Radiant Health, Inner Wealth, Quintessence (Tess) C. Challis (Quintessential Health Publishing, 2009)
I am not usually susceptible to various advertising fliers and posters left around the restaurants that I visit. Typically, I give the literature a quick glance and usually go on about my business. However, this is not what happened when my wife and I were out for breakfast one morning. The bright look of Tess’ smiling face on the cover of Radiant Health, Inner Wealth caught my eye. This cookbook turned out to be well worth my effort to browse through as I ate my tofu scramble. I even bought a copy and took it home.
Not only does Tess have some very tasty recipes, she also allows us to see the compassionate loving soul that she is. In the first pages of the book, she covers her transition to a vegan diet and the reasons for following a vegan lifestyle. She impresses her audience with the myriad of health related reasons about why a plant based diet is best for each of us. She “cracks the code” so that we understand the conventional, organic and GMO grocery coding of foods. Much of what she writes is footnoted and cross referenced for those who desire to see supporting studies, articles and books about the benefits that she covers. She also discusses the benefits of an exercise routine and meditation, both of which have been documented as being important to those who want a well-rounded program to achieve optimal health. Tess also recommends items for a healthy pantry and explains the meaning of terms that may be new to some who are unfamiliar with non-traditional foods. She lists her favorite 20 “Super Foods” that provide optimal nutrition.
Tess describes recipes as either “Green, Blue, or Purple”. “Green” recipes are low in fat and calories, high in fiber, and ideal for daily eating. The “Blue” recipes are also suitable for daily eating though a bit richer than the “Green” category. Lastly are the “Purple” recipes which are the richest recipes in the book as they contain higher amounts of fats and/or sugars than other in the book. Even so, these recipes are all still much lower in fats and sugars than most foods in the standard American diet.
We tried several recipes from this book. We found the recipes easy to follow, preparation reasonable and best of all, delicious to eat. This book was self- published by the author and that is likely why there are no nutritional content sections to the recipes. However, Tess does supply listings of all recipes in the Green and also the Blue categories. She provides suggested menus and a section of recommended menu items for youngsters as well. Overall this is a cookbook that you should consider for your collection. It provides a wealth of information as well as a peaceful and healthy approach to your diet.