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2.92 AVERAGE
2.92 AVERAGE
This is a beauuutifully presented book, full of delicious ideas and recipes to soothe your mind. There are plenty I'd like to try. You will need to source some extra ingredients that may not be in your pantry, for example, buckwheat flour, miso and CBD.
If you want to be inspired to try something new, it's well worth a read.
My thanks to Netgalley, publisher and author for the opportunity to review a digital copy.
If you want to be inspired to try something new, it's well worth a read.
My thanks to Netgalley, publisher and author for the opportunity to review a digital copy.
I didn't like this book at all. The ingredients used in the recipes are prohibitive when it comes to price and availability. Unless you consider fancy mushroom powder, Brazil nut butter and cacao nibs pantry staples, you'll find it difficult and expensive to make almost all of the recipes. And considering how much research there is into the relatio ship between nutrition and mental health, it's pretty much not mentioned. I would give this book a skip
Food for health reasons is what primarily interested me about this book. Sometimes it's really hard to know what to eat as there is so much information out there and this book really allows you to break that information into pieces you can understand. The food is broken down by season, which is great so you can get things while they are fresh. But while some of the recipes were interesting, there wasn't a lot that tempted me. There is also a drink section which did look interesting.
Mind Food is one seriously beautiful cookbook. You can tell that so much work went into the images and down to every last detail the layout and design make it very easy to read. It’s very clear how much living a mind food focused life has helped Lovatt, and she is very passionate about sharing it in the hopes of helping others improve their own lives. This is a solid mix of recipes, grouped by the seasons to encourage eating seasonally. There is also quite a few pantry staple recipes, like hemp milk and nut butter, which give you the ability to really customize your ingredients to your own taste.
In general it’s pretty sound nutritional advice- that she gives with the endorsement of a registered Dietician Nutritionist- but I don’t know if it’s totally practical for your average reader. It focuses on unprocessed, whole foods, which are good for everyone, but it leaves very little wiggle room for those wanting to follow the lifestyle while living a life not conducive to cooking everything from scratch. There is some information on batch cooking toward the end, but one looking at this as a lifestyle guide instead of just a book of recipes to pull from may still find this lifestyle inaccessible. Also, the ‘Tonic Herbs’ mentioned in the blurb of the book basically mean adaptogen powers, many from mushrooms and roots, which can be very expensive. They are optional in most of the recipes they are in, and do last a long time since the doses are small, but they are expensive. I worry someone reading this book would find they can’t afford a $30+ jar of brown powder and give up on including more whole foods into their diet. It’s the same with CBD oil. It’s used as a drizzle on multiple recipes, so it’s easily omitted, but could give someone the wrong idea that eating more vegetables is expensive.
I tried her ‘Sunshine Cup,’ which was an interesting way to try saffron and learn what it’s flavor is like. ‘Hemp butter’ was fun to make, and doesn’t have too strong of a taste, so I can see it working in a lot of recipes to create a creamy texture. The ‘garlic sprouts’ were fantastic too, but my favorite were the ‘Kale Chips’. The chickpea flour makes such a great breading, and even the veggie haters in my life enjoyed them.
Overall a beautiful book with some good recipes, even if the lifestyle it promotes may not quite be for everyone.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.