It's All Good: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great [Anglais] [Relié]

I'm torn on how to write this review. On one hand, no one can argue that a clean diet provides endless health benefits, both physically and mentally. On the other hand, I got almost nothing out of this book ...I'll explain.

I have been eating a relatively clean diet for a few years and one of my children is gluten intolerant and allergic to nuts. So, I'm always on the lookout for new recipes, especially ones that my children can enjoy and I was excited for this book's release. But, I do admit