Terry Walters' new book "Clean Start" is a Mitzvah

I think my life is about to change. At least, I hope so.

My husband Lee and I have been talking about changing our diet for years. My chance meeting with Clean Start author Terry Walters today at the Chicago French Market may just been the ticket we needed to start anew.

For those of you who don't know Terry, she authored the highly regarded Clean Food book last year and is currently on a book tour espousing the virtues of  "eating clean and living well."

Her new 165 page book is inspirational. Terry makes cooking with seasonal, locally grown ingredients simple and satisfying. The two dishes that she sampled at the market today (Shallot Fig Spread; and Red Lentil Soup w/ Turnips & Parsley & Hot Spiced Coconut Milk) were simply delicious. 

I was struck by how simple the "clean" book recipes are. I can't wait to start cooking.

The preface of the book really struck home.

"Clean Start is about enjoying healthy, delicious, clean food everyday. It's about having a relationship with food that's not based on living up to somebody else's ideal, or following a strict regime. It's simply about making healthy choices, one at a time, and doing the best that you can do, empowered with knowledge and motivated by intention. It's about maximizing nutritional value and taste, and minimizing waste and imbalance. It's about true nourishment. The kind that makes you feel good about yourself.  The kind that you want to share with others."

The Clean Start book is as much a guide as it is a cookbook. Whether you're starting again or starting anew, eating clean is about being nourished by your food and by your journey," she says.

If you missed the book signing. Terry's enthusiasm and commitment is contagious.

"START HERE. It doesn't matter where you are starting. Eating clean is about what we can do now to make healthy choices."

I love her advice from the get go:

Eat the colors of the rainbow.

Eat dark leafy greens every day.

Eat all five tastes.

Eat foods that are grown, not manufactured.

Skip the package.

Buy clean food and leave the rest behind.

Buy and try one new clean food each time you shop.

Know the source of your food.

Buy local and organic when you can.

Be nourished by your food and make peace with your choices.

The book is packed with information and 100 tasty, healthy recipes. I am so happy that I went to the book signing today. If you missed it, don't miss out on buying Terry's book Clean Start. I believe that it will be, perhaps, the most used book in your collection. It will certainly be the best $25 investment I've made this year.

To learn more about Terry, visit her website, follow her on Twitter @TerryWalters and subscribe to her blog.

Thanks Terry. What a mitzvah!

Award-Winning Cookbook Author, Terry Walters, at Chicago French Market, Feb. 18

Author of CLEAN FOOD cookbook to do a chef demonstration and book signing of her new book CLEAN START

Terry Walters, author of the award-winning CLEAN FOOD cookbook, will be at Chicago French Market from noon to 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18 to demonstrate three healthy recipes from her new cookbook, CLEAN START, followed by a book signing. Her philosophy of eating locally grown, seasonal and fresh food mirrors the efforts of the Chicago French Market and its nearly 30 artisan vendors.

“CLEAN START is about enjoying healthy, delicious, clean food every day,” says Walters. “It’s my goal to empower people and help them make healthy choices that are simple, nutritious and delicious. There’s not a better venue to spread the word about healthy living than the Chicago French Market.”

Walters will prepare three of the 100 recipes in her new book, all of which are vegan and gluten-free: Shallot Fig Spread, Red Lentil Soup with turnip and parsley and Hot Spiced Coconut Milk. Following the short cooking demonstration, Walters will be available for a book signing of CLEAN START, available for purchase for $25.

About Terry Walters
Terry Walters is all about good health-body, mind and soul. She teaches people how to make delicious, healthy food to nourish themselves, their families and their planet. She is a health counselor and food educator, and serves on the board of directors for Urban Oaks Organic Farm, one of the largest urban organic farms in the country. Terry is the author of the popular blog, Eat Clean Live Well. She draws from educational and life experience including training from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, and resides in Connecticut with her husband and two children. Learn more about Terry Walters at www.terrywalters.net.

About Chicago French Market
Chicago French Market is a European-inspired market offering an array of local produce, meats, seafood, breads, pastries, cheese, wine, chocolates, pastas, artisan-made goods, specialty drinks, flowers, prepared meals and a seating area for customers. Chicago French Market’s diverse group of local vendors stay open year-round, six days per week, and is located within the new MetraMarket development at 131 N. Clinton St. (between Washington and Randolph Streets). Chicago French Market offers complimentary garage parking with entrances at 164 N. Canal St. and 165 N. Clinton St. for one hour or less with a minimum purchase of $20 or more (receipt required).

Please note that from January 2011 through May 2011, if traveling westbound on Randolph Street, the Randolph Street bridge is closed due to the Wacker Drive Reconstruction Project. The minor detour will reroute drivers to head north on Franklin Avenue, then west on Lake Street, to turn south on Clinton Street to access the garage. For more information, visit www.chicagofrenchmarket.com.