Ani Phyo, celebrated raw food chef and eco-lifestylist, recently published a new book. Ani’s 15-Day Fat Blast– The Kick Ass plan to get Lighter, Tighter and Sexier… Super Fast, is one of the best ‘diet’ books to come out in recent years. This a good book for those looking to boost their healthy, improve their physique, and it’s true, get thinner. But it’s not THAT type of diet book that promotes a quick-fix or a magic pill. Nor does it promote a special ‘diet’ food as a money-making tie-in (hello, South Beach Granola Bars). Instead, Phyo focuses on what is truly best for our bodies: unprocessed, whole fruits, vegetables and superfoods like cayenne pepper, miso, apple cider vinegar and more. These are the true diet foods, those that can be eaten without guilt, without side-effects, without corporate endorsement and most without cooking!
There is no doubt this is a diet book: the meal plan is lean, focusing on fresh blended smoothies, homemade raw soups, salads and quick dinner meals. But what excites me about this book is that Phyo is not just helping her readers lose weight, she is setting them on a path towards better health.
With well-written recipes, carefully thought-out meal plans, and a whole chapter devoted to ‘Rocket Fuels’ to create an effective and healthy plan. The Rocket Fuels she has chosen include probiotics, prebiotics, healthy fats (MCFA, or medium-chain fatty acids), and thermogenic foods, foods to burn fat in our bodies. We’re big fans of increasing probiotics in our bodies here at VWJ, and anytime authors fit that into their plan it excites me. Probiotics can help with overall immunity, better digestion, better nutrient assimilation, and help with clearing the body of excess waste– especially important if you are trying to lose extra weight. Probiotics are found in fermented foods like homemade sauerkraut, homemade kombucha, but also in miso and yogurt.
Other good things introduced by Phyo include prebiotics, a less-studied but decidedly important part of a healthy diet. Prebiotics are fibers and sugars found in certain foods that promote the growth of those helpful probiotics. Found in most fruits and veggies, but also in honey, Jerusalem artichoke and flaxseeds. MFCAs are super important for our bodies too. Medium-chain fatty acids are found in coconut oil, which is a healthy fat that’s actually good for our bodies! Other healthy oils include avocado, nut, olive oil and seeds. Finally, Phyo introduces us to thermogenic foods, foods that literally heat up our bodies to speed metabloism, which helps burn fat faster. Luckily, these thermogenic foods are easy to come by: green tea, chilies, ginger, pepper, grapefruit and turmeric. All these ‘Rocket Fuels’ are included as an option in the daily meal plans. Here’s an example of a a meal plan from the third week of the meal plan:
Breakfast: Vanilla-Blueberry Shake
Snack: Red, White and Blueberry Salad
Lunch: Kreamy Chipotle Salad
Snack: Kreamy Cucumber Soup
Dinner: Zucchini Noodles with Marinara Sauce
Snack: Soup, avocado or handful of nuts.
You can see the plan is light, but also packed with fruits, veggies and some of the Rocket Fuels mentioned above. All the foods look amazing, and even if you are not interested in weight loss, the book is still full of awesome recipes for smoothies, soups, and snacks that you can incorporate into any day of your week.
You can find out more about this rad, raw girl on her website, and check out all her books on her store here.
Vibrant Wellness Journal would like to thank De Capo/Lifelong press for sharing a review copy of this book.
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