Review by Melanie Cox McCluskey

With the tagline “The No-Nonsense Guide to a Smaller You and a Healthier Planet,” author Kami Gray’s self-help spin combines nutritional guidance with an eco-friendly push. I’ve never read a diet book before, but Gray’s approach intrigued me. A TV costume and set designer from Portland, Ore., Gray motivates readers to stick to “The List:” her 16 eating and drinking habits that everyone should incorporate into their lifestyle to make staying lean and healthy a no-brainer. Because much of The Denim Diet is about eliminating many no-no foods from your life, Gray tries to make the restrictions more fun with her witty asides and hilarious anecdotes.

Much of Gray’s manifesto comes from personal experience. She gains the reader’s empathy and trust by describing her embarrassing overweight years in college, then goes on to explain her eating epiphanies. Observing her skinnier friends’ health habits combined with a life-changing drive across fast food-littered Texas inspired Gray to write The Denim Diet. But she backs up her unscientific observations with medical research, recent studies, and health and nutrition news. She doesn’t pretend to be a dietician, and offers both sides of controversial health topics, such as the pros and cons of dairy. As someone who loves to cook for my family, I appreciated Gray’s common-sense information but found some of her tips very restrictive, like the ban on white flour. I adore the selection of recipes in the back. And the bullet points at the end of each chapter worked like a charm for motivation. They are as helpful a takeaway as any magazine tear-out card.

Gray also makes a strong argument for improving eating habits as a way to save the planet. Consuming more fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains forces our bodies to burn more calories while reducing the impact of wasteful packaging and processing on the environment. Her perspective on creating a lifestyle that nurtures the human body and the planet makes perfect sense.

Denim Diet Giveaway!
Leave a comment here with one reason why you would love to win The Denim Diet to read and incorporate into your own life, and automatically enter to win The Denim Diet Giveaway basket, complete with a signed copy of The Denim Diet book, a one-page cheat sheet for THE LIST and local, organic treats from Stash Tea, Tazo Tea, Dagoba chocolates, and more. Be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you win! BONUS: Join the Mama Lit Facebook group, be sure to leave a separate comment letting us know you’ve joined (or already a member) Mama Lit on Facebook and you’ll be entered into the drawing twice! You must leave your comment before midnight Friday May 29th to be eligible to win!

Reviewed by Erin Kirkland

All parents of children with disabilities remember the moment of sobering prognosis for their son or daughter. Word that their child will never be “normal”, that every day of his or her life will be an exercise in patience and unconditional love. In the case of children living with Asperger Syndrome, 1 out of 150 mothers will know this feeling. Amalia Starr is one of them, and Brandon is her son.

Starr’s first book, “Raising Brandon” was born out of a desire for resources and information about her son’s Asperger Syndrome (AS) and a seizure disorder. Married, with one son already, Starr’s life changed drastically when Brandon made his appearance and led his family on a roller-coaster existence full of uncertainty and fear coupled with moments of absolute joy and contentment.

“Raising Brandon” is not a true biography of Starr’s family, rather, it is (and is marketed so) a trade publication designed for parents, educators and others who live and work with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Starr drives home issues like diagnoses, support systems, and educational options through honest and straightforward witnessing of her own experiences. At the end of each chapter, Starr recaps with a short listing of bullet points, useful information pertinent to the message.

Brandon and Amalia are clearly the main focus of this story; mothers, after all, are often the primary caregivers to children with AS. They are the advocates, the personal care attendants, the cheerleaders, and the rabblerousers who have their work cut out for them. Starr makes neither apologies nor excuses for her quest to find Brandon the most optimal situations for schooling, medical support, and eventually, independent living.

Starr also reminds us that other family members are affected by a disabled child. A subsequent failed marriage led Amalia through her own private hell during which time self-doubt and utter despair nearly prevailed. Moreover, Starr’s other son must, at times unwillingly, assist his mother and deals with his own emotional backlash as the brother of the “weird kid”.

By the end of the book, we join Starr in celebrating Brandon’s ultimate ability to manage his Asperger Syndrome and seizures. Living alone in an apartment with the support of case workers and vocational resources, Brandon deserves cheers all around for his accomplishments. Starr has progressed as well, coming to the realization that she, like all parents, must nurture her son’s desire to spread his wings and fly, however clumsily.

As a resource for parents currently supporting a child with AS, Starr’s book provides not just valuable information, but also comfort, seeing the adolescent and young adult years with realistic, honest insight. Parents will also relate to vignettes that perhaps mirror their own experiences, of great relief.

While there are flashier, trendier books available today profiling the lives, successes, and challenges of people with AS, “Raising Brandon” is a solid option for parents and teachers who may be interested in another perspective and another way of helping a child adapt to a world that appears foreign to him or her. It is a book of quiet hope.

I ought to know. I’m one of those 1 in 150 moms.

Erin Kirkland is a freelance writer from Anchorage, Alaska. You can read about her family’s journey through Asperger Syndrome at www.elituqakbrady.blogspot.com .

The Sneaky Chef: How to Cheat on Your Man (In the Kitchen)
By Missy Chase Lapine
Reviewed by Erin Kirkland

Dispelling the myth that men eat everything, Missy Chase Lapine expands her repertoire of food science in “Sneaky Chef: How to Cheat on Your Man (In the Kitchen). Proving that children aren’t the only ones who forego healthy meals, Lapine speaks to women with partners who won’t eat beyond their comfort zone. Wasting no time in reaching the heart of the matter, so to speak, Lapine hits below expanding waistlines with blunt honesty; Chapter 1 is titled “Eat, Drink-and Live to Tell About it”. Ouch.

Before jumping headlong into a book of recipes appealling to the male palate, Lapine offers some insight into the Food = Fuel psyche of our beloved better halves. Most men, according to Lapine, like to eat familiar, tasty dishes they have eaten a thousand times before. Trouble is, that “meat and potatoes” mentality offers few opportunities for adding the recommended numbers of fruits and veggies into the man-diet. Add that to the decline in exercise nationwide, and Lapine rests her case, offering statistics for the increase in heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes, and other afflictions directly related to the above.

So, what’s a good wife/girlfriend to do? Jump on in to Sneaky Chef’s plethora of recipes and strategies created by Missy Lapine and her army of assistants and feed your man using secret stashes of pureed goop. Delve a little deeper and a treasure trove of appetizers, main dishes, sides, desserts and even drinks are at the reader’s fingertips. Special note: I was not completely convinced of the goop (or the book’s) value, so I put recipes to a test with a Nutritionist friend as we co-hosted a dinner using Secret Chef recipes on our unsuspecting families. I am a lazy cook, so the thought of pre-creating secret ingredients seemed daunting. However, results were impressive.

Serving up Mighty Mashed Potatoes, BBQ Maximun Meatloaf, and Feel-Good Fruit Crisp took a bit of preparation, given that the White and Purple purees needed to be made, but the whopping nutritional value of each made up for time spent. Who’d have thunk that a mixture of spinach and blueberries would give meatloaf a depth never before experienced. Did the crew eat it? A hearty “Yum” accompanied the whole dinner, save for a child who wouldn’t eat meatloaf and can spot Sneaky Techniques a mile away.

Our main gripe was the lack of cross-referencing between the purees and recipes; Lapine listed the recipes used for each puree but neglected to provide page numbers, making for constant flipping back and forth trying to find the appropriate concoction. The book is a big one, chock full of information, almost too full. Tips, stories, and tons of ideas for feeding the family are within pages that might benefit from a slightly leaner version.

But as with her first Sneaky Chef success, “How to Cheat on Your Man” generally delivers. The recipes are solid and tasty, and heck, who couldn’t benefit from some added nutrients to old favorites? I now have a bunch of baggies containing frozen green, white, and purple stuff that no doubt will come in handy for future cooking pursuits, and I am proud of myself for doing so. I say if your man won’t eat much beyond barbeque and fast-food, go for it. It can only help, and might give some perspective to overall nutrition in your house.

Erin Kirkland is a freelance writer from Anchorage, Alaska, with one picky eater among a family of four. She considers herself fortunate.

It must be Weight Loss Memoir Week at Mama Lit Reviews! While Lara was chuckling through I’m Not the New Me (see below), I was delving into Lisa Delaney’s Secrets of a Former Fat Girl. As a current fat girl (my height and weight match Delaney’s “before” numbers precisely), I found the secrets themselves to be highly valuable. The intervening pep talk and autobiographical back story, though, didn’t really resonate. But that may be because I’m not, in fact, a former fat girl. I’m a former fit girl who put on almost 50 pounds over the course of fifteen pregnancies, dropped almost all of it…and has had to face the realization that sometime during the past three years, it has snuck back.

There’s a big difference, apparently.

Delaney, now an editor at Health Magazine, recounts with a professional journalist’s clarity her struggles to overcome self-image and behavior patterns rooted in her childhood: wanting to disappear, hoarding food, compulsive people-pleasing, among others. Consequently, Secrets is not so much about losing weight as it is about remaking your life, self-perception and way of relating to others. I have no doubt there are many, many “Future Former Fat Girls” with similar stories, and these are sure to find a virtual friend in Delaney. But for someone who’s just been eating too much fast food while spending too much time in a seated position, the book’s psychological focus ranges from distracting to disaffecting. I found myself skimming through the metamorphoses of her career and love life, sometimes with more than a bit of impatience.

This criticism is more applicable to the second half of the book, though. Secrets 1-4 are better than gold, and I’ve already put them into successful action. (My personal favorite is Number Three: “It’s Not an Option” is indeed a powerful mantra.) And just the existence of a woman of my own current dimensions working her way down to a size TWO and the completion of multiple marathons is an encouragement in its own right. Secrets of a Former Fat Girl is worthwhile reading for anyone who has been displeased by the number she sees on the scale, and the more of her history marked by that displeasure, the more she will likely get out of Delaney’s revelations.