I haven’t read the other book, where she talks about the “how and why” she cut sugar out of her life. But this one was an offering from the publisher, and the cover alone made me want it. Which is exactly what a cover should achieve, right? That a reader wants the book… Sure, you will find a page in here as well, where she talks a bit about her reasons why she wanted to cut off the sweet poison – as she calls it – from her life. And it makes total sense. At least it did for me.
Für Immer Zuckerfrei-Meine Glücksrezepte*
by Anastasia ZampounidisPublisher Bastei Lübbe on September 28, 2018
Genre Nonfiction
Pages 206
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher
Goodreads
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Our diet significantly influences how we feel. Anastasia Zampounidis has personally experienced that sugar causes extreme mood swings – since she has renounced the sweet poison, she is much more balanced and free of hunger attacks. But food can do much more! Negative emotions are often based on the undersupply of individual organs, and if we give our body what it needs, the good mood returns. Inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda and the Mediterranean cuisine, Anastasia Zampounidis has developed dishes for every mood that has helped her to live sugar-free for twelve years now. From relaxing millet and cinnamon porridge to comforting quinoa sushi to encouraging mango ice cream, everyone will find something that is good and tastes good. (personal translation by ©Vi at Inkvotary)
Style
Her tone is light but yet professional. You won´t find boring technical terms nobody can understand. Instead, she explains it in a kind of joyful manner without losing the seriousness this topic deserves and needs. We all know that sugar isn´t the healthiest stuff you can consume and yet it is contained in almost every grocery we eat. Except for veggies or fruits (they contain more or less sweet by nature).
Anastasia Zampounidis shares a bit of her experience and knowledge with her readers. The recipes are very easy to cook and the text between tells you a bit about the story behind some ingredients. The author combines since many years sugar-free cooking with Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the style of the Mediterranean cuisine. Good, some of the spices you might not like, but in that case, you can use something you like. Nothing´s chiseled in stone. And that is good. Besides that, you´ll find some very beautiful looking dish pictures, no matter if it is something you can eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They literally make your mouth water. The ones that show the author herself, are not really mine. She kind of looks strained in them, which gives those pictures an affected look. But they aren´t a reason to look away generally. Important are those where you see all the delicious meals you can cook, and that´s what counts most. For me, that is.
Conclusion
I can´t compare it to her other book about a sugar-free lifestyle - since I haven´t read it so far -, but this one is nice to read and has for sure some really good recipes. At least it convinced me to make some more changes in my life and that is quite something, I´d say.
Happy reading
*This book was, at the time this review was published, only available in the German language. The title was kindly provided to me by Bastei Lübbe in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review.
Anastasia Zampounidis
Anastasia Zampounidis, born in 1968, started her TV career on the music channel MTV. It was followed by moderation for Wetten, dass…?, Sixx TV and ZDFneo. Most recently, she regularly exposed consumer traps on behalf of ZDF as a WISO consumer agent, including in the documentary Die Zuckerfalle. She has been refraining from sugar for twelve years and has gained many times as much energy and joie de vivre.
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