Notwithstanding the great strengths of medical science, many people now have concerns about key features of our health-care system-among them, the widespread use of medical drugs and a relative deemphasis on preventive care. But traditional Western medicine is not the only healing system rooted in science. Medical systems from other cultures, including those of India and China, have used natural treatments for centuries, some of which are now directly influencing our own health-care professions. These approaches not only emphasize healing with natural substances, but devote considerable attention to illness prevention and healthful living by considering the whole person rather than just targeting a condition. What is the most effective way to nurture your own optimal health? Are there sound alternatives to the drugs so common in our health-care system, which can carry unwanted consequences and side effects? What about the range of natural methods, such as herbal medications, micronutrients, and the use of food itself as medicine? Are these approaches valid? And, if so, can we integrate the best of Western medicine with the best natural treatments to enjoy prime health and longevity?

    Contrary to what the glossy magazines would have us believe, we do not enjoy potato chips because they crunch just like the insects our forebears snacked on. As Zuk argues, such beliefs incorrectly assume that we’re stuck—finished evolving—and have been for tens of thousands of years. She draws on fascinating evidence that examines everything from adults’ ability to drink milk to the texture of our ear wax to show that we’ve actually never stopped evolving. Our nostalgic visions of an ideal evolutionary past in which we ate, lived, and reproduced as we were “meant to” fail to recognize that we were never perfectly suited to our environment. Evolution is about change, and every organism is full of trade-offs.From debunking the caveman diet to unraveling gender stereotypes, Zuk gives an analysis of widespread paleofantasies and the scientific evidence that undermines them, all the while broadening our understanding of our origins and what they can really tell us about our present and our future.

    Exploring along those beaches offers encounters with myriads of plants, animals, minerals, and manmade objects--all are covered in this comprehensive guide with descriptive accounts of 822 items, 983 color images, and 431 maps. Beginning with the premise that beaches are themselves alive, this guide to the natural history of Florida beaches heralds the living things and metaphorical life near, on, and within the state's sandy margins. It is organized into Beach Features, Beach Animals, Beach Plants, Beach Minerals, and Hand of Man. In addition to being an identification guide, the book reveals much of the wonder and mystery between dune and sea along Florida's long coastline.

    Arthur Agatston, creator of the South Beach Diet comes an urgent message: We need to wake up to the reality of just how fat and sick we are as a nation. Statistics don’t lie: In the past 30 years Americans have become heavier and unhealthier than at any time in our history. Yet while most of us recognize the devastating toll this is taking on our lives—compromising our productivity, our self-esteem, our energy, and ultimately our very longevity—we seem stuck in the sedentary, fast-food lifestyle that got us here in the first place. But there is hope. In The South Beach Wake-Up Call, Dr. Agatston sheds light on the root causes of our current health crisis and also offers clear, actionable advice for addressing and reversing this growing problem. He explains how inflammation brought on by our toxic lifestyle is destroying the body’s ability to heal and repair itself, and causing our tissues and organs to "rust," or grow old before their time. He shows why losing that belly fat is far more than just a matter of regaining your "bikini body," and how lack of sleep and inadequate exercise can rob you of years of vigorous good health. He also takes a close look at the American diet and what should (and shouldn’t) be on the menu and exposes the real cost of eating out and consuming "cheap" fast food. With a section of brand-new recipes created to maximize your intake of "Megafoods"— those foods packed with anti-aging antioxidants and dense with nutrients, not calories—plus meal plans and an easy-to-follow fitness routine for increasing both core strength and cardiovascular health, The South Beach Wake-Up Call is an essential prescription for anyone ready for a life-enhancing approach to diet and good health. The book features: The South Beach Wake-Up Program: 7 simple, sustainable strategies for age-reversing, life-saving weight loss and optimal health The South Beach Gluten Solution to combat the potential harm that gluten-containing foods can have on sensitive individuals, including gastrointestinal problems, skin rashes, metabolic disorders, and a host of autoimmune conditions The Wake Up and Move 2-Week Quick Start Plan, an exercise program combining both cardio and core conditioning 15 MegaFoods for Healthy Eating, how to buy healthy food on a budget, how to snack strategically, and 32 all-new recipes from breakfasts to desserts using MegaFoods   Stories from real-life "Super Moms" who are fighting back and taking control of their families’ health, plus tips for parents throughout

    Now this book serves up Magpie's seasonal menu for home bakers everywhere: the fruity, creamy, and nutty pies; hand pies, pot pies, and quiches; and even pie shakes and pie "fries," all fine-tuned to exacting standards and with lots of step-by-step instruction for that all-important crust. Baker-owner Holly Ricciardi's upbringing deep in the Central Pennsylvania countryside provided the basis for Magpie's perfect synthesis of classic favorites and new twists-alongside down-home favorites like Sweet Crumb Pie and Shoofly Pie you'll find Holly's bourbon-infused update of her great-grandmother's special butterscotch pie as well as the ingenious (and instant-sellout) Cookie Dough Hand Pies. More than 90 recipes also include sweets like:Cranberry Curd Mini Meringue PiesBlueberry Rhuby Rose PieChocolate Blackout PieAnd savories like:Summer Squash PieHam-Leek-Dijon PotpiesQuiche LorraineFrom crusts to crumbles and sumptuous savories to sweet confections, there's a Magpie pie for every occasion.

    For any home cook who is stuck in a -three-green rut---who wants to cook healthy, delicious, vegetable-focused meals, but is tired of predictable salads with kale, lettuce, cabbage, and the other usual suspects--The Book of Greens has the solution. Chef Jenn Louis has compiled more than 150 recipes for simple, show-stopping fare, from snacks to soups to mains (and even breakfast and dessert) that will inspire you to reach for new greens at the farmers' market, or use your old standbys in totally fresh ways. Organized alphabetically by green, each entry features information on seasonality, nutrition, and prep and storage tips, along with recipes like Grilled Cabbage with Miso and Lime, Radish Greens and Mango Smoothie, and Pasta Dough with Tomato Leaves.

    And dessert, Bakeland reveals, is no exception. Written by Marit Hovland, the Norwegian graphic designer, baker, and photographer behind the popular Instagram account and blog Borrow My Eyes, this gorgeous recipe book is a remarkably innovative and delicious homage to the beauty of the world around us that will delight lovers of baking, crafting, nature, and all things Scandinavian.With 50 tempting dessert recipes and 140 stunning color photographs, Bakeland is as much a treat for the eyes as it is for the tastebuds. Focusing on purity, season, and quality, Hovland offers a sweeter, more playful approach to the New Nordic cuisine trend made popular by chefs like Magnus Nilsson. Her belief that “inspiration can be found everywhere” shines through in each of her culinary creations, which replicate the most striking aspects of the natural world. From chocolate sea shells to edible butterflies and pinecone-shaped gingersnaps, Bakeland takes readers on an artful, tasty trip through nature in Norway, season by season. But better yet, these clever confections taste as good as they look, and each recipe is detailed, precise, and easy to follow, with no special equipment required. With step-by-step, illustrated instructions and an emphasis on simplicity, Hovland’s approach to baking is as accessible as it is delectable.

    Indeed, Flora Britannica is the definitive contemporary flora, an encyclopaedia of living folklore, a register – a sort of Domesday Book.It is unique in that it is not a botanical flora but a cultural one – an account of the role of wild plants in social life, arts, custom and landscape. It is also unique in that information has been supplied by the people themselves. Five years of intensive original research have aroused popular interest and ‘grassroots’ involvement on an exceptional scale. People all over Britain – both rural and urban – have been encouraged to record and celebrate the cultural dimensions of their own flora, and to send their memories and anecdotes, observations and regional knowledge to Flora Britannica.The result is a nationwide record of the popular culture, domestic uses and social meanings of our wild plants. It is both useful and delightful – superbly written by one of the most outstanding English authors on natural history and illustrated with nearly 500 photographs. Including trees and ferns, it covers 1,000 species, many of them in considerable detail. A new flora for the people, Flora Britannica is a testimony to the continuing relationship between nature and human beings, and a celebration that the seasons and the landscape, local character and identity, still matter in Britain.

    . . now even more effective! Robert Kowalski's personal story is legendary. By the age of forty-one, he had suffered a heart attack and had undergone two coronary bypass surgeries. A traditional dietary approach to lowering his cholesterol failed dismally, and faced with the unpleasant alternative of a lifetime on medication, he created a program that proved astonishingly effective for him -- and legions of others worldwide who used it.Today Kowalski has beaten heart disease, lives an unlimited and vigorous lifestyle, and uses no prescription drugs. Now, with new information about risk factors, exercise, and supplements, The New 8-Week Cholesterol Cure is even more powerful in fighting heart disease. It includes: The facts about homocysteine and the deadly cholesterol Lp(a) A diet that jump-starts cholesterol reduction The heart-healthy secrets of niacin, other B vitamins, and safe supplements The latest findings on exercise New cholesterol-testing methods New heart-healthy products ... and more! Arm yourself against heart disease-America's number-one killer-and increase your chances for a long, healthy life with The New 8-Week Cholesterol Cure.

    Experienced birders use the most easily observed characteristics — size, structure, behavior, and general color patterns — to identify birds even before looking carefully at plumage details. Now birders at all levels can learn how to identify shorebirds quickly and simply. This guide includes more than 870 stunning color photographs, starting with a general impression of the species and progressing to more detailed images of the bird throughout its life cycle. Quiz questions in the captions will engage and challenge all birders and help them benefit from this simplified, commonsense approach to identification.

    A diet free of animal products also means living a greener life and changing the world for the better—one plate at a time. Kathy Patalsky, creator of the popular vegan food blog Healthy.Happy.Life, read by millions, makes sure eating vegan is fun and delicious too. In Healthy Happy Vegan Kitchen, it’s hard to believe that some of the flavor-packed recipes, like the Vegan Philly Cheese Sandwich and Ultra Creamy Cashew Veggie Pot Pie, are actually vegan. Along with the inventive recipes, the book also includes guides to help “veganize” your kitchen, cooking techniques for vegan staples, and wellness tips, making it the perfect book for both long-time vegans and newcomers alike.

    Monday to Friday it's hard to juggle the demands of work and family with eating healthily, and the weekends are full of temptations that undermine our best efforts to get our glow. Madeleine offers the answer in READY, STEADY, GLOW, a beautiful and accessible cookbook designed for real life. READY, STEADY, GLOW is a book of two halves offering weekday recipes that can be made in less than 30 minutes, alongside sumptuous show-stopping meals perfect for the weekend. All recipes are wheat- and sugar-free, bursting with flavour and nutritional value, and contain natural ingredients that can be found in your local supermarket. You'll be amazed by deceptively speedy breakfasts such as coconut and lime quinoa porridge with honey almond crumble; lunches on-the-go like courgette and halloumi frittatas with lemon poppy yoghurt; and fuss-free, fridge-fix dinners such as Goan chicken curry. At the weekend, you can unwind and de-stress as Madeleine provides sumptuous brunches perfect for lazy days, along with impressive mains and desserts, designed to be shared. You'll be feasting - not fasting - on food that tastes so good you'll forget the things you're cutting out.With Madeleine's expert yoga routine, trademark meal plans, inventive tricks for speedy preparation and specialist down-to-earth advice, READY STEADY, GLOW is all you need to eat well and be well, for life.

    While others have identified in the past which wild plants are edible, Tama Matsuoka Wong, the forager for Daniel, the flagship restaurant of renowned chef Daniel Boulud, and Eddy Leroux, its chef de cuisine, go two steps further, setting the bar much higher. First, they have carefully selected only the wild plants that are worth seeking out for their fabulous flavors. Second, after much taste-testing, they have figured out the best way to prepare each ingredient—a key in getting to know these exciting new foods. In Foraged Flavor, they reveal their seventy-one favorite plants, which are easy to identify and can be harvested sustainably across the country (including at farmers’ markets for those without access to nearby fields and forests). Tama helps readers uncover bright lemony oxalis growing in patches of their lawn or creeping jenny, with its unmistakable leaves and delicate green-pea flavor. Eddy then gives simple recipes to showcase the foraged finds, including Cardamine Cress with Fennel and Orange Vinaigrette; Braised Beef, Dandelion Leaves, and Clear Noodles; and Purslane Eggplant Caponata. With twenty-five botanical illustrations, fifty color photographs of the plants, and tons of field- and kitchen-tested know-how, Foraged Flavor will be an indispensable guide for cooking enthusiasts.

    Isabelle Legeron MW is leading the campaign for natural wine – wine made as nature intended. There is no official description of natural wine, but a rough definition is that it is made from grapes that are farmed organically or biodynamically and harvested manually, and that the wine should ideally be made without adding or removing anything during the vinification process. It is basically good old-fashioned grape juice fermented into wine, just as nature intended. Isabelle is a crusader for the natural wine movement: she has her own show on the Travel Channel, organizes a hugely successful annual natural wine festival (RAW), and acts as adviser to several leading restaurants. Just as the craft beer movement has taken off across the globe, the demand for natural wine is growing and will continue to do so.

    Over 100 color illustrations make identification simple and certain Where to find the plants and easy recipes for enjoying the fruits of your foraging.