[.ca] Drink to Your Health: Delicious Juices, Teas, Soups, and ... (ISBN 0684869462)

Drink to Your Health:
Anne McIntyre not only filled Drink to Your Health with dozens of easy recipes for juices, teas, soups, and smoothies, she also included vibrant photographs of the fresh ingredients used in the recipes. Her book is a visual, as well as culinary, pleasure. McIntyre starts with an explanation of why water is so important-our bodies are seventy-five percent water. We lose 3 quarts of water every day through normal functions like breathing, perspiring, and urinating. All that liquid must be replaced, and she offers healthy and delicious alternatives to simply drinking lots of plain water. The next section includes a discussion of the primary ingredients used in the recipes. She describes each one completely, including a brief history of its use, the nutrients it contains, and all the good things it can do for the body. Spices, grains, nuts, fruits, and vegetables all have a page in this section. Recipes, classified by benefit offered, fill the rest of the book. McIntyre includes drinks for looking and feeling good, drinks for recovering from illness, and drinks for healing the soul and spirit. Losing weight, clear eyes, great skin and hair, raising energy, stimulating the immune system, and boosting the brain are part of feeling good. Illnesses include clearing coughs and other cold symptoms, flu-busters, headaches, fevers, insomnia, arthritis, PMS, and many others. Drinks for relieving anxiety and stress, renewal, and helping depression round out the healing recipes. I can personally vouch for the effectiveness of Nero's Nectar, a very simple recipe for relieving chest congestion due to a cold! McIntyre ends with an appendix offering tips on things like selecting blenders and juicers, and choosing ingredients. (Yes, canned foods can be used if fresh isn't available.) McIntyre says that "the recipes in \oDrink to Your Health\c are not just boring alternatives for teetotallers or health fanatics, but have been selected to stimulate the senses and scintillate the taste buds, at the same time improving health and vitality." Readers will find that her recipes provide an easy and delicious way to look and feel good.

Wow!! The best smoothie book I've read, with so much more.:
I bought this book on vacation, and it was one of the best choices I've made in a long time. I could barely walk back to the hotel before opening it! Inside I first found a section on ingredients and their healing powers. Next, there's a huge recipe selection of smoothies, juices, teas, soups, and nonalcoholic drinks, organized by what health benifits they have. Lastly, there is an appendage talking about blenders and juicers, health, and other topics. The photographs in the book are clear and beautiful. Although every drink is delicious, I highly reccommend the Jamaican Grapefruit Spritz for weight loss and the smooothie with banana, honey, and nutmeg.

Refreshing and Revitalizing:
This book is carefully-crafted in many aspects to make you feel whole, refreshed, inspired, and revitalized. The illustrations, the invaluable knowledge, and the easy to follow directions make it a great addition to any healthy-kitchen. I have tried quite a few of the drinks and find them very tasty and also true-to-their word--coughs have stopped, eyes have brightened, skin has cleared, etc. It's very well-written, informative, and nice to look at. The only thing that is a little disconcerting is the amount of sugar required for some of the recipes--I'm sure Ms. McIntyre has a health related reason for doing this, but I prefer not to use that much sugar--I usually replace the sugar with a lower dose of much healthier organic honey. Great book though--I consume one of its drinks everyday.