Title:	Pure & Simple: A Natural Food Way of Life
	Author:	Pascale Naessens
	Published:	April 4, 2017 Abrams
	No. of Pages:	208
	Cover Price:	$24.95 Hardcover, $9.99 Kindle

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Are you looking into the practice of eating healthy, but don’t really know where to start? Pascale Naessens, Belgium’s most celebrated cookbook author, explains a new, healthy way of eating in her excellent cookbook, Pure & Simple: A Natural Food Way of Life.

Of course there are mouthwatering, healthy recipes, but in the beginning of the book, Naessens gives good advice on several important topics: The Science of Eating Well, Fast and Slow Carbs, Natural Food Explained, and how to diet without dieting. Her philosophy does not include counting calories or portion control; Naessens recommends that you eat till you are full. She also goes into detail about combining foods for maximum health, with a bonus of weight loss for those who actually follow her guidelines.

Most people who want to lose weight and be healthy will find it refreshing to not have to follow a diet. A former fashion model, Naessens admits that she previously had an eating disorder. She worked hard to overcome her eating problems and has developed a plan whereby anyone who has trouble eating too much or too little can benefit.

Even those lucky souls who don’t need to lose weight will benefit, since healthy eating will result in feeling better, having more energy, and looking better.

The recipes in this book are mouthwatering. Most are also very simple and have short lists of ingredients. Favorite recipes include Salmon with Olive-Pistachio Tapenade and Tomatoes, Zucchini Noodles with Crab, Chicken and Zucchini Curry Soup (outstanding!), Lacquered Salmon and Stir-Fried Romano Beans (beautiful and delicious), and a Fluffy Blueberry Cake. The instructions are easy to follow, and most can be made fairly quickly.

Of course, there are dozens of new cookbooks out there that tout healthy eating. However, Naessens philosophies are outside of the box and make sense. The photographs are beautiful, the prose is well-written, and the recipes are actually ones that regular people will want to make.


Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.