The Skinny Gut Diet Reviewed

Skinny Gut Diet Reviewed

I signed up for Blogging for Books a while back (which is a super cool way to get to read books for free, as long as you review them on your blog) and chose The Skinny Gut Diet as my first selection. It has since taken me FOR-EVER and two days to get around to writing this review. The reason: the book (at least the first quarter of it) was dullsville.

I want to say right out the gate that I found the author (Brenda Watson) very knowledgable. It’s just that I wasn’t connecting with the material. And because I wasn’t connecting with it, it took me a long time to actually finish reading it. That said, it may just be a case of I’ve heard it all before and not really anything too bad about this book itself. For anyone familiar with gluten or any other food intolerance or who has tried any of the Paleo diets available out there, you’ve already been gut health talked to death. We all know: sugar bad, fat good, carbs bad, non-starchy veggies good. And Watson pairs this with good advice about healthful snacking to keep cravings at bay (haven’t we all heard about the 6 to 8 little meals a day to jumpstart your metabolism?)

But the big problem with all these diets is that they are so hard to maintain long-term, especially with a family and on a budget. The cost of supplements alone will kill ya! (To which some will say, “Learn to make fermented foods at home.” To which I will answer, you try raising a little, preparing three meals a day, running your own business, writing two blogs and just fitting in enough sleep, water and exercise and see if you wanna futz with pickling your own cabbage — which is horrible for IBS, btw.) Anyway, I digress.

The point is, like my dad (and the old testament) used to say, “There’s nothing new under the sun.”

OVERALL RATING: *** (3 out 5 stars) Though it’s filled with good information about gut bacteria and resetting your metabolism and biochemistry by healing your gut health using probiotics, supplements, and a low carb lifestyle (repeated ad infinitum), I was just left with the feeling of — So? What else is new?  But if you’ve never heard about gut health affecting your health or weight, then this would be a good book for a beginner to start their indoctrination with.

 

 

Hooray for Jay! The Next Food Network Star?

ST_FNS-Logo_s4x3Like being in-the-know on hot new chefs hitting the scene? Then you won’t wanna miss the The Next Food Network Star (on, of course, the Food Network) premiering its season 11, on Saturday, June 7th at 9pm (8pm Central).

If you’ve been a long-time GrooVy Foody reader or ever participated in a Virtual Potluck giveaway around these parts, you’ll no doubt recognize one of its contestants — our own, Jay Ducote of Bite and Booze. (more…)

Holiday Gift Ideas for Cooks, Part One: Cookbooks and Guides

Every year, I try to put together a holiday gift list or two for foodies and cooks everywhere. It should be noted that I’m not super big on gadgetry (your cook may be) so my lists reflect more the ingredients, cookbooks and food inspiration that my foodie friends and I enjoy. Today’s list is all about a few great new cookbooks and guides I’m looking forward to this season. (more…)

A FEAST Fit for Fall’s Bounty

Ready for a taste of fall’s bounty

A Taste for Fall

Fall is beginning its descent all across the country. Here in Portland, it’s not coming fast enough for me. I’m ready for it to kick into high gear — maybe even wanting to force it a little before its true time.

As a fall baby, I’ve always had a great affinity for my birth season. Even in the midst of a 80 degree day, I can feel myself wanting to bake more. (I’m working on perfecting a super-moist, gluten-free pumpkin cream cheese muffin with candied pepitas right now. Look for it here on the blog soon!) (more…)

New Cooking Tools: A Busy Mom’s Best Friend

RIP old friend

The Loss of a Few Trusted Old Friends

Two years ago, my toaster oven died and I didn’t have the funds to replace it, so we began using the oven for our toast in the morning. We found it worked just fine as long as you kept an eye on the toast and remembered to flip it.  I had loved using my toaster oven in the summer for baking fish and other foods. It kept the heat in the house down and it did a great job at keeping the fish juicy too!  I’ve improvised without it for the last two years. (more…)

Live Food Blogging at the IFBC Portland

Some serious foodies – NOT! Had the Best time with Table 22 (Janelle from Talk of Tomatoes and Jacquelyn from Gourmet Housewife)

 

This weekend I attended the International Food Bloggers Conference held this year, right here in Portland. It was three days of work (I volunteered), networking, and learning.

This post is from a crazy attempt at “live food blogging” during a speed tasting event we did on day 1. By the end, I was too hopped up on sugar and coffee to make any sense of anything. Though there were 21 vendors present, each table only made it through about 10 vendors each in the time allotted.

Here is my valiant attempt to blog live, (more…)