Book Review: Clean Cuisine By Ivy Ingram Larson and Andrew Larson

CLEAN CUISINE
An 8-Week Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition Program That Will Change the Way You Age, Look and Feel

By:  Ivy Ingram Larson and Andrew Larson

Published: February 5, 2013

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There is a diet and exercise plan that covers all the bases—food we should eat and food that tastes good; what is best for our bodies and what is easily doable in the real world—all while offering hunger-free weight loss. Developed by Andrew Larson, M.D. and certified Heath Fitness Specialist Ivy Larson, Clean Cuisine is scientifically proven to reverse diabetes, improve cholesterol and blood pressure, and ease the symptoms of other inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, asthma, allergies, and arthritis.

Broken down into eight easy steps and spread over the course of eight weeks, Clean Cuisine will enable readers to transform their bodies one delicious meal at a time by adopting an anti-inflammatory diet and choosing unrefined foods in their most natural, whole state.

With guilt-free, delicious recipes and a workout program that has been proven to deliver substantial results with just three 30-minute sessions a week, Clean Cuisine is the long-term answer to eating for optimal health, disease prevention, weight loss, vitality, longevity, and good taste.


After my mother’s battle with colitis this past year and knowing several people suffering from MS and Fibromyalgia, this book and it’s philosophy certainly intrigued me.  I hear more and more, that nutrition and other homeopathic remedies are key to helping those suffering from cancer and other horrible diseases and wonder if there isn’t some true worth to “clean eating”.  This book has certainly convinced me, but let me warn you…it won’t be easy.

The authors, husband and wife, take you through 8 steps of incorporating clean eating into your regular lifestyle while touting the amazing life-changes and benefits from doing so.  Ivy Larson can speak from experience as she suffers from MS herself and found this method to work for her.  I have no doubt that following this plan will help you lose weight and feel better, especially if you have health issues.  After reading some of the explanations of the ingredients in some of the foods we eat, it does make you cringe a bit.  Do you really want to eat a meal of potassium sorbate and sorbic acid?  I don’t, but in our quick-fix, processed society, most of us are eating these ingredients daily.

This book is full of thorough explanations and tips to guide you through this nutrition program.  It couldn’t be a more direct and simple plan to follow.  Then why is it so hard?  Well, it is tough to give up all your favorites.  Do you really want to give up Oreos?  Second, not all of us have produce and organic food readily available.  Even though I live a half hour from the closest grocery store, it is not somewhere I can go every other day.  To feed a family of five, I would have to go frequently to get fresh produce and sometime even farther to find the types of organic food listed in the book to use in our meals.  But, I think you can learn a lot about how to feed your family properly by reading this book and slowly incorporating their ideas into your meal planning would be a win-win for everybody.

This book is also filled with ways to incorporate fitness into your daily life.  Photos and explanations of all types of exercises are included.  Whether you are interested in yoga, sculpting or cardio, there is an exercise for everyone.

Finally the book closes with over one hundred pages of recipes and meal plans to really get this nutrition program in motion.  From recipes like Fresh Cinnamon Apple-Pecan Cake to Cleaned Up Sloppy Joes to Creamy Broccoli Edamame Bisque, there is something for everyone’s tastebuds.  The only down side is that photos of the dishes are not included.  When I got to the Smoothie section of the recipes I was excited to realize that I was doing something right.  Their smoothie recipes are much like the ones I make for myself in the mornings.  Spinach, fruit, and chia seeds are common ingredients in my smoothies, just like in the book.  I will have to start trying kale, gingerroot, and coconut water in them as well.

The bottom line is if you are suffering from an anti-inflammatory disease or any other health related issues, this nutrition program could just be the medicine you need to feel better.  If anything, it can’t hurt.  It has worked for Ivy Larson and I bet it could work for you too.

photo courtesy of Ivy and Andrew Larson

Ivy Larson is a former TV personality on Lifetime’s The Balancing Act and has been featured in Time, U.S. News and World Report, Fitness, Life and Style, Woman’s Day, Woman’s World, Fit for Women and many other publications.  Ivy also teaches cooking classes at Whole Foods Market and Williams Sonoma.
Andy Larson, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.A.S.M.B.S. is a board certified general, laparoscopic, and bariatric surgeon.  They live in North Palm Beach, FL.

To learn more about CLEAN CUISINE, follow them on TWITTER or FACEBOOK.  Or check out their website at http://cleancuisineandmore.com/. There you can sign up for their newsletter and have access to more recipes.

If you would like to puchase a copy of CLEAN CUISINE, click the photo below: