Review of Eat to Beat Alzheimer's by Francie Healey

 Today I'm happy to host author Francie Healey as she promotes her cookbook, Eat to Beat Alzheimer's: Delicious Recipes and New Research to Prevent and Slow Dementia, through WOW! Women on Writing. You can learn more about Francie's inspiration for the book,  (and find a list of blogs giving copies on the tour!) here.

About the Book: 

Eat to Beat Alzheimer's offers a practical guide and an empowering tool to bring nourishing, healthful, and delicious food into the lives of people concerned about Alzheimer's and other cognitive problems. Almost 9 million people in the U.S. suffer from Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, and the toll is rapidly increasing. This book will appeal to everyone concerned about dementia and memory loss in either themselves or a loved one.

Recent research makes clear that the impact of aging on the brain can be reduced by simple diet and lifestyle modifications. The delicious food choices and easy-to-prepare recipes in this book are based on the latest findings showing that they can help slow the progression of Alzheimer's and other conditions like it, or prevent them entirely.

Readers will gain the knowledge and tools to take charge of their health by incorporating tasty, healing foods into their diet. The information in this cookbook will be as relevant and useful 20 years from now as it is today. And the recipes will still be just as delicious.

Eat to Beat Alzheimer's is available on Amazon & Barnes and Noble.

Paperback: 200 pages
Genre: Cookbook
Publisher: Terra Nova Books (June 30, 2016)
ISBN-10: 1938288610
ISBN-13: 978-1938288616

About the Author:
Francie Healey is a licensed mental health counselor in private practice in Santa Fe, N.M. She specializes in the psychology of eating, helping people with health conditions to develop conscious eating habits and understand how food contributes to healing. Using her expertise to help clients manage cognitive decline through nutrition, Francie educates them on meal planning; the creation of simple, nutritious meals; and other keys to achieving a healthy relationship with food. She holds a Master's Degree in Counseling, and is a Certified Health Counselor and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor.

Find Francie Healey Online:

Website: www.eattobeatalzheimers.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/francie.healy.7?fref=nf

Twitter: @FrancieHealey

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franciehealey

Review:

Roughly 5.4 million people suffer from A.D. (Alzeheimer's disease) in the U.S. alone. Nearly one in every five Medicare dollars is estimated to be spent on people with A.D. and other forms of dementia. --From Eat to Beat Alzheimer's: Delicious Recipes and New Research to Prevent and Slow Dementia

First off, I quickly realized Eat to Beat Alzheimer's is much more than a cookbook. Francie's background in mental health and nutrition shines through as she shares information and research on Alzheimer's disease and dementia, and what researchers believe is tied to both conditions. I learned about the benefits of an anti-inflammatory diet, and how it is up to each individual to listen to his or her body when it comes to dietary choices. In other words, there's a reason highly processed and preserved food leaves us feeling less than stellar. While I try my best to eat a whole foods diet, I often fall prey to the "busyness" that leaves us eating out more often than we should. Flipping through the recipes in Eat to Beat Alzheimer's made me immediately want to head out to the nearest health food store and stock up on the many of the spices and herbs found in the recipes. As a woman approaching my early 40s, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned about neurogenerative diseases and know I need to step up my game in the kitchen, for both me and my family. 

The recipes in this book are plentiful, and provide a good variety for even the pickiest of eaters. As huge fan of eggs for breakfast, I was thrilled to see offerings like Spinach and Egg Bites and Mozzarella and Zucchini Frittata. There are also several soups and stews, crisp and inviting salads, healthy snacks to help curb the sweet tooth (such as Quinoa Pumpkin Muffins), and more savory fare (Garlic Shrimp with Kale, Salmon with Lemon Relish,  Smothered Chicken and Sweet Potatoes).

I recommend this book to anyone stuck in cooking rut or who wants to focus on more whole-body nutrition. There's even a one-week sample menu to get you started.