I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A few good recipes that I plan to try from the nutritionist author.

This was a great cookbook and I am definitely looking forward to making a ton of these recipes, if not all of them, at home in my new kitchen!

It's great to see a cookbook from someone who is also a nutritionist. The essays at the beginning are interesting and give the reader a lot to think about in their approach to health.

As lovely as the premise and the recipes appear to be, the resources listed are not accessible. Yes health can be expensive but my, my, my, this book surely pushes that health is for those with financial access. This is even more painful when you see how many recipes are influenced, or fully from other cultures and yet they are presented in a way that isn't so.

FOODWISE by Mia Rigden, a board-certified nutritionist and trained chef with a private nutrition practice, contains 100 "plant-forward" recipes intended to be a "reset for the mind, body, and soul." In fact, most of the book discusses why reset and how to accomplish the twenty-one day whole foods plan that removes common food sensitivities like gluten, dairy, alcohol, and sugar. Some recipes, like Jazzy Carrot and Parsnip Soup, seem intriguing although they would require a trip to the grocery store for ingredients like fresh ginger, bone broth, coconut milk, and sacha inchi seeds. Rigden is clearly advocating a change not just in what one eats, but also in how one's pantry is stocked: for Sesame Broccoli Poppers, one needs the broccoli, of course, but also gluten-free flour, sesame seeds, miso paste, tamari, coconut aminos, and toasted sesame oil. The preview version of FOODWISE is difficult to navigate and there are relatively few images which, for me, at least, is a definite negative.

This was a nice mixture of recipes and information. The author shared information on healthy ways to approach food to make for a more sustainable healthy lifestyle. Good info and delicious recipes! Thank you to Simon Element and NetGalley for the ARC!

Foodwise is a book of two halves, one half introducing the reader to the diet/reset instructions and the other being the recipes. The detail of the reset is very thorough and in-depth.
I must admit I enjoyed the recipes most! They are varied and easy to follow and I am looking forward to making the Salmon and Cherry tomatoes, Coconut curry and lime soup and I think dinner tonight will be the Salmon Nicoise which is a classic but delicious!

This is basically an elimination diet book by a nutritionist who writes like an influencer. She talks up her program quite a lot and then you’re supposed to do it once or twice a year for three weeks. She eliminates gluten, sugar, pesticides, GMOs, dairy, caffeine, alcohol, white rice and refined starches (sort of — some recipes call for gluten free flour and unless you make your own it’s full of white rice, GMO corn starch, potato starch and other highly processed ingredients) and other things. She does not eliminate eggs or soy (as long as it’s organic and non-GMO) or some other common allergens. While she uses buzzwords like plant forward, she does use animal products throughout.

Her recipes call for lots of ingredients like vanilla protein powder and cocoa nibs. Most of her breakfast recipes are smoothies with expensive ingredients. Those used to the traditional standard American diet (SAD) are not likely to enjoy the recipes, though they are better for you.

The author is a fairly young woman who seems to have plenty of money for her food choices. I’ve fed our large family very healthy whole organic foods for decades on next to nothing so I know it can be done, but the book feels a little tone deaf for the readers who may struggle to eat the way she recommends. Also, many readers may have different needs and lifestyles than hers. If you need lower carbs, more protein, vegan, keto, etc it will be a miss.

This wasn’t a good fit for me personally. After middle age we women need a lot fewer carbs and more protein and healthy fats than this type of eating, for one thing. I already knew the nutritional information. I also just plain didn’t find the recipes appetizing.

All that said, if you want to just eat much more healthy than the SAD short term to see if you have any food sensitivities or to reset your health and you are new to it, this will be a good primer.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.