Book review

Kitchen Cures:
Revolutionize Your Health with Foods that Heal
by Peggy Kotsopoulos
Penguin, 2013, 362 pages, $26 (list price, also available on Kindle)
ISBN: 978-0-14-318377-8

When I began to review natural health topics many years ago, much of the material was by mature authors. These were people who had lived a good long time and now wanted to share their wisdom and practices with others who might benefit. (Before computers began to speed things up, it took almost a lifetime to learn about health and then a few more years to write about it.)

So it’s heartening to now see new work being done by a younger set of writers such as Peggy Kotsopoulos; these modern-day wellness advocates bring a fresh plate of healthy enthusiasm to the table.

Known in the media as Peggy K, the popular Toronto-based holistic nutritionist and television personality presents a vibrant vibe. Peggy K’s writing style is in line with her upbeat on-air personality, which makes for easy reading. Kitchen Cures is a well-organized and straightforward look at the food we eat and how it affects our mood, weight, beauty, and health.

Do you know which foods can alleviate premenstrual syndrome? How about foods to help get rid of the muffin top and love handles? The answers in Kitchen Cures might surprise you.

The book’s natural beauty section is also extensive. There are DIY hair remedies and recipes for improving skin complexion. Find out how to wear your coffee and whip up great-smelling body butter from the pantry. In addition to recipes for spreading on the body, there are 40 tempting gluten-free recipes to help build a healthy lifestyle.

Kitchen Cures is a viable, helpful book for anyone striving to improve wellness by understanding why we should choose to eat certain foods. And while the information here is important and relevant for everyone, I expect it will be most appreciated by those who are relatively new to concepts of natural health and haven’t read it all before.

If you’ve been reading alive magazine since the early days, have a library of health books at your fingertips, and possess years of accumulated natural health knowledge, you may want to consider buying this book as a perfect holiday gift for your friends and children.