on a mission to improve the way we eat. We have incorporated a meatless day each week, we’ve incorporated more fish, we have stopped using prepackaged convenience foods, and we have been moving away from a meat, starch and vegetable meal pattern to a more vegetable focused one. We have nearly eliminated all highly refined grain products, opting for the much healthier whole grain versions almost exclusively. So, the 8 week Clean Cuisine program doesn’t seem like too radical a change to implement in our lives.
I love the detailed information about each vitamin, mineral and nutrient that is given in this book. The authors bring strongly researched arguments as to why a nutrient-dense, vegetable-centric diet is essential in fighting inflammation. Not only do they tell you why you should follow this lifestyle change, they give you a detailed, step-by-step 8 week program to help you implement it. You’ll also learn about the after-burn effect of short, intense 30 minute workouts and how your body will actually burn more calories after the workout, then during it. They provide detailed, whole body, natural movement, resistance workouts, designed to take advantage of the afterburn.
The 8 week plan contains a ton of recipes and menu plan ideas. And they show you how to easily transition into this lifestyle change. The recipes sound delicious and I intend to prepare and try out a number of them. Check out the Clean Cuisine website for more information and recipes. If you have been searching for a way to lose weight without feeling hungry, I think this plan might just be for you!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the Publisher or Author. I was not required to write a positive review.
February 11, 2015
I randomly picked up this book at the library but ended up liking it more than most of the nutrition-related books I read. This method of eating is not too restrictive and focuses on reducing inflammation, and thereby illness, in the body. It's a plant-strong diet that urges few animal foods (besides fish) but doesn't ban them entirely. It also touts the health benefits of wine and green tea, two of my favorite things!
This book was written by a husband-wife team. The wife had MS and was not well but put the disease in remission by changing her diet. If you know me, you know I just LOVE those kinds of food-as-medicine stories. I'm a big believer in that, and I know someone that personally did this exact thing, so I know it's possible.
What I liked about this book is that it spends a lot of time discussing the nutritional science and health benefits behind foods, or the lack thereof. It also explains how foods can age you more quickly or make you look younger. That's the stuff I like reading about, and there was lots of it.
It also includes an exercise program and tons of recipes. I like the way they approach salads, which bore me to tears. They have recipes for add-on toppings that are healthy and make salads more interesting, along with dressing recipes and other salad tips. I definitely could benefit from those.
This book was written by a husband-wife team. The wife had MS and was not well but put the disease in remission by changing her diet. If you know me, you know I just LOVE those kinds of food-as-medicine stories. I'm a big believer in that, and I know someone that personally did this exact thing, so I know it's possible.
What I liked about this book is that it spends a lot of time discussing the nutritional science and health benefits behind foods, or the lack thereof. It also explains how foods can age you more quickly or make you look younger. That's the stuff I like reading about, and there was lots of it.
It also includes an exercise program and tons of recipes. I like the way they approach salads, which bore me to tears. They have recipes for add-on toppings that are healthy and make salads more interesting, along with dressing recipes and other salad tips. I definitely could benefit from those.
August 28, 2013
I loved this book! It is packed with information on maintaining a clean diet that is focused on the reduction of inflammation in the body (one of the authors has MS and therefore has first-hand experience to advocate this type of diet.) Complete with fitness routines and an 8-week sample food plan, this book contains countless statistics related to the benefit of a well-balanced and clean diet. The authors both have medical backgrounds and their research was extensive as listed in the notes section. I'll be purchasing this book to apply to my life as well as to share with others.
April 14, 2013
Clean Cuisine covers all aspects of healthy eating and natural weight loss, as well as diabetes, and much more (health disorders such as inflammation, etc). NOTE: do not let the title Clean Cuisine give you the impression that the book is a “cook book”, as it is somewhat technical and provides excellent advice on health and nutrition…
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February 24, 2016I didn't finish the book because the rest is just menus and a few exercises. The basics of the book is to get the chemicals out of the diet. I think that is valuable and we are being told that already over and over but it's not easy. There is crap in everything we eat. Bottom line, no packaged food.
September 24, 2013
This is a very interesting book. Science tells us about the effects of inflammation in our bodies; this book offers us ways to control and reduce inflammation. The book is clearly written and arguments well made. Included in this book are exercise routines and recipes.
January 12, 2017
I felt like this was a pretty measured look at "clean eating". Instead of listing foods to avoid, it extolled the virtues of fruits, veggies, legumes, fish, etc. I definitely won't be following this plan, but it inspired me to want to eat and enjoy fruits & veggies more.
March 4, 2013
Good common sense strategies and recipes for eating healthier. No crazy ingredients. Love it.
July 11, 2013
Well-written, some new information.
December 26, 2013
Great info, but it did get repetitive. Whole foods, good; animal products & bi-products, not so good.
January 6, 2014
Peppy and upbeat. Good recipes included. Some of the lifestyle changes recommended are just not realistic for all socioeconomic classes.
February 16, 2014
I was surprised and impressed by the amount of research that was referenced in this book.
April 22, 2016
Lots of great tips! My kind of style of eating!
August 11, 2014
Not a lot of surprising information in this book. The second half is mostly recipes and recommendations. Some good information for eating healthy, not just those with inflammation issues.
August 10, 2014
A competent review of a nutritional information. When the authors talk about themselves, they come across as pretty annoying. But the recipes are really good!
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