Comer, Nutrir, Brilhar

by Amelia Freer

10 Passos simples para perder peso, parecer mais jovem e sentir-se melhor Há mais de sete anos que a nutricionista Amelia Freer ajuda as pessoas a mudarem de vida. Neste momento, a lista de espera para as suas consultas já é longa. Neste livro soberbamente ilustrado, Amelia Freer apresenta dez passos simples que o farão deixar as dietas da moda no passado e seguir na direção de um futuro rejuvenescedor. Revelando os segredos tão concorridos que partilha com a sua lista de clientes de prestígio, Amelia ensina uma filosofia alimentar simples que não só o habilitará a tomar boas decisões sobre a comida que compra, como também o levará a cortar com os hábitos nocivos e os alimentos aditivos que o fazem sentir-se mole e exausto. Na secção de receitas, Amelia demonstra-lhe que pode comer bem, sem abdicar do sabor, ensinando-lhe pratos fáceis, rápidos e nutritivos para todas as refeições. Desde a taça de pequeno-almoço com pera, ameixa seca, maçã e sementes de chia à salada de caranguejo crocante, e desde os caramelos salgados de chocolate e avelã aos marshmallows de chocolate puro, comer bem nunca foi tão simples e compensador.
«A Amelia fez-me mudar a minha relação com a comida e, ao mesmo tempo, comigo próprio e o meu trabalho.» Boy George

Genres: Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Health, Cooking, Food, Nutrition, Self Help

271 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting and informative read which makes me want to throw out all the junk in my fridge and pantry and start eating "mindfully" and with respect for my health and my body. Whilst realistically I do not think I can embrace everything put forward in this book there is a lot here that makes sense and seems achievable. Freer is a nutritional therapist who seems to have a lot of respect for and knowledge of food and it's ability to nurture and heal. The emphasis is mainly on natural, unprocessed food in it's purest form and the approach is a sensible one. So in Freer's own words I plan to "Be graceful, eat slowly and not gobble"!!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out as a good fit for a reader with a pretty typical diet who is looking to move in a healthier direction. The author gave helpful recommendations on removing one undesirable group on foods at a time and helps the reader figure out which to start with. Here's where my enjoyment of the book falters - the author too quickly launched into pretty extreme ingredient and recipe suggestions that I would say are WAY unlikely to be tried by the average eater, turning the book into a more of a guide to the "holy grail" of uber-healthy eating (no longer useful to me.) Sorry, Amelia Freer... You had me, then you lost me.

[Zuzana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been re-searching a lot of healthy eating and nutrition books. If you expecting a book packed with recipes and diet program, you picked up a wrong book. But this book is packed with great tips and tricks to start you thinking different way about how and what you eat. I enjoy reading this book and cannot wait to implement so major changes in the way I go about eating.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess Amelia Freer got some notoriety through come celebs who rec'ed her book and/or her help as a nutritional therapist.
The book itself contains barely any new information for a mildly informed adult and she isn't a writer who makes no-new information available in a new way. Her tone is pretty condescending at times; maybe she tried to be witty or snarky or funny, but not all humour translates well in writing. Also she recommends to see a nutritional therapist myself. Yeah right. If that were an option, I wouldn't have bought the book.
And lastly, this book is not for the picky eater. Because then you'll have nothing to eat. Mostly none of her tips work for me because there are just some foods that'd make me puke. And those are her favoured foods.
Oh, and one more thing: Why no word on meat? Everything is bad (including of course the now fashionable evil!gluten) but meat gets nearly no mention at all (except for buy local and eat red meat in moderation)? Weird.
I did like her chapter on how to start cutting one thing. That was explained well and she tried to give as many alternatives as possible.

ETA: Everybody should read this digested read. I can only add a big fat MTE.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015...

