Part of the wider DO range of books that set out to encourage us into action and make positive changes to our lives for the wellbeing of ourselves and the planet, DO / NOURISH focuses on “how to eat for resilience”.
Written by Sarah Bayliss, a registered nutritional therapist, whose approach is grounded in empathy that dietary change can be hard so is best approached gradually. The book sets out a six week plan inviting you to become conscious of what you are actually eating now, reconnect with your food, experiment and week by week make changes that will nourish your body and mind.
Sarah sets the scene sharing the impact that she has seen in her practice due to the rise of abundant ultra processed food on our sleep, nutrition, physical and mental health. She advocates for knowing where your food was grown or raised and choosing the best that we can afford, if possible organic and pasture fed.
Exploring the pillars of nourishment she lays out the elements of a balanced plate explaining the importance of each of the elements and how you can measure portions very simply using your hands. She encourages us to keep a food diary for a week and honestly, but without judgement, reflect on what we are actually eating, recognising that busy lives and ‘needs must’ are factors at play.
She does then challenge the ‘but I’m too busy to cook’ narrative, suggesting that what truly healthy people have in common is that they make the time to cook and eat food from ingredients that are things not brands. She offers practical tips to encourage us to do this but more than anything focuses on the enjoyment that nourishing ourselves with care and love can bring. She is not suggesting every meal needs to be a culinary triumph or that for some cooking is not a challenge but that no matter what our circumstance or skill level, we can nourish ourselves better.
The remainder of the book lays out the six week plan that focuses on one topic per week with you making the choices that are right for you and your lifestyle or food preferences. “Eating like a king” at Breakfast kicks things off where ditching the sugar spike resulting from the majority of so called breakfast foods, for protein and polyphenol rich alternatives is the invitation. She includes some tasty recipes at the back of the book to help you get underway.
Protein, Carbs, Fats, Fibre and Polyphenols make up the other five weeks of the plan with insights into the benefits of making different choices, clear explanations of what to choose and why, along with practical tips about how to incorporate them into your diet in the best way.
As Sarah pulls it all together offering a template for your personalised nutrition plan for you to complete, she encourages us to “fall back in love with food” and exercise our power to choose foods that nourish our body and mind.
DO/ NOURISH by Sarah Bayliss. Reviewed by Alice Lewthwaite.
