The Dirty on Detoxing – “It’s All Good”

Not swayed by fad dieting, I questioned the validity of the seemingly popular detox diets.  It seems the word “detoxify” gets plenty of air-time these days.  This last (saddness) summer home with my daughter, however, afforded opportunity for experimenting in the kitchen.

A celebrity cookbook is not an item I normally open my wallet for.  A famous name does not necessarily equivocate best quality.  As I researched, however, I was surprisingly swayed by more than a few glowing reviews of Gwyneth Paltrow’s It’s All Good – Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great.  Neither my daughter nor I were interested in “detox in a box,” using unnatural supplements to “cleanse.”  We wanted to use real, fresh food and weren’t looking for something extreme that would leave us feeling worst than when we started.

Let me get right to the point of this entire post . . . BUY this cookbook!!  I’m purchasing one for my daughter to use in her first apartment and two best friends already own it.   Through the recipes and advice offered in this book, my daughter and I experienced a very positive period of educational, healthful eating habits that we both truly feel will stay with us.

Two things are universally appealing about Paltrow’s book:

1. The format:  The last section of the book is devoted to sample plans to practically utilize the recipes so the book does not become another one to bite the dust on your shelf – a body builder week (protein packed), a detox week (cleansing), a family-friendly week (the “normal” comfort food), a vegan week (a great intro to this diet), and a ‘just great, healthy, everyday eating’ week (so logically good!) is all provided.  Monday – Sunday, Chris Martin’s wife lays out recipes (and correspnding page #s) for each meal and snack of the day.  How convenient and inspiring!
2. The tone:   Gwyneth, along with her friend and cooking partner Julia Turshen, offer down-to-earth advice within the recipes that make them appealingly approachable.  Nothing too extreme, all ingredients are readily available in local grocery stores while all dishes are conveniently labeled as “protein-packed” or “vegan” or “elimination diet.”  Honestly, my daughter and I must have tried over twenty-five recipes in the book – there was not one to which we stuck up our noses.  All are “repeaters.”

Ms. Paltrow explains that she struggled with a period of eating unhealthy and needed to clean her diet in an accessible manner, avoiding drastic extremes that might cause shock to her body.    Through the guidance of her doctor, she herself went on a detox diet.  This book (her 2nd cookbook) offers recipes from that very diet along with recipes that are “simply good for you.”  She shares her doctor’s notes and shares her trials and tribulations.  No gimmicks, no extremes, no supplements . . . . this book is accessible for anyone just venturing into the eat-clean eating habits as well as the nutrition nut like myself who is seeking further ideas for eating clean.

Grading Girl gives Gwyneth Paltrow an A for providing eat-clean recipes that don’t necessarily taste clean.  Extra credit for all those little pieces of advice along the way . . . such as soaking raw almonds in the refrigerator overnight before serving them to activate more nutrients. Who knew?!