Kira

Before reading this book I had never heard of Kimberly Snyder, her blog, or the Beauty Detox Solution. I didn't really know what to expect and I was VERY pleasantly surprised. This is the first "diet" book that I have read cover to cover. Usually I get bored halfway through and just start skipping ahead to the good stuff. Kimberly's writing style was engaging, easy to understand, and made me want to read every word. I was still able to finish the book in two days (I devoured it) and I came away armed with lots of great information.Kimberly's personal testimony of how and why she learned these things was what really drew me in and made me pay attention. She has traveled all over the world, studying other cultures, their beauty and diet regimens, and I felt like she was did an amazing job of condensing it down and making it "doable" for the modern American.In this book I learned:*Why raw foods, especially greens, are so beneficial (I mean, I knew that they were, but now I really get WHY)*Why probiotics are a must*That I do not have to rely on meat or whey powder to get all the protein my body needs*Why the order you eat foods is important, and that this can sometimes be the one thing standing between you and weight loss*How to give your body the building blocks it needs for radiant skin and soft hair*The difference between a really miserable bi-yearly "cleanse" and having a lifestyle that is continually cleansing your body in a gentle yet very effective way*Some awesome recipes for tasty and guiltless foodNow, with that being said, am I ready to run out and become a strict vegetarian, give up dairy completely, and never have another bagel? No.BUT, Kimberly packed her book with testimonials from normal people who followed the plan to the extent that they were comfortable with, and still saw results. I didn't get the impression that it is an all or nothing thing. I think that the biggest thing I came away with was feeling empowered to start eating my foods in the correct order for optimal digestion, and to ADD in foods that I know are going to up my nutrition level tremendously (i.e. the goddess smoothie and the probiotic & enzyme salad). Those are things that I can start immediately and reap the benefits from.After drinking the Green Smoothie for breakfast every day for the last week, I've lost one pound and it might be too soon to say this, but I think the blemishes I had are healing much more quickly than they previously did. It tastes much better than I expected (especially when it's been in the fridge for 24 hours) and I feel really good after I drink it. That recipe alone was worth the read for me, but that is certainly not the only thing I got out of it. There were a few little things that I didn't agree with (the possible connection between the animal's emotions when they were slaughtered affecting our own moods) but they were minor and easily overlooked. The vast majority of this book was right on, in my opinion, and I definitely recommend it.