The Essential Edible Pharmacy
heal yourself from the inside out
Controlling her own chronic illness through diet led Australian Sophie Manolas to a career as a clinical nutritionist. Manolas’s zeal for good food and good health drives this book in its exploration of sixty common superfood ingredients. From arugula to fennel seeds, she denotes the chemistry and healing properties of each food, illustrated with a creative, eye-poppingly colorful recipe and elegant photograph.
With separate recipe and ingredient indices, and sidebars at the top of each section listing these edible pharmaceuticals’ health benefits, it’s easy to flip through and locate delicious ingredients and recipes for whatever ails you. Looking for foods rich in antioxidants? Try hazelnut-rich Torta Gianduia. Need to boost your immune system? A Comfort Salad of winter squash and chickpeas should do the trick. Been abusing your liver? Turmeric Milk is what Manolas prescribes.
The author is an exuberant advocate of healthy eating, and a playful writer. She rhapsodizes about purple kale—“it’s so beautiful I want to make a suit of it and wear it around”—and warns about “full-blown kitchen meltdown” when she runs out of sesame seeds. The Edible Pharmacy is a delightful resource for anyone who wants to achieve better health through cooking, but even if you are blessed with radiant wellness, it earns its place in the cookbook library to help ward off illness, improve skin tone, and boost energy.
Reviewed by
Rachel Jagareski
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
