“Kale and Coffee”

It sounds like the story of my life. Well, the story of my life would be more like “Kale, coffee, mascara and Justin Bieber.”  Because I’d have to mention my boyfriend, right?

“Kale and Coffee” is actually the story of another health blogger’s life.  It is a new book by Kevin Gianni that is a quick, worthwhile read.  His writing style is similar to mine, minus all the references to boy bands and pleather.

Each chapter of the book tackles a somewhat controversial topic, like salt, alcohol, eating meat, toxins in food, coffee, sugar and carbs, and exercise.  Kevin tells an amusing story about his own personal experience, takes things further by doing some solid research and talking to experts, and gives some recommendations on what you can do.

In Chapter Six, titled “The curious thing about eating animals (an ex-vegan perspective)” Kevin describes a crazy scenario taking a class on butchering your own meat. He discusses the reasons he became a vegan and why eventually he started eating animal protein again. There is an explanation of what the different labels on meats actually mean, and why it is important to choose high quality, pastured meat and wild caught fish if we decide to consume animal protein.

Chapter Twelve, called “Salt:  No good for slugs, but what about us?” he travels to salt flats in Mexico to learn about the difference between the conventional overly processed salt that is added to all processed foods, and the artisan salts that can add not only delicate flavor but also trace minerals to our foods.  (Of course, he mentions the pink Himalayan salt that I am always talking about!)

My favorite chapter was “My Entenmann’s-cake-eating grandfather shows me the last secret of the longest lived people,” in which Kevin visits his 95 year old grandfather shortly before his death.  Although the man did his grocery shopping at Walmart and the Entenmann’s outlet and worked in the steel mills, he lived a long and happy life.  Kevin believes that this was due to the fact that he stayed both mentally and physically active, always challenging himself to learn new things.  Kevin goes on to have his own brain tested at the famous Amen clinic, and concludes with some tips on brain health.  I enjoyed this chapter because it reminded me of my Tastykake-eating 103 year old grandmother.

Kevin ends the book with the conclusion that it’s the little things that make the difference, which I completely agree with.  The healthy habits we build up over time are what lead to lasting change.  And that’s really what happy, healthy and hot is all about…taking small steps on a consistent basis, because we all deserve to look and feel amazing.

One habit that he did not mention until the end of the book is green smoothies, which he feels might be the simplest and most effective thing to improve your health.  Inspired by Kevin, I’ve been making a green drink every day, instead of just when I’m in the mood.

Kevin also offers the “Kale and Coffee 21 day Jumpstart” which comes in two versions, Easy and Renegade.  It is a simple program that eliminates some problematic food groups and adds some healthy habits like green smoothies.  It is not an overly structured plan, it simply gives small steps to take day by day that could improve your health.

I enjoyed reading this book because it was a great mix of entertaining stories, solid research and practical tips.  (Just like this blog, right?!)  If you want to check it out, you can find it right here in my amazon store:  “Kale and Coffee”

So, can reading “Kale and Coffee” help you feel happy, healthy and hot?  If you like an entertaining but informative read, this book will make you happy.  It gives countless tips, backed by research, that will help improve your health.  At the end of the book Kevin says that he lost 33 pounds while writing the book, even while traveling and eating out quite a bit.  As he puts it, it was not “…through some crazy diet but by living my life.  I’ve never once felt deprived.”  And that sounds pretty hot!