Eat for Immunity: Amazon.co.uk: Kirsten Hartvig: Books

Review

A healthy eating book with a difference - specifically geared to explaining and boosting the immune system, the body's first line of defence against illness. Hartvig, naturopath co-author of You Are What You Eat and The Detox Box, taps into the growing interest in self-healing and also in counteracting allergies, although her recommendations work alongside other treatments rather than replacing them. All the foods are plant-based, including unusual ones packed with fortifying nutrients like nettle, curly kale and Brazil nuts among the more obvious fruit, veg and pulses. She has specific antidotes for common ailments and a good variety of recipes which requires some dedication in terms of juicing or chopping up ingredients. But enhanced health should be worth the effort and this is a sound, if specialised, book on the subject.

The importance of good nutrition in preventing, and even curing, disease, is well known, and increasingly accepted even by the most hide-bound practitioners of conventional medicine. Yet, apart from the general principles of eating less processed food and more fruit, vegetables and wholegrains, most of us know very little of the specifics of eating well, let alone the health-giving properties of common herbs and spices used as home remedies by our grandparents. This mine of information contains not only a comprehensive listing of 150 key superfoods we should be eating, each with a checklist of the vitamins, minerals, other nutrients and special properties contained within, but also suggests 180 tempting ways to use these ingredients - a welcome addition, given that some of them may be unfamiliar. Hearty main courses such as sweet potato and French onion tart are suggested, alongside raspberry gateau and a mouth-watering selection of juices. However, as befitting a medical herbalist and accredited naturopath, the author has provided her own twist to the subject, with sections on a range of common ailments, from the minor, such as ear, nose and throat infections, to more serious, such as HIV and cancer. She does not suggest that nutrition is a cure-all, but suggests that some contribution to preventing or managing many of these conditions can be made by eating the right food. There are plenty of books around of this nature, some of which are too evangelical to appeal to the general reader, and some of which sound plain unscientific, but Hartvig strikes the right note, somewhere between authoritative and inspirational, and her advice certainly seems spot on. In addition to the food recipes, she has a wonderful section on herbal preparations to help with anything from sore throats to joint pains. The book's beautiful photography and design, and the delicious recipes, would almost sell it on its own merits; the health angle is an added bonus. (Kirkus UK)

Product Description

The practical guide to strengthening the body's defence systems. Eat for Immunity combines the latest scientific research with authenticated traditional wisdom. The author shows how to prevent disease and fight infection using the most natural medicine there is - food. A lavishly illustrated guide with specially commissioned recipes that reveal the ways we should combat both modern ailments and serious illnesses such as heart disease and cancer.

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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

Excellent information and great value for money 11 May 2002

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

I was one of the many people who first got to know about this book when it was summarised in weekly parts in the Daily Mail newspaper in the UK a few months ago prior to publication. The summaries were great, and I wondered then if the book itself would give me any more useful information. I now have a copy of the book, and the answer is a resounding YES!

It is helpful on many levels - as a fantastic cook-book, where the recipes are for delicious dishes which you can eat and serve to others in the comforting knowledge that the food will not only look and taste good, but could also do you good; as a guide to assisting recovery from and possibly preventing common illnesses; and as a clear and detailed exposition in lay-person's terms of the theories of immunity. The book is also beautifully produced, with wonderful food photography throughout (e.g. who would have thought that a page of walnuts could look so gorgeous!).

I am very pleased with my purchase, and I would highly recommend this book not only to people who are interested in healthy eating, but also to those who just like nice food.

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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

A source of inspiration 17 July 2002

"Thank you for the copy of Kirsten Hartvig's book. It's wonderful and could just save my life!" So wrote one of the friends who received this book recently. As one of the many individuals who have had cause to re-think their life following the costs of contemporary living, she was well qualified to comment. Where stress and strain have visited, health problems so often follow.

If you think this sounds too dramatic, think again.

This book provides a luscious feast. It is a visual treat, and a rich source of enthusiastic, practical advice and encouragement. Eating well need not be dull, and can be delicious, as this book demonstrates. It is a valuable addition to any health plan, but more than this, it is easy to follow and full of creative suggestions.

If you appreciate good food, and living well, invest your interest here!

Enjoy!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

eat for immunity / complete guide to nutritional health...the same book 12 Nov 2009

By S. Jarvis

Format:Paperback

I would have loved the book, if only I hadn't already got The complete guide to nutritional health; of which I have two cpies.... I have purchased two of these; One for myself and one for my daughter; this book ,(the complete guide to nutritional health,) is in two parts by two different authors. The second part written by Kirsten Hartvig is word for word, picture for picture, the same as Eat for Immunity.
Amazon please note, could youwarn people please on both these books.....
The book is worth having, but perhaps its worth spending the extra bit of money and buying the Complete Guide to Nutritional Health. I do feel as though I have been conned. However, the upshot is...I won't be returning the book, I will pass it on to someone else for xmas, thankfully I didn't buy a new copy at the full price, otherwise I would feel much more annoyed about it.