'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Monday 22 April 2019

Review: Smart Snacks

Good food and healthy choices are what we all want for our families. In a time poor era, this is seldom easy. Here are over 100 delicious recipes for preparing quick nutritious snacks to accommodate school time needs for kids and teenagers, especially during exam and late night study time. It is brain and mood-boosting food which fuels the body and curbs hunger.

The book has been co-written by two professionals. Flip Shelton is an Australian writer, presenter and broadcaster, whose popular cookbooks promote fast, easy, healthy and nutritious eating habits. Michael Carr-Gregg is a highly-respected adolescent and child psychologist and author. 

His great concern for the growing obesity crisis in children and teenagers in Australia, makes his contribution to this book extremely valuable. Here, both encourage people not to be influenced by advertising, but to seek nutritious alternatives to maximise their children’s health.

The recipes in Smart Snacks are created using over 80 readily available vegetarian ingredients full of protein, complex carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, and vitamins and minerals.  They include grains, fruit and vegetables, legumes, herbs and spices. Most are gluten-free with many of them Paleo and FODMAP friendly. All can be prepared and stored in fridge and freezer.

The many options include delicious Smoothies, Dips, 14 fantastic recipes for balls to roll, fast food, sandwiches, midnight munchies and more. All are marked according to their dietary content. The layout of the information provides excellent tips on how to save on food, and utilize everything you purchase in the best possible way. It also has ingredient grading, and indicates the amount of portions per batch. Highlighted words within the text are expanded on in the generous margins along with the origins of many ingredients.

Smart Snacks is a welcome collection of interesting ideas that parents will appreciate due to the generous amount of knowledge it contains.

Title: Smart Snacks
Author: Flip Shelton & Michael Carr-Gregg
Publisher: Penguin Random House, $24.99
Publication Date: 5 February 2019
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780143792536
For ages: All Ages
Type: Non-fiction Cookbook