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FitLit: Eating Well Diet (and Giveaway!)

EatingWellAlthough The EatingWell Diet book has the word “diet” in the title, it’s really anything but a diet. It’s a real-life strategy book for healthy—and delicious—eating. Jenn has long been a fan of EatingWell magazine, so we were pumped to add this one to our FBG library.

The book introduces the VTrim weight-loss program, and while I hear “VTrim” and think “TrimSpa” and other similar hoaxy diets, the VTrim program is actually based on science and was developed at the University of Vermont. The 24-week program focuses on the behavioral approach to weight loss, teaching the basics of eating less and moving more, and emphasizes goal-setting and tracking progress through journaling. It’s not a quick-fix scam; it’s a whole-life approach to wellness, which is an idea the FBGs support whole-heartedly.

Instead of limiting yourself and making foods off limits, the book emphasizes portion control and strategies that you can incorporate into your lifestyle for the long term. With images of the correct portions, the book teaches you the appropriate serving size—and helps you realize how much you’ve actually been (over)eating. One excellent tip the book gave was to measure out the correct serving size first, and then make a mental note of what that looks like so that you actually learn the look of the correct portion and don’t have to measure it out for the rest of your life. (Especially helpful if you’re a chemist like my husband; measuring anything outside of work hours is strictly off limits.)

For people who are just starting out on the journey to healthy eating, the grocery store can be intimidating. This “diet” knows about that intimidation factor and gives an aisle-by-aisle breakdown on how to get through the grocery store safely, stocking your cart with the healthiest items. The book also has a helpful section on how to combat a diet relapse that gives helpful tips on how to get back on the wagon after you fall off. And you will fall off—the book is realistic, but gives concrete examples of how to stay on track, which would have been especially helpful to me on a recent road trip.

The book doesn’t just spout off the benefits of eating whole foods and preach portion control, though. It includes dozens of recipes to begin implementing the EatingWell philosophy. With both main dishes and sides, plus salad and dressing recipes, the book gives a busy gal easy-to-fix meals that you know are healthy and calorie-friendly.

I made the Mushroom, Sausage & Spinach Lasagna (pg. 181) to test out this new philosophy. The recipe took some time, but mostly because it bakes for an hour and 20 minutes. The ingredients were simple; none that I had to hit a specialty store to buy. And oh my yumminess. The dish had me and my hubby drooling, and I had to seriously restrain myself from going back for more. And honestly, going back for seconds isn’t the worst thing with this dish as it only had 327 calories per serving. That is lasagna—and a “diet” I can get behind! —Erin

If this sounds like the book for you, leave a comment by Nov. 27 to win a copy! We’ll randomly select one lucky reader. Winners will be notified by email. U.S. residents only, please.

Disclosure: This book was provided by the publisher, but in no way is this post or our review of products sponsored, influenced or paid for by any company. We tell it like it is!

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