ON HER PLATE

Plant-based Recipes, Life Stories, and Natural Health Sciences to Align Mind, Body, and Earth.

Ky-lee Hanson, Golden Brick Road Publishing House (OCTOBER) Softcover $36.95 (290pp), 978-1-988736-41-9

On Her Plate is a positive, woman-centered look at healthy living.

Modern medicine offers women a bevy of remedies, but the medication-centric approach leaves many longing for more. The women in this book have sought and found a deeper understanding of their bodies and minds, thus deriving fulfilling, mindful, profoundly healthy ways of life. The book touches on diets, exercise, lifestyles, and mindsets, resulting in an approach that is balanced, holistic, and empowering.

The book’s driving force is its array of voices. They convey a mix of emotion, information, and humor. Each is engaging and insightful. These women from different backgrounds and health fields have paved the way, tackling tricky topics like managing stress and paying attention to what you eat. They generously offer their wisdom to other modern women.

Frank, woman-specific discussions, such as Amy Rempel’s “Getting My Menstrual Cycle On Point,” are included. In a broader sense, the book addresses what society teaches women about their identities and their bodies, forwarding advice on how to shed judgment, shame, and damaging diets and lifestyles, and instead pursue health.

The book’s recipes—which are free of dairy, eggs, and animal byproducts that have deleterious health effects—make dietary change manageable and appealing. Recipe photos are beautiful and appetizing. The glossary is surprisingly helpful, increasing the educational value of the book without making it feel like a textbook.

On Her Plate eschews popular notions about what it takes to be a healthy woman, and instead offers wisdom that is mindful, affirming, and that embraces the full picture of what it means to be a woman.