annieb123's Review of Root & Nourish

by Abbey Rodriguez and Jennifer Kurdyla

Embrace the ancient healing power of plants with more than 100 whole-food, plant-based, gluten-free herbal recipes, as well as mindfulness and holistic lifestyle practices, designed around the most common health concerns of modern women.

Did you know you have access to a potent and sophisticated apothecary—right in your own kitchen? Plants, specifically herbs and spices, have been used for centuries as part of holistic healing traditions around the world to promote health, longevity, and beauty. And as more people become afflicted with chronic stress-based conditions, from inflammation and food allergies to anxiety and depression and menstrual irregularities, a whole new generation is rediscovering nature’s power for long-term wellness.

In Root & Nourish, wellness experts Abbey Rodriguez and Jennifer Kurdyla teach women how to incorporate plant medicine into everyday life through food and self-care. Organized into three areas of health concerns prevalent in women today—digestion, mental health, and female reproductive hormonal health—these affordable, seasonal, and sustainable recipes, drawn from Western herbalism and Ayurveda, are designed to help you curate a personalized herbal apothecary that will serve you for a lifetime.

Inside you’ll find dishes including:
- Thai Peanut Stir-Fry with Tofu to tackle gut health
- Heartwarming Vegan Chili to promote mental health
- Adaptogenic Chocolate Chip Cookies for female reproductive health

Once you come to learn which ingredients offer you the nourishment you need, whether in the moment or to support chronic conditions, you will understand your body—and yourself—as you never have before: as nature intended.

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Root & Nourish is a well written holistic lifestyle and recipe collection by Abbey Rodriguez & Jennifer Kurdyla. Due out 6th April 2021 from Simon & Schuster on their Tiller Press imprint, it's 240 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

The emphasis here is on women's holistic health and wellness. The food and tips are plant based, gluten free, and arranged thematically by diet/concern: digestive health, mental health, and reproductive health. Recipes contained in each section are further divided by category: breakfasts, mains, sweets, and teas & drinks. Each section also contains numerous tips and additional information from the authors' experiences. The introductory chapters contain quite a lot of general supportive information including herbs, seasonings, pantry lists, active ingredients (and what they do), and general information about women's health and nutritional needs.

Recipes contained in the book are presented with prep-times, yields, a bullet list of ingredients (American measurements only), and step by step preparation instructions. Tips and advice for alternative preparations and ingredients are written into the recipes under their own headings or in sidebars. Roughly 20% of the recipes (by my estimation) are pictured. Photographs are attractive and well done. Serving suggestions are appetizing and appropriate. Nutritional information is not provided. Recipe ingredients will -mostly- be easily obtainable at a moderately well stocked grocery store or health food store. (Some ingredients may require specialist/online retailers).

The authors have included appendices with links and resources for further reading and online resources for obtaining hard to find ingredients.

Well written and attractively presented. This would make a good selection for library acquisition, gifting, or for the home library. Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Root & Nourish

by Abbey Rodriguez and Jennifer Kurdyla

Reviewed by annieb123 on Mar 14, 2021

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