[LemontreeLime · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend at the library handed me this and said 'you might enjoy this one', and as I read it I was surprised to see that 85% of everything I've done to become healthier over the past three years was in there. When I mentioned that to the library friend, she smiled and said 'isn't it nice when you find out you were doing something right all along?'. This book won't float everyone's boat, and there's even some things she promotes that I just cannot do. (coconut oil or milk in cooking tends to give me gastric distress, so most paleo is right out for me.) Freer is recommending that you consider some major lifestyle overhauls, in your food your exercise and even in some of your thoughts. But she does it in such a NICE way it makes me wish I could hire her to be my nutritionist. I would bet that I would never dread her appointments because she makes it very clear you simply work with all of it, no drastic changes just slow adjustments. Like I said before, Nice!

[Bridget · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tend to really dislike when anyone makes such overarching statements like "We have been grossly misled to believe that yogurts are a healthy product" or advising people to sit in the sun versus taking a vitamin D supplement ("[people] cover [them]selves in (toxic) sun cream, and it can result in a vitamin D deficiency). And any nutritionist that talks about how X is good for detoxing, ugh. You can eat things that *support* your body's ability to properly digest food and so on, but "detoxing" is such a loaded and vague word.

I just...there are sentences and things that really resonate ("You don't have to change everything at once. Especially with sugar, sometimes reducing slowly can help you make progress") - but it's just not the best fit for me. I do feel as if she could be a really great nutritionist with clients - she gives off the vibe of being gentle. But as a book, it just doesn't work.

[Natalie Daly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt healthier just reading this book - and, of course, encouraged to change my diet. I have been making my own nut milk and not eating after 8pm as well as minimising sugar and wheat for only one week and I am noticing a difference to my energy levels and how my clothes feel. I also really like the way Amelia uses appropriate self disclosure to show how many changes she has personally made to her eating habits. I found this particularly encouraging.

[Andy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This would be better suited as a clean eating blog, aimed at a very particular type of person.

Sadly not worth the price of admission.

[Jee Chung · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am almost done reading this book and although it has its positives, I think it's nothing more than what I can get on any Health-related websites for free on the web. I will still try to power-through it since I have it in hand. Perhaps, the book will mention this later on but one of the main reasons why people go for cheaper, "less-healthier" options, is simply because they are cheaper in price. Of course, we go for sugar due to its "reward" chemistry in Neuroscience experiments and that people don't have "time" during the day (or even till late at night) which is why they go for ready-prepared meals; but it is important to note that a lot of the ingredients she points out that we should "re-stock" are pricier than the alternatives. One reason why low-income neighborhoods may be correlated with high obesity rates. It may not be due to lack of awareness.

It is true that we are mindlessly eating away at work, on the couch, on bed. I would have to say that I am one of those living in NYC. The book does very little than to give us a piece of "good" or "useful" advice on becoming a "mindful" eater. As someone who is below weight, I thought this book would define the relationship food has with people and how we can "form" a better, established way of thinking about food. In the end, I think she simply categorizes what kind of eater you are and that's the end of the story. It was like saying "you have lung cancer. Go do all the things that are good for your lung".. The reality is, a simple diagnosis is just not enough. If it were that easy, everyone would be healthy.

If you have zero experience in reading up on health magazines, weight loss-related articles on the web, this book may be useful. Otherwise, I don't think you are going to gain much out of the book overall, despite the good intentions the author has.

[seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

i definitely agree with most of the central tenants of the book: sugar is toxic, we are addicted to carbs and alcohol, etc. im even someone whose default diet tries to be pretty low carb, especially if an event is coming up (like my sister's wedding in september), but i agree with some of the other reviews that her ingredients are not easy for most people who aren't used to them (like all the coconut products) and quitting sugar/carbs cold turkey is hard as hell (which she acknowledged). i love her ideas about mindfulness and respecting food, i definitely feel that way, especially when i bake, which is kind of my central problem with the book. yes, sugar in excess is bad for you (especially hidden sugar like she says), but research has shown that extreme no sugar diets kind of give you the same effect as finding your own threshold within a healthy eating plan, so being restrictive like that is only a psychological thing. if you are a person who knows they cannot have any sugar ever without sliding into extreme cravings, then this is definitely a book to read to see how to break the cycle and figure out what's best for you in terms of what you can and can't have. before i gave up sugar the first time i was like that and once I broke the cravings it helped so much, but i also don't think that most people are a poisoned and lazy as she implies and that made me mad as i read, especially as an american because our lifestyles and work lives are quite different.

[Vi ~ Inkvotary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is F A N T A S T I C ! Amelia Freer' s writing style is clear, she speaks right out of your heart and tells you things in a dezent but strong way. Stop thinking about your next diet you want to start or how many pounds you want to lose or what rules you'll have to follow and which you don' t like already.

I hate being on a diet! Over many years I had to follow one with very strict rules and as soon as possible my head quit and no matter what I tried or how many times I started a new diet - I failed and felt miserable.

Those times are OVER. After I read this book I know where I made mistakes, what I did wrong and how to change it. And I will - believe me. With the tips and the advice from Amelia Freer I am convinced I can do it and that I will succeed, step by step!

Her points about some certain facts, the things she talks about sound totally logic, make sense and every page brings even more truth and how to deal with it the best way possible.

Highly recommended for everyone who wants to change things for the better!

[Heather O'Neill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is from a nutritionist in the UK and it is about how she thinks you should be eating to have a healthy lifestyle. She gives 10 principals to follow. All of the information in the book are things that I already knew. If you are someone that wants to start eating healthier then this book would probably be a good introduction to healthy eating. The big ideas are eat less sugar and carbs and eat more veggies and protein. Her writing came across very friendly and it was easy to read. Even though I knew most of the ideas I still found some of the things that she said useful. I also liked how she said that she doesn't expect people to just give up everything cold turkey and she knows that people are going to have treats every once in awhile and that is okay. It was a very quick read and I liked the pictures that she had in it. There are also some recipes in the book, but it is definitely not a cook book.

[Gill Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well. I like to eat healthily and at first I thought this book was a cookery book with healthy eating recipes but though there are a few recipes they make up probably less than a quarter of the book. The author is a nutritionist and the book is really her story of becoming a nutritionist eating better (mainly by cutting loads of foods out of her diet) and gaining more energy and vitality and becoming much healthier etc etc. How she helps her clients and of course what to eat and what not to eat. Mainly what not to eat. No dairy no wheat no carbs no sugar etc. I'm sure it would be a better way to eat, but seriously, I doubt I could stick to it. It just seemed to me to be a series of things to give up, very difficult and by the end I was craving coffee and a slice of cake. I've given it 3 stars because it's aspirational.

[AllBookedUp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everything I already know but fail to do.
Dump all your junk food, prepared foods and sugar. Buy fresh veggies, fruits, and prepare meals from scratch as much as possible. Drop all sugar from diet. Agave, honey and stevia are fine. Do natural sugar if need be. Drink more water. Your thirsty most likely. Nutrients over calories. Here are some recipes at the end. There, done. I saved you time in reading her book. 😸

[Victoria Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

My new favorite health book! The information is presented in a simple and friendly way. A lot of the content is nothing new, but the ten steps make cleaning up your diet seem doable. You must be open to new things...like chia seeds. (I like them!) I highly recommend this book. If you're not in the UK you'll have to read it on Kindle.

[Matt Kays · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had found this book a year ago when it came out. As someone who reads a lot about health and fitness (mostly on the internet) I found this book to be a great resource in compiling the various things I have learned over the years on how to live a healthy life with clean eating. It is written in clear, concise and easy digest chapters and provides a great foundation for getting on track.

[Alexandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was hard to get through. The author rubbed me the wrong way, I felt like she was condescending. The information found in this book is not new, I think I’m better off looking and comparing different articles online.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good for information on the nutrition of a clean, mainly plant-based diet. Sadly lacking in recipes, which I was hoping for.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

No.1 bestseller and it is easy to see why. As well as being a beautiful book to look at, it is full of useful but basic nutritional information. More than this, the information is presented in an easy to read and conversational style; the effect of which is to keep the reader reading.
There are some points which can seem a little overwhelming. Particularly for those readers who are in the first stages of wanting to change lifestyle towards healthy eating. However, there’s also a good deal of hand holding for those who need it (which is probably anyone who eats sugar).
All in all, a good insight into how to approach changing diet and would be absolutely suitable for those who have already ventured into making positive changes. Also suitable for those who have made the change but need a bit of a refresher.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

An overall, generally helpful book on lifestyle change for health. Each of the 10 chapters contained one primary concepts, as well as information that taught about that concept, and a lot of examples of the authors interaction with her clients regarding those particular issues being discussed. Probably the most practical help for me came in chapter 2, about how to detox your kitchen, and prepare a quality stocked pantry. And the chapters on fat, sugar, and water (hydration).

The author’s conversational style was full of practical hints and tips on how I can make these changes in my own life. She was diligent to continue to remind us how it is not about perfection, but consistency.

Overall, motivating and helpful. I will keep this book as a reference and hopefully apply what I learned!!

[Racquel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and easy read on the basics of eating healthy. I liked that the book covered the necessary info without going into detailed studies and statistics on every point the author was trying to make.

This is a good book for beginners because it covers the basics of certain foods, why they are bad for you, and alternatives to use. There was also some helpful recipes that were included in some of the chapters as well as at the end.

I would consider this a good guidebook for those curious about what healthy eating really is and those looking for some place to start.

[Book Grocer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freer is a nutritional therapist who has worked with many celebrities and brings her breadth of knowledge to this book. With 25 recipes and 10 lifestyle steps, she will get your health back on track without having to sacrifice too much of the fun stuff. Freer also uses her personal expereince which shows the reader that a healthier way of life is possible - Elisa, Book Grocer

Purchase this classic here for just $12.00

[Chandramouli Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first serious book on healthy eating and my entry into the world of healthy food. It is qite simple to read and doesn't go too much into the nutritional aspect of food, but tries to stick to the emotional and psychological connection with food. I would not go back to read it again as I have ventured far ahead in my journey towards healthful eating, but I appreciate the role it played in beginning my journey.

[Collette Brennan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did enjoyed learning some new information about how different types of foods can affect your body and the way you feel. That will help me make more educated decisions. However, overall I didn’t feel her approach would work well for me or the average person. She essentially recommends cutting all sugar (like don’t be eating too many fruits), gluten, and dairy. If you just want to live a well-rounded and healthier lifestyle, her approach may be a little too extreme

[Silvia Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found half-hidden in a charity shop and bought for 2 pounds, this has been a huge revelation. Such an interesting book on so many topics related to food, specially sugar, the big enemy. It contains general nutrition advise, delicious recipes, how to eat properly and improve your health on the process...a complete must

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview on how to be healthy

This as would be a great introduction to someone who has no clue how to start living a healthy lifestyle. However, if you already have a good grip on what a healthy lifestyle entails then I wouldn’t recommend this book.
This is an easy to read book and does have some interesting recipes that may be worth trying.

[Helen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I took this book out of the library because I am interesting into eating more healthier, Read and skimmed through it for a few weeks but it did not offer any new insights. Also, the recipes included are not anything that I would make or eat.

[Elicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book very encouraging and informative. Unlike most "food" books, it was friendly instead of badgering, and made me as a reader feel inspired instead of discouraged. I wish it had more recipes, but it gives a lot of great information about making your food choices more clean and whole.

[Mavrakef · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

Inspiring book about our everyday good choices, it really has made a difference to the way I think about good and cooking. I would highly recommend it to anyone who seeks better lifestyle and wants to improve their diet.

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Essentially a lifestyle book with common sense insights. May be useful to people who need a refresher to what is ‘healthy’ or to those who are absolutely clueless. Has a few recipes in the back. A book to borrow from the library to peruse over once, not to keep on a bookshelf at home.