The Food of a Younger Land: The WPA's Portrait of Food in Pre-World War II America


Mark Kurlansky - 2009
    Award-winning New York Times-bestselling author Mark Kurlansky takes us back to the food and eating habits of a younger America: Before the national highway system brought the country closer together; before chain restaurants imposed uniformity and low quality; and before the Frigidaire meant frozen food in mass quantities, the nation's food was seasonal, regional, and traditional. It helped form the distinct character, attitudes, and customs of those who ate it. In the 1930s, with the country gripped by the Great Depression and millions of Americans struggling to get by, FDR created the Federal Writers' Project under the New Deal as a make-work program for artists and authors. A number of writers, including Zora Neale Hurston, Eudora Welty, and Nelson Algren, were dispatched all across America to chronicle the eating habits, traditions, and struggles of local people. The project, called "America Eats," was abandoned in the early 1940s because of the World War and never completed. The Food of a Younger Land unearths this forgotten literary and historical treasure and brings it to exuberant life. Mark Kurlansky's brilliant book captures these remarkable stories, and combined with authentic recipes, anecdotes, photos, and his own musings and analysis, evokes a bygone era when Americans had never heard of fast food and the grocery superstore was a thing of the future. Kurlansky serves as a guide to this hearty and poignant look at the country's roots. From New York automats to Georgia Coca-Cola parties, from Arkansas possum-eating clubs to Puget Sound salmon feasts, from Choctaw funerals to South Carolina barbecues, the WPA writers found Americans in their regional niches and eating an enormous diversity of meals. From Mississippi chittlins to Indiana persimmon puddings, Maine lobsters, and Montana beavertails, they recorded the curiosities, commonalities, and communities of American food.

Unprocessed: How to Achieve Vibrant Health and Your Ideal Weight


Chef AJ - 2011
    Whether you want to lower your cholesterol, prevent or reverse many common lifestyle diseases, lose weight or just look and feel great, Chef AJ can show you how to incorporate more fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet in ways that are easy, delicious and fun.Foreword by Dr. Hans Diehl and endorsed by several giants in the field of plant-based nutrition, including: Dr. T. Colin Campbell (The China Study) Rip Esselstyn (The Engine 2 Diet) Dr. Joel Fuhrman (Eat To Live) Dr. Matthew Lederman & Dr. Alona Pulde (Keep It Simple, Keep It Whole: Your Guide To Optimum Health) Dr. John McDougall (The McDougall Program) Dr. Pam Popper (Executive Director of the Wellness Forum) "Chef AJ knows her way around a kitchen. She's been doing this for thirty years and it shows. All her recipes are incredibly easy to make, really healthy, but totally tasty in every way. She's a gifted chef." Rory Freedman, Best-selling coauthor of Skinny Bitch"Chef AJ knows how to make tasty food and how to make it healthy. It's very special. Try it and you'll like it." T. Colin Campbell, PhD, author of The China Study"Chef AJ's book Unprocessed deserves a special spot on the bookshelf of all people serious about their health and personal appearance." Mary and John McDougall, M.D., authors and founders of the McDougall Program"Chef AJ is one of the few chefs in the world who can design dishes that not only meet my dietary guidelines, but are delicious, too. She represents the best of everything; she's entertaining and engaging, and makes healthy food totally acceptable for everyone. This book is a must-have for the person who wants to not only eat well, but enjoy eating well, too." Dr. Pam Popper, Executive Director of the Wellness Forum"Chef AJ is unmatched in her ability to take nothing but whole foods and make them taste so delicious. Couple that with her generosity and passion, and she herself is a recipe for success. It's about time the world got to taste these treats!" Alona Pulde, M.D. & Matthew Lederman, M.D. authors of Keep It Simple, Keep It Whole: Your Guide To Optimum Health "Half confessional memoir, half delectable recipes, Unprocessed is a 100 percent inspirational, educational, and gastronomical fodder from Abbie Jaye, aka Chef AJ. A junk-food vegetarian since forever, AJ turned to a whole-foods diet to cure her ailments, and now preaches to anyone and everyone through her culinary classes and laugh-a-minute lectures. The recipes are all sugar-, salt-, and oil-free, and all delicious. How can you not like a book that starts with desserts?" VegNews Magazine UNPROCESSED will show you how you can achieve optimum health, vibrant energy and your ideal weight, simply by eating real, whole foods and avoiding processed food.This book features: 11 Appetizers 11 Beverages and Smoothies 14 Enticing Entrees 12 Salads and Dressings 10 Savory Soups 16 Sensational Sides 21 Decadent Desserts 14 Truffles All recipes are vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, salt-free and refined sugar-free.Chef AJ shares her personal story detailing the dangerous health consequences of an unhealthy diet, and the body's miraculous ability to recover and thrive when fed healthy, whole foods. An inspirational, fun read.

