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.

Sorry I really did try to eat in this way but couldn't make it work. I am not overweight but the concept of the book appealed to me.
However I just cannot cope with protein on it's own. I can read the meal ideas and love them but eating that way no, can't do it.

However it's a great book and the mantra of Dr Rempo Kuipers - If you are healthy then you are truly healthy, is true. If you don't want limited portion sizes or calorie counting this might be your thing.

(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY)

RATING: 3 STARS

I was interested in this book as I am looking for ways to eat healthier and cleaner. I am not sure about this food combining method, but the recipes look fun to try. I will post updates if I do try this method. If nothing less, this book satisfied my cookbook browsing with it's lovely pictures.

Great ideas to change your life and become healthy!

Lot of different and innovative recipes to try.............

Pure and simple A natural food way of life by Pascale Nessens
is an ABRAMS book released this April 4.

What does eating well mean?

In the foreword cured by doctor Remko Kuipers the history of the change of relationship between western population and food during last century. The advent of industrialization brought other kind of food on the table of all of us and at first of all on the tables of the Americans. Americans discovered other tastes and not only: they discovered fast food. The old dear slow food, made by healthy ingredients cultivated previously by peasants forgotten. The garden gone, substituted by in general industrial food because of the expansion of cities, work, a different life-style.

The result of this change of habits brought serious illness with the decades, obesity and many other social unhappy problems.

Eating well is a responsibility of all of us for aging well, for staying well. Our body is not just our property but a big illness connected with the abuse of food can mean a real tragedy for entire families and radical changes. So let's use responsibility for us and for all our dear ones and let's eat properly.

Eating well doesn't mean eating without taste, or eating depressing food, no. It's the opposite because eating well means that the body is healthy and the mind a best,lightest engine.
Eating well means also more respect for the same food and for our own body and mind, with delicious recipes, healthy and truly good!

With this book Pascale will help all of us to eat well and remain slim. Pascale was born in Belgium and his cookbooks are real best-seller because I guess she lived "alimentary stress." Healed, she understood which are the main food she wants to eat and which combination are better for us and our body and our mind. At the same time Pascale wants to help us: let's eat what we want without too many sacrifices, and at the same time remaining slim. A dream? Not exactly.
Three the main points of this book: share meals with family and friends, don't put on weight and don't stay too much in the kitchen :-) Recipes must be quick and satisfying.
In the book the author will analyze the various alimentary combinations and I can tell you that it is interesting. Then these recipes are wonderful! Pictures are stunning with heavenly locations.
Divided per chapters, Pascale will introduce us delicious fish recipes, yum! and all the world connected with it, seaweed, shellfish. Then it will be the turn of meat, cheese and vegetables.

I thank so badly the author for the chapter fermented vegetables because I found it very helpful! ;-)

And... For a breakfast with low carbohydrates don't forget the Fluffy Blueberry Cake inserted in the deserts section or the delicious flourless brownies, just two of the recipes suggested by Pascale.

Thanks to Pascale we will discover that food is not just introduction of energy in our body but sharing our joy and happiness with other people, that food is a powerful way for communicating sentiments and for creating great memories impressed forever in the mind and heart of people and the best vehicle for promoting our places, our way of life.

Pascale at the end of the book will invite all of you, readers to staying in touch with her and sharing with her your impressions about her recipes and what she said in this book so that connections will be in grade to create a strongest relationship with food-conscious lovers from all the world.

I thank NetGalley and ABRAMS for this book.

I cannot review this book because it would not download properly.

A lovely and colorful collection of simple and delicious recipes. I loved browsing this cookbook. Some may seem a little out of reach, specifically the seafood, who may not live in region; however, with some savvy shopping during the right seasons, I'm sure these items could be found. There are plenty of other recipes that are unique and delicious and I would recommend this for anyone looking for cleaner, simpler eating and those libraries looking to build that part of their collection.

Pure & Simple by Pascale Naessens is a wonderful cookbook with a variety of fish, poultry, meat, vegetable, cheese, and dessert recipes. The photos in the book are amazing. The book also includes the science behind eating certain combinations of foods and avoiding eating certain foods together.

I kept admiring the dishes. The literal dishes - plates, bowls, serving platters, etc. At the end of the book, the author mentions that she is also a ceramist.