Foodwise: A Fresh Approach to Nutrition with 100 Delicious Recipes

Nutritionist Rigden (The Well Journal) challenges traditional notions of dieting in this wise plan for healthier eating. As she writes, “There is no such thing as the perfect body or diet; instead, each of us has a way of eating and living that will feel right.” Rigden’s method involves “align[ing] our taste buds with what our body truly needs,” beginning with a three-week reset that calls for eliminating gluten, dairy, alcohol, and sugar, and then slowly reintroducing them to “monitor how they make you feel” and modify one’s diet accordingly. Lunch is the biggest meal of each day, while breakfasts should be protein-focused and dinners “light and nourishing.” Rigden also offers 100 recipes that aim to introduce readers to new flavors: there’s a sesame-cardamom smoothie for breakfast and a warm chicory salad for lunch, as well as Mediterranean lamb meatball lettuce wraps, harissa-spiced acorn squash soup, and salted caramel chocolate fudge sweetened with dates. Rigden’s personal stories add to the book’s supportive, no-shame approach: “Trust me, I get it. For the better part of a decade, I was in constant pursuit of losing ten pounds. I felt tired and anxious all the time, my skin blemished and my clothes too tight.” The result is an encouraging, inventive take on eating and living well. Agent: Rica Allannic, David Black Literary. (Jan.)