Pandora's Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal


Melanie Warner - 2013
    She began an investigative journey that took her to research labs, university food science departments, and factories around the country. What she discovered provides a rare, eye-opening, and sometimes disturbing, account of what we're really eating. Warner looks at how decades of food science have resulted in the cheapest, most abundant, most addictive, and most nutritionally inferior food in the world, and she uncovers startling evidence about the profound health implications of the packaged and fast foods that we eat on a daily basis.Combining meticulous research, vivid writing, and cultural analysis, Warner blows the lid off the largely undocumented, and lightly regulated, world of chemically treated and processed foods and lays bare the potential price we may pay for consuming even so-called healthy foods.

Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil


Tom Mueller - 2011
    Today's researchers are continuing to confirm the remarkable, life-giving properties of true extra-virgin, and "extra-virgin Italian" has become the highest standard of quality.But what if this symbol of purity has become deeply corrupt? Starting with an explosive article in The New Yorker, Tom Mueller has become the world's expert on olive oil and olive oil fraud-a story of globalization, deception, and crime in the food industry from ancient times to the present, and a powerful indictment of today's lax protections against fake and even toxic food products in the United States. A rich and deliciously readable narrative, Extra Virginity is also an inspiring account of the artisanal producers, chemical analysts, chefs, and food activists who are defending the extraordinary oils that truly deserve the name "extra-virgin."

Perfect Health Diet: Regain Health and Lose Weight by Eating the Way You Were Meant to Eat


Paul Jaminet - 2010
    They embarked on five years of rigorous research. What they found changed their lives— and the lives of thousands of their readers. In Perfect Health Diet, the Jaminets explain in layman's terms how anyone can regain health and lose weight by optimizing nutrition, detoxifying the diet, and supporting healthy immune function. They show how toxic, nutrient-poor diets sabotage health, and how on a healthy diet, diseases often spontaneously resolve. Perfect Health Diet tells you exactly how to optimize health and make weight loss effortless with a clear, balanced, and scientifically proven plan to change the way you eat—and feel—forever!

The Diet Myth: The Real Science Behind What We Eat


Tim Spector - 2015
    Despite advice from experts, governments and dieticians about the dangers of too much fat, sugar, protein and lack of exercise, our nutrition - and the global obesity crisis - is getting worse. Why can one person eat a certain meal and gain weight and another eat exactly the same food and lose pounds? Genes provide part of the answer, but we have been overlooking one vital aspect of diet that lies within us. Thanks to recent breakthroughs, scientists have begun to examine the permanent residents in our guts: the thousands of previously unknown but essential microbes whose job it is to digest our food and keep us alive. Drawing on the latest science and his own research team's pioneering work, Professor Tim Spector explores the hidden world of the microbiome and demystifies the common misconceptions about fat, calories, vitamins and nutrients. Only by understanding how our own microbes interact with our bodies can we overcome our confusion about modern diets and nutrition to regain the correct balance of our ancestors.Mixing cutting-edge discoveries, illuminating science and his own case studies, Spector shows why we should stop listening to the myths of diet fads and instead embrace diversity for a healthy gut and a healthy body.

The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food


Dan Barber - 2014
    Instead, Barber proposes Americans should move to the 'third plate,' a cuisine rooted in seasonal productivity, natural livestock rhythms, whole-grains, and small portions of free-range meat.

The Raw 50: 10 Amazing Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners, Snacks, and Drinks for Your Raw Food Lifestyle


Carol Alt - 2007
    The Raw 50 contains all of Carol’s favorite raw recipes—10 breakfasts, 10 lunches, 10 dinners, 10 snacks, and 10 drinks. There are dishes for every taste and every time of day, including Vanilla Avocado Milk, Red Leaf Salad with Arugula Pesto Dressing, Red Pepper Curry Soup, Romaine Avocado Burritos, and Red Beet Ravioli Stuffed with Tarragon “Goat” Cheese. There’s even a delicious Raw Pizza, as well as tempting desserts like Lemon Ginger Coconut Tart and Frozen Watermelon Cheesecake. With complete menus for lunches and dinners, plenty of useful advice on choosing ingredients and essential equiptment, and easy-reference lists of staple foods for any raw kitchen, The Raw 50 is the ideal go-to guide for anyone ready to experience the life-changing benefits of eating in the raw.

Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human


Richard W. Wrangham - 2009
    But in Catching Fire, renowned primatologist Richard Wrangham presents a startling alternative: our evolutionary success is the result of cooking. In a groundbreaking theory of our origins, Wrangham shows that the shift from raw to cooked foods was the key factor in human evolution. when our ancestors adapted to using fire, humanity began.Once our hominid ancestors began cooking their food, the human digestive tract shrank and the brain grew. Time once spent chewing tough raw food could be used instead to hunt and to tend camp. Cooking became the basis for pair bonding and marriage, created the household, and even led to a sexual division of labor.Tracing the contemporary implications of our ancestors' diets, Catching Fire sheds new light on how we came to be the social, intelligent, and sexual species we are today. A pathbreaking new theory of human evolution, Catching Fire will provoke controversy and fascinate anyone interested in our ancient origins--or in our modern eating habits.--from the dustjacket

Everyday Raw


Matthew Kenney - 2008
    Matthew has been the chef and co-owner of Pure Food and Wine restaurant in NYC as well as the chef and partner of numerous successful restaurants including Matthew's, Canteen, Commune, Commissary, and Mezze. In 1994 Food and Wine included him as one of their Ten Best New Chefs of the Year. He's been featured on the Today Show, The Food Network, as well as a variety of other morning talk shows. Matthew was nominated for the James Beard Rising Star Award.

Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans


Michelle Tam - 2013
     Nom Nom Paleo is a visual feast, crackling with humor and packed with stunningly photographed step-by-step recipes free of gluten, soy, and added sugar. Designed to inspire the whole family to chow down on healthy, home-cooked meals, this cookbook compiles over 100 foolproof recipes that demonstrate how fun and flavorful cooking with wholesome ingredients can be. And did we mention the cartoons?Nom Nom Paleo kicks off with a fresh introduction to Paleo eating, taking readers on a guided tour of author Michelle Tam's real-food strategies for stocking the kitchen, saving time, and maximizing flavors. Also, sprinkled throughout the book are enlightening features on feeding kids, packing nutritious lunches, boosting umami, and much more.But the heart of this book is Michelle's award-winning recipes, 50 percent of which are brand-new—even to diehard fans who own her bestselling iPad cookbook app. Readers can start by marrying their favorite ingredients with building blocks like Sriracha Mayonnaise, Louisiana Remoulade, and the infamous Magic Mushroom Powder. These basic recipes lay the foundation for many of the fabulous delights in the rest of the book including Eggplant & "Ricotta" Stacks, Crab Louie, and Devils on Horseback.There's something for everyone in this cookbook, from small bites like Apple Chips and Kabalagala (Ugandan plantain fritters) to family-sized platters of Coconut Pineapple Rice and Siu Yoke (crispy roast pork belly). Crave exotic spices? You won't be able to resist the fragrant aromas of Fast Pho or Mulligatawny Soup. In the mood for down-home comforts? Make some Yankee Pot Roast or Chicken Nuggets drizzled with Lemon Honey Sauce. When a quick weeknight meal is in order, Nom Nom Paleo can show you how to make Crispy Smashed Chicken or Whole-Roasted Branzini in less than 30 minutes. And for a cold treat on a hot day, nothing beats Mocha Popsicles or a two-minute Strawberry Banana Ice Cream.Healthy cooking doesn't mean sacrificing flavor. This book gives you "Paleo with personality," and will make you excited to play in the kitchen again.

Diet for a Small Planet


Frances Moore Lappé - 1971
    With the new emphasis on environmentalism in the 1990's, Lappe stresses how her philosophy remains valid, and how food remains the central issue through which to understand world politics.

The Vegiterranean Diet: Indulge in Your Favorite Mediterranean Cuisine for Optimal Health and Weight Loss


Julieanna Hever - 2014
    But scientific research has found that animal products—including seafood, poultry, eggs, and dairy (which are all a part of the traditional Mediterranean diet)—are associated with excess weight, chronic disease,and ecological degradation.Now, registered dietitian and plant-based expert Julieanna Hever transforms the Mediterranean diet into the “Vegiterranean” diet with whole-plant foods that more effectively promote long-term health and weight management than the common Mediterranean meal plan. With Vegiterranean meal basics, nutritional concerns, flexible menus, and more than forty easy, delicious recipes, you’ll reap the benefits of the most researched and beloved diet—made even healthier.

Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet


Elaine Gottschall - 1994
    Most intestinal microbes require carbohydrates for energy. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet works by severely limiting the availability of carbohydrates to intestinal microbes.When carbohydrates are not digested, they are not absorbed. They remain in the intestinal tract, thus encouraging microbes to multiply by providing food for them. This can lead to the formation of acids and toxins which can injure the small intestine.Once bacteria multiply within the small intestine, they can destroy the enzymes on the intestinal cell surface, preventing carbohydrate digestion and absorption. At this point, production of excessive mucus may be triggered as the intestinal tract attempts to "lubricate" itself against the irritation caused by the toxins, acids, and the presence of incompletely digested and unabsorbed carbohydrates.The diet is based on the principle that specifically selected carbohydrates, requiring minimal digestion, are well absorbed leaving virtually nothing for intestinal microbes to feed on. As the microbes decrease due to lack of food, their harmful by-products also diminish. No longer needing protection, the mucus producing cells stop producing excessive mucus and carbohydrate digestion is improved. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet corrects malabsorption, allowing nutrients to enter the bloodstream and be made available to the cells of the body, thereby strengthening the immune system's ability to fight. Further debilitation is prevented, weight can return to normal, and ultimately there is a return to health.