Jamie Oliver Super foods review

Everyday Super food is a 2015 cookbook written and photography by Jamie Oliver, a world wide chef who has written many cookbooks and hosted many of his own TV shows. In his book, Jamie acknowledges that a sustainable healthy relationship with food is not achievable without “some naughty days and a few treats”. Indeed these are not recipes you will feel deprived eating. You will be eating delicious, real (and quite often quick to prepare) food that’s nutrient dense to help you feel satisfied.

What to love about these recipes is that they are all relatively simple and short, most of them fitting on one page of the book alongside a photo which is definitely a bonus. I love how he mentions in his book that he does all the photography of the food himself. It makes the book, I guess, feel more genuine. The layout is clear and easy to follow and each recipe includes nutritional information per portion. The recipes use mostly easy-to-find, common ingredients - nothing that you’d have to go out of your way to find.

The book is full of big bold flavours and colours, the kind Jamie loves, and less sugar, salt and fats. The recipes are fairly accessible for most levels of cooks and the detailed instructions are easy to follow.

Along with the recipes in the book, there’s a fairly comprehensive section that includes information about nutrition, health and well-being.

The chapter covers: the idea of the balanced plate, calorie requirements, the importance of hydration, the key role breakfast plays in getting ready for the day ahead, eating the rainbow with fruit and veg, the idea of “good carbs” and dairy, the power of protein, and the right kinds of fats like saturated, unsaturated and where to find them. Jamie even ventures into chatting about alcohol and how we can enjoy it responsibly without it becoming detrimental to our health. Jamie discusses organic vs regular produce and gives some tips on how to shop more strategically for a more healthy and more economical shopping basket. Finally, there’s a section on sleep and its importance. Jamie breaks down the whys and hows in this short but very useful section.

The information in this chapter is not overwhelming in its science, making it easy to understand for all. Many people would not want to read through pages and pages of information about nutrition but this is just enough to intrigue your mind.

If you are already a Jamie Oliver fan, you’ll love this book. If you’re not so familiar with his work, this is the book to pick up and get covered in flour while recreating his interesting, nutrition rich recipes. It’s an insight into his food journey during the past 20 or so years. The basic Jamie is still there but with a wisdom that can only come from spending his life in what needs to be done. Jamie’s sharing what he’s learned along the way so that we can all life a healthier, happier life.

Next time I will write up a few recipes from this book to give you a preview of great tasting super food.