It took decades of yo-yo dieting for Maggie Battista to conclude that diets don’t work. But she knew something had to change. Desperate to overcome her chronic joint pain and unhappiness associated with her weight, she realized that success depended not only on a shift in eating habits, but in mindset, too.
Part cookbook, part memoir, and part self-help book, "A New Way to Food" chronicles Battista's long and bumpy journey from "fat girl to mostly well and happy-to-be-just-me lady" — still plus-size but 70 pounds lighter and finally deeming herself worthy of good food and good health.
A business coach, prolific food writer, and founder of an online food shop and recipe site called Eat Boutique, Battista weaves relatable tales of struggle and triumph with the recipes, regimens and motivational tips she credits with her transformation. Deprivation is not in the mix. Rather, her approach revolves around smarter, more intentional choices that satisfy her cravings. For her, that meant ditching dairy for plant-based milks and cheeses to ease inflammation, replacing refined sugar with lower-glycemic sweeteners, choosing healthy fats such as avocado oil and ghee, eating more produce and whole grains and less meat, and working in vinegars and pickles to add dynamic flavor and “healthy probiotic punch.”
Even if you’re not trying to lose weight, there’s plenty to make you hungry in these beautifully photographed pages — for breakfast (Cacao-Coffee Granola), lunch (Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps), dinner (Roasted Chipotle Chicken with Lime-Pickled Onions and Spanish Turmeric Rice), snack-time (Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies), and even cocktail hour (Mai Tais, sweetened with homemade orgeat syrup.) With each recipe, she includes not only the number of servings and cooking time, but also the frequency with which she makes it (almost every day, a couple of times per month, etc.) It’s what works for her and intended as loose direction, not a universal rule.
Battista’s ready willingness to share such details makes for compelling reading. Her essays are filled with honesty, humor, sunny optimism, and gentle encouragement that inspire us to tap deeper into our own beautiful potential, no matter what size we are.
Susan Puckett is a cookbook author and former food editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow her at susanpuckett.com.
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