Saturday, July 28, 2012

Unjunk Your Junk Food - Guest Book Review


                                  Image from Amazon.com and for demonstration purposes only, no infringement intended.
This is a guest post contributed by my blogger friend Gracie over at Gracie's Spacie:


While everyone I know plus their sisters, mothers and nieces are reading 50 Shades of Grey, here I am reading Unjunk Your Junk Food.

Nerdy?  No.  

Boring?  Never.

Smart? Absolutely.

I have always been conscientious of my health.  I exercise.  I eat healthy.  I journal my calories.  The result?  I've kept off 17 extra unwanted pounds for the past 5 years.  

So when I was given the opportunity to review the book "Unjunk Your Junk Food" I was stoked!  After all, it was pinned on my Pinterest as "A MUST READ BOOK!"

I learned so much reading the book but before I get into the specifics, let me just say this is an EASY read.  Kudos to the authors, Andrea Donsky and Randy Boyer for the layout of this book.  On one side of the book (the left side if you will) you will find the "bad choices" of foods you should avoid.  On the other side (the right side ironically) you will find the "approved" choices.  

What I like about this book is that there ARE other choices to choose from.  Most diet books, magazines, etc. tell you what you should avoid.  PERIOD. They seldom give you an alternative for the bad food and if they do, it is something you can only find on the planet Mars.  

Here are my favorite SHOCKERS that were on the naughty list:
  • Crystal Light (aspartame a/k/a artificial sweeteners are a NO NO!) 
  • Diet Pepsi (along with the aspartame this soda also contains potassium benzoate which is a preservative)
  • Skinny Cow (this cut deep for me!) (contains partially hydrogenated oils, i.e. trans fats and high fructose corn syrup) - trans fat in a skinny cow? It just doesn't mesh.
  • Life Savers SUGAR FREE Hard Candy (say it isn't so!) (contains artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners and artificial colors) - this candy isn't saving any lives with all that fake!
I could go on and on about more junk food favorites that are in this book but I won't be the bearer of ALL bad news....

The good news is there are healthy alternatives to each favorite junk food we have stashed away in our cupboards.  The authors provide an easy index in the back of the book to quickly locate if an item you have in stock or are buying is on the approved list.  I used this index the other day to quickly find that YAY! BALANCE BARS ARE ON THE APPROVED LIST!  (If anyone hasn't tried those you are missing out on a healthy alternative to a candy bar!)  

As a health nut, I've seen many others try to mimic what the authors of this book attempt to bring their readers.  Here's the difference:  These authors take the time to not only point out what items are bad but also tell you WHY they are bad and then offer you alternatives.  Usually I see something like: BAD: milk chocolate.  BETTER: dark chocolate.  Why? What kind of dark chocolate? No question is left unanswered in this book.  

Even better, this book is small enough to fit in your purse.  That's where I have kept mine for the past week and I cannot believe how many times I have referred to it.  There is a glossary of ingredients which is very helpful when reading labels on the back of a product.  

I hope the authors come up with a sequel to this book! I would definitely buy it.  

While fantasizing about Christian Grey may be the trend right now, my health comes first!  Thank you Unjunk Your Junk Food for an eye opening read!


You can purchase a copy of Unjunk Your Junk Food from Amazon.com HERE.

15 comments:

  1. I definitely need to read this book.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My two favorite drinks are posted. I like Diet Pepsi and Crystal Light! I know that these drinks can not be healthy! I do not think I can give up my Pepsi, but I can give up Crystal Light!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I really need to read this book. But I love my coke. I'm a cokeaholic and I know it's bad for me. I guess I wil have to learn the hard way.(lol)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey ladies! You should definitely pick up a copy of the book...it's an eye opener!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This sounds like a great book! I thought all lifesavers were on the 'good' list! :D

    ReplyDelete
  6. This sounds like a great book. Thanks for the awesome review!

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a eye opener! Definitley a HAVE to READ!! Thanks :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Amazing the things you tend to believe!! Thanks for the eye opening review!

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a well written review!! I really want this book now! It sounds like a real eye opener, thank you for informing me about it!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I want to read this book and it's all because of this review! Had I just seen it sitting on a shelf I wouldn't have thought twice about it but after reading this I want to know whats on the naughty list. I love reviews by Gracie, she tells it as it is! She don't just copy stuff from the book or websites like I see other bloggers do!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Awesome review...now I just have to read this book!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Well, I am going to have to find this book and read it. I would love to read what I oould have instead of just what I can't have. It gets old, not being able to eat anything you want to eat. Thank you for such a wonderful review.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I agree Deborah Rhodes,And awesome review Gracie..i need to read this book asap!! can't wait!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Good grief! Do I ever need to read this book!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Fresh Organic Meals Delivered to your door! Custom Made Meals for Weight Loss and Whole Food Delivery. Contact us if you are looking for the best macrobiotic vegan diet delivery service. Fresh gourmet meals delivered to your home.
    For more information visit http://kombukitchen.com/

    ReplyDelete

I LOVE HEARING FROM MY FANS!