Book Nook: Pure & Simple - A Natural Food Way of Life

I recently had the chance to review Pure & Simple - A Natural Food Way of Life by Pascale Naessens. In this book, the Belgian culinary author and former model shares her food philosophy and healthy recipes to help readers live a healthy life based on pure and simple foods.

The images throughout the book are gorgeous and mouth-watering. Pascale makes it easy to see why a focus on less processed food and more whole, simple ingredients can lead to a healthier life. A lot of the recipes in the book are new and unique for me - it's not just variations on some of the same healthy recipes I've seen before. 

Pascale's healthy eating philosophy is simple - veggies at every meal, paired with either dairy, carbs, or meat/fish. While it's not a way of eating that I can always do (I like mixing my food groups more than that) it is also not a way of eating that is restrictive or cuts out a food group entirely. The recipes are designed for sharing and enjoying with family and friends, and although they're unique, they aren't beyond the scope of the average cook.

Pascale Naessens is a bestselling culinary author in Belgium. She has since become a leading voice for pure and healthy eating. A number of her books have already been translated into French, English, German, and Chinese. It's said that Naessens has "taught her nation to eat healthily.” Her cooking and her lifestyle appeal to a broad public as demonstrated by the many Facebook communities where fans of Pascale's Pure Kitchen share experiences and recipes. After completing her studies in economic sciences at the age of eighteen, Naessens traveled the globe as a fashion model. After five years of assignments in Paris, Milan, Madrid, Hong Kong, China and Tokyo, she returned to Belgium where she began a television career with the Belgian broadcasting corporation VTM, first as a presenter then hosting a series of home and lifestyle shows.