This book was recently released by Regina Joseph and, for those of you looking for a change of pace in the diet arena, this is it. This is a guide to losing weight Brazilian style. While it may sound like a great adventure for many of us to embark upon, especially in North America where it is getting colder every day and the snow clouds are winding up in time for Christmas.
At the heart of Ms. Joseph’s system is a philosophy of getting around the same old stale diet and exercise that conventional wisdom touts and incorporating some fire and zest into one’s nutrition and exercise program (Brazilian style).
There are just a few catches to this program that may put some people off.
Her prescribed foods, while bold and delicious, may not exactly be easy to come by at your local grocery store. This diet calls for, among other things, fresh fish, coconut, lime, red palm oil, acai, cherries, kale, salt cod and pumpkin. There is a reason why these foods define Brazilian cuisine – they are easy to come by in Brazil! While you’ll be on your own when it comes to finding these delicacies, Joseph does include flavorful recipes in her book. Another possible problem arises here: most of us fail in our dieting efforts simply because we don’t have time to prepare the proper foods and fall back on ready made foods. If you have the time to shop for the foods and learn to cook Brazilian style, this diet may just work. The good news is that shopping lists, recipes and food preparation guides and exercises are all included in the book.
The good news is that Joseph takes an eclectic approach to the workouts and they actually sound quite fun. They incorporate a sense of playfulness and include doing the cha cha or rhumba at home as well as fusing yoga, Pilates and capoeira. Not exactly Jane Fonda’s workout!
Following are some sample meals from the diet:
A smoothie containing acai pulp with guarana, banana, vanilla soy milk and peanut butter.
Tuna salad made with tuna, red onion, pickle, celery, olive oil, lime juice and hard-boiled egg.
Watercress salad with palm heart stalks and tomato with Mate tea and lime.
Fruit salad with mangoes, melon, strawberries, blueberries, apples, cashews, mint and nuts flavored with chile and lime.
If those sound like things you could whip up in your kitchen, this may be the right diet for you.
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