Do you ever wake up the morning after a Mexican food binge crying out, “Whyyyyyyy?”  Well, I guess there could be a few reasons for that reaction, but the one I am referring to has to do with inflamed skin, a puffy face, dull eyes, and bloat.  (And probably a slight headache from the margaritas you just had to have.)  We’ve all been there.  On the other hand, have you ever been on a cleanse and woken up to bright eyes, clear skin and a flat tummy?  It does not take a rocket scientist to know that the way we look today and the way we age tomorrow have everything to do what we eat.  As Socrates said, “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

I feel like I am always reading random magazine articles about the next superfood, the anti-aging benefits of blueberries and  “the top five foods to eat to avoid bloat in your bikini”.  It’s all great, but I always wind up forgetting the actual benefits of the food mentioned.  I’ve been wishing there was a little encyclopedia of super foods and power foods and wonder foods that I could always refer back to….

Introducing: Eat Pretty by Jolene Hart.  Hart is a former beauty editor turned holistic health and beauty coach.  While in her former role, she had access to every new, expensive beauty product on the market, but nothing she tried could rid her of an inflamed, blemished complexion.  She fell down the holistic health rabbit hole, and the rest is history.  This little book is the BEST reference guide to eating whole, seasonal foods for health and beauty.  For the diehard health-foodie, Eat Pretty is chock full of science; it not only has a nutrient glossary, but a phytochemical glossary – so nerdy and awesome!  But what if you just want to clean up your diet and be told what to eat (and maybe why)?  This book is perfect for you, too.  Eat Pretty follows the calendar, providing you with a list of the best seasonal foods to pick up as well as a few recipes for each time of the year.

The thing I love best about Eat Pretty is that it’s not a plan, a diet, a method, a craze, a cult, etc.  There is no oath you have to take to join this way of life.  It doesn’t tell you to cut out all x,y,z foods from your life forever or else you will be a fat loser.  Instead, Hart is inclusive and generous; offering dozens of healthy, nourishing options that you can eat to your heart’s content.  It is a much kinder way to treat yourself, no?  Rather than limiting yourself and denying yourself all day, you can actually get excited about what you can eat, what you should eat, what you want to eat.

Take care of yourself.  Really.

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