FoodTrients: Age-Defying Recipes for a Sustainable Life by Grace O {book tour}

FoodTrients: Age-Defying Recipes for a Sustainable Life


author: Grace O
publisher: FoodTrients Publishing Company
source: TLC Book Tours
hard cover: 152 pages
photos: yes

chapters/sections:  Starters - Salads - Main Courses - Extras - Desserts - Drinks

fun features:  Each recipe contains FoodTrient specific logos at the top of the page it is on.  Each logo represents a category: Ai = Anti-inflamatory, Ao = Antioxidant, DP = Disease Preventing, IB = Immunity Booster, MB = Mind and Beauty.  Grace O explains these in the "Getting Started" section at the beginning of the book.  Incoroporating these properties into your everyday diet is more likely to make you look and feel younger, have more energy, and to improve your mood and your mind.

Each recipe also includes an explanation of how the key ingredients in it defy aging and its effects.  She stresses that FoodTrients are most beneficial when they "become the mainstay of your everyday diet, not from any one recipe".  Each recipe is made with whole foods (unprocessed and unrefined) in order to maximize their nutritional benefits.

(a few of the many) recipes destined for my kitchen:  Apple Barley Salad, Soy Custard Cups, Stuffed Petite Peppers, Homemade Sardines, Green Tea Noodles w/ Edamame, Mustard-Crusted Tri-Tip, Honey Lime Dressing, Cranberry Bread Pudding, Strawberry Tofu, Chia Frescas, Mint Agave Tonic, Pomegranate Iced Tea, Turmeric Orange Juice, Brazil Nut Tarts, Strawberry-Avocado Relish, Turmeric Rice, Seafood with Wild Rice, Lentil Salad

my thoughts/review:  Not only is this book informative, helpful, and interesting to read - it is packed full of beautiful photos of tempting food.  Grace O begins by explaining the ingredients and their benefits that may be lesser-known to some, for example- chia, hemp milk, moringa, and soursop.  Although it's not necessarily what is stressed, one look at this book reinforces the fact that "eating your colors" is one way to get most of your essential nutrients.

Even though I mentioned a few ingredients that may be lesser-known to some people, the majority of the ingredients she uses are whole foods that you see, use, or come across on a daily basis.  The food sounds delicious and actually makes you want to get into the kitchen even if the message of the book isn't foremost in your mind.  The fact that each recipe is prefaced by the "properties" of the ingredient can help educate you so that you can put together your own dishes, meals, and recipes once you've made your way through the ones she gives.

I recommend this cookbook for cooks of any skill level.  And I'll be using it often!

recipe(s) I have already tried:

Spinach and Grapefruit Salad w/ Tangy Ginger Dressing (adapted a bit)

Mango Tapioca

about the author:  Grace O has been cooking and baking professionally and recreationally all of her adult life.  As a child in Southeast Asia, she learned the culinary arts by her mother’s side in her family’s cooking school.  She became so well versed in hospitality and the culinary arts, she eventually took over the cooking school and opened three restaurants.  She is widely credited with popularizing shrimp on sugar-cane skewers and being one of the first culinarians to make tapas a global trend.  She has cooked for ruling families and royalty.

Grace O’s move to America precipitated a career in healthcare, inspired by her father, who was a physician.  Twenty years and much hard work later, she operates skilled nursing facilities in California.

Grace O strives to create flavorful food using the finest ingredients that ultimately lead to good health.  Her recipes, although low in saturated fat, salt, and sugar, are high in flavor.  Grace employs spices from all over the world to enliven her dishes, creating food that is different and delicious.  She believes that food can be just as effective at fighting aging as the most expensive skin creams.  And since she’s over 50 herself, she’s living proof of that theory.

further info: website | facebook | twitter

*I received a free copy of this book to review from the publisher.  All thoughts and opinions stated in this post are 100% mine.