The Complete Anti-Inflammatory Diet for Beginners: A No-Stress Meal Plan with Easy Recipes to Heal the Immune System Paperback – April 11, 2017

I bought this book to help my husband who has inflammation issues. I myself have a gluten allergy and have been gluten free for many years. This is the first cookbook that I’ve purchased that I really LOVE. As of this writing, I’ve made 18 of theses recipes so far that are delicious. And some that I’ve already repeated. I love the fact that meat recipes are included. It’s not just for vegetarians or vegans. Most of the meat recipes are for fish and chicken, with a few for pork tenderloin, 1 ground beef and 1 steak. Also, almost every recipe is gluten free. And those that are not, have a tip to make them gluten free. For instance, swapping out regular pasta for gluten free, or gluten free toast for whole wheat. Another great feature is that all of these recipes are easy, and except for spices, have only 5 easy to find ingredients. No fancy expensive ingredients to buy. I like that the book gives you a 2week meal plan with a shopping list and an optional weekly prep guide. It’s very well laid out and easy to follow. However, because there are a few recipes with ingredients that I don’t like (beets for instance), I decided not to follow the weekly meal plans at first. Instead I picked out a few recipes I wanted to try, and kept a list of the ones that we really liked as we tried them. For the recipes we didn’t like, which were only a few, we substituted a recipe we did like. This allowed us to make our own meal plan. The beginning of this book explains inflammation and gives you a list of foods to enjoy, foods to consider with care, and foods to avoid. This book focuses on healthy fats, gluten free grains, veggies, low sugar fruits, seeds, legumes and anti-inflamatory spices like turmeric, ginger, rosemary and more.So, has it helped my husband with his inflammation issues? It sure has. He has bad shoulder issues and following this diet has given him a greater range of motion in the shoulder and a lot less pain throughout the day. For me, I’ve discovered that having less dairy (can anyone say cheese please!) has helped me feel less bloated and I’ve lost a little weight.Here are my top pros & cons.Pros:Gluten freeEasy recipes that don’t involve a lot of hard to find ingredients and are quick to makeThe book is well laid outHigh hit-rate of great tasting recipesIncludes both a recipe index and a full indexPriced rightCons:Wish it came in a spiral bound version (but mine has held up very well so far)There are some pictures but could have included moreA few of the breakfast recipes were bland, so stick to the ones you try that you like

I was looking for easy to make and not too expensive foods to buy for a family member suffering from swollen joints and various other health issues. I really appreciated the easy to understand introduction that talked about how to establish such a dietary habit, how to get organized both kitchen/pantry and mentally for changes, and then a well organized offering of menus and and recipes. I like how each weekly menu suggested ways to use up leftovers in a different meal so there's no waste and the menu doesn't break the food budget. I would say half the menu items/recipes are ones that I can cook for my family member so that makes this book a winner.

Good book with some good recipes. No pictures which I didn’t like. Easy to understand and easy to find most ingredients. Has a lot of information in the front about an anti inflammatory diet.

The information was great. Easy recipes that are very good. Taking into account when it was written as to the cost of the menu items. Book valued at about $120. Actual cost was $242 and I didn’t need to purchase all the items.

I’m knocking off stars because this book is more of a starvation diet than a healthy lifestyle change. The first part of the book leads you into thinking that you will develop a healthy relationship with food by using mindfulness and choosing more whole foods rather than processed foods to reduce inflammation. It goes on and on about how you will receive some amazing overall health benefits. One of the authors is said to be a dietitian, but even when looking at the first week of planned meals I could tell this book was misleading for healthy lifestyle changes. Most, if not all, of the meals are under 500 calories, which is fine if you’re eating snacks or other things throughout the day, but the book doesn’t include snacks into its meal plans. The calories on the first day are less than 1,200 - it’s well known that eating under 1,200 is not healthy- it’s not enough energy for an adult. For some of the breakfasts you only consume a smoothie that is 120 calories with no protein. 120 calories won’t have me feeling full for 4 hours until lunch, or energetic like the book claims. On the weekends you’re again starving yourself for an unknown reason, you get a small breakfast, a snack of veggies for lunch, and dinner. Saturday week 1 adds up to 910 calories… I get it, most people eat more calories than they need but starving yourself isn’t the way to decrease inflammation or form healthy eating habits. The recipes are fine and can be used as a guide to increase more whole foods in a diet and maybe reduce inflammation, but it leaves the reader needing to find alternatives to appropriate macros and calorie consumption. I’m not an expert, but I’ve learned enough over the years to know that starving yourself isn’t the answer.

Very informative, easy to use I love the spiral binding so that it lays flat. Information plus recipes! Just what I've been looking for!

This book provides a wealth of information and offers many appetizing menu suggestions.

Delicious recipes with pretty simple ingredients. I like that I don’t have to scour the whole store looking for specialized ingredients.