cover image Superfoods Healthstyle: Proven Strategies for Lifelong Health

Superfoods Healthstyle: Proven Strategies for Lifelong Health

Kathy Matthews, Steven G. Pratt, . . Morrow, $24.95 (334pp) ISBN 978-0-06-075547-8

Pratt and Matthews follow their successful SuperFoods Rx by laying out a yearlong health program based on a diet incorporating the first book's 14 "best foods" plus additions like dark chocolate and kiwis, as well as lots of exercise, adequate sleep and other healthy habits. For each season, they describe proven benefits of foods in abundance then and provide recipes combining them; they also focus throughout on specific concerns like diabetes, portion control and stress. Readers may occasionally struggle with dietary jargon that isn't always well explained (e.g., "phytochemicals" and "cryptoxanthins"), and those new to the SuperFood way might be overwhelmed by the amount of certain foods they're supposed to eat (a cup or two of blueberries per day in summer; one-half to one cup of broccoli daily in autumn), but the advice is sensible and the authors make no incredible claims. The recipes, mostly simple, range from breakfast items to light entrees to desserts and show ways the book's recommendations can be put into practice. Pratt and Matthews's system is basically the age-old one of restraint: eat fresh food in moderation and exercise. (On sale Dec. 27)