The Healthiest People on Earth

Such an informative book! I could tell that this book has a lot of research behind it and felt it was very well written! I loved the recipes that were included as well.! I highlighted many passages and will definitely go back to those highlights! Thank you for the ARC!

The author begins his book by stating that his hometown of Lima Linda, California is the only “Blue Zone” in the United States. Blue Zones are places on Earth where people live 10 years longer than the average person. Lima Linda is also a bastion of the Seventh Day Adventist Church and it is the place where one of the nations first health food stores originated. Ironically, next door to Lima Linda is San Bernardino, where the first McDonalds franchise originated with the help of devices that cooked large quantities of food faster than anyone had done before them.
The author states that a “plant based diet’s” benefits improve health, protect against disease, and prolong life. ” What does “plant-based” mean? It refers to any food that springs forth from planet Earth, whether in trees or on bushes or among vines or upon the soil, whether in gardens, fields, orchards, or wild thickets.
It refers to every food there is, in fact, except for the flesh or bodily discharges of our companion creatures, the animals and birds and insects and fish with whom we share the planet. What does the term “whole foods” mean? It refers to foods that are intact in their original state and are not processed or modified or altered in ways that compromise their natural nutritional goodness.”
The American diet, which is full of fats and cholesterol, leads to heart attacks, dementia, cancer, stroke and diabetes, which are the leading causes of death.
So...what can you eat?
Almost anything in the produce section, and the healthy dairy substitutes such as almond and cashier butter and milk.
The author gives a list of foods you can eat, along with avoiding alcohol and tobacco.
There are recipes for Whole Foods in the back of the book, such as oatmeal with fruit, buckwheat pancakes with fruit, and peanut butter, rice and cilantro. There are also recipes for loaded sweet potatoes with beans, scallions, corn and salsa!
Learn how you can eat better, lose weight, and help your body to heal itself!

5 long-lived stars to The Healthiest People on Earth!

The Healthiest People on Earth is an engaging read. The author has a fascinating pedigree. His two times great grandmother, Ellen G. White, was a prophet and founder of the Adventist Church. She established Loma Linda in California as a community, which happens to be so healthy to this day that it’s considered the only “Blue Zone” in the United States, meaning a place where people actually are measured to live longer; 10 years longer, in fact.

So just how did Loma Linda become a Blue Zone and why? Ellen G. White was an early proponent of vegetarianism, and while the author makes it clear that he is not discussing theology in the book, a basic tenet of Adventism is a plant-based diet and has been since its inception. That in and of itself is fascinating to me.

The author, John Howard Weeks, has an easy-reading, funny writing style, and I could tell instantly that he’s a journalist. I enjoyed the family stories and home remedies he presented, which were all kinds of tips to help with sleep, cure minor illnesses, and so on.

The recipes presented were the icing on the cake. All plant-based and extremely practical, even though I’ve read and used many plant-based cookbooks, I still found new ideas, including some of Ellen’s favorites from over 100 years ago. Things like how to make a variety of “cheeses” with whole foods, a super easy lentil roast that the author grew up eating, sticky rice with mango, Scottish Oatmeal, and Vegan Penicillin (chicken soup without the chicken).

Essentially, The Healthiest People on Earth is chock-full of the secrets to Loma Linda’s long-lived population of happy, healthy people, and while some of the ideas aren’t unique to the Adventists, it’s inspiring and hopeful to know that if you follow these tenets, you can absolutely live a longer life.

Thank you to John Howard Weeks, BenBella, and Netgalley, for the copy to read and review.

This is really a fascinating read. There was an amazing amount of research that went into it and the author does a great job of presenting it very simply. The author's writing is casual and easy to read and can be pretty funny as well. I really enjoyed the home health remedies and the book includes many really great looking recipes.

I like the humour in this book.This book is about plant-based way of eating for good health and longevity. Thanks for the opportunity, I really enjoyed it!

I received a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was an intriguing and edifying read. Loma Linda, CA is known as one of the Blue Zones where some study to learn the secrets to health living and longevity. If you have read the Blue Zones book, you may be familiar with this. This novel is in the same vein as that while also feeling a bit like an autobiography in part, as the author dips into his own experience growing up there. I enjoyed the insight and the sound health advice. It was an enjoyable read and even included some recipes that I am excited to try as well. I would highly recommend this book if you are interested in improving your health It is a fun read that will help inspire you to make better food and lifestyle choices.