Eating for Energy: Transforming Your Life Through Living Plant-Based Whole Foods [Paperback]

It is common knowledge that illness and obesity are plaguing North America in frightening degrees. We know it must be related to foods we are ingesting, but with so much conflicting information on the market, usually tainted by self-serving advertisers, it can be difficult to choose a diet that is truly wholesome and beneficial to our health. Yuri Elkaim's Eating for Energy provides some encouraging information about a "back to basics" approach to eating that just may save lives.

As an athlete, Elkhaim found that the diet he was consuming, which was high in fruits, vegetables, and protein, was not providing him with the energy he expected. His studies in Holistic Nutrition led him to discover a new way of viewing how the human body processes food. As a fitness and nutrition coach, he developed a diet based on whole foods that eliminates many of the toxins that are so detrimental to our health.

Eating for Energy begins with quite a bit of scientific information. Elkaim explains how diffferent foods interact with the human body, breaking the foods down into their smallest particles. He demonstrates why some foods were not meant for human consumption, and how the chemical makeup of certain foods is altered during the cooking process, negatively affecting the nutritional value.

Elkaim's reasoning makes perfect sense. He explains why some people who believe themselves to be nutritionally fit are still plagued with health concerns and excess body fat. He also explains why someone who appears to be physically fit may not necessarily be healthy.

He provides a section specifically for athletes who may require a high caloric intake. There is a 12-week meal plan for transitioning to a whole foods diet. He closes the book with pages of recipes for dishes included in the meal plan. The book is incredibly thorough and contains all the information the reader will need to embark on this new lifestyle.

There is a catch, however, in that many of the foods and supplements the author touts so highly may not be available at your local grocer. You'll most likely need to visit a health food store for the supplements. Many of the fruits and vegetables are difficult to find, as well, especially since the goal is to find them organically grown and unprocessed. High cost grocers and specialty stores like Trader Joes will be a necessity to adhere to the diet completely, unless you have access to a farmer's market with organically grown produce year round.

Eating for Energy is well-written and easy to understand. However, the formatting makes it difficult to read at times. The font is very small and close together, and the margins should be widened so the reader does not have to break the spine of the book to be able to read across an entire paragraph. This is especially applicable to the recipe pages, where the reader may need to prop the book open and have their hands free while cooking.

Eating for Energy is an impressive nutritional guide. Even implementing parts of Elkaim's advice without adopting the entire plan can be beneficial to readers. Understanding how the body processes food is an important step in nutritional health. Perhaps as more people adopt an organic, whole foods diet, grocers will begin to make these types of foods more readily available.

I have read a few books on Raw Foods and found this to be one of my favorites. It is clear and to the point, with good recipes and good sense.

Eating for Energy: Transforming your life through living plant-based whole foods

This book was a game changer for me. I have learned how an organic and raw diet can affect your energy level, lifestyle and long term health. I will never move to a total vegan diet, but I have reduced the amount of red meat in my diet significantly and started to add other raw based green vegtables, legumes and nuts. In addition, with the recipes in the back, its easy to create fun, unique and tasty meals. I highly recommend this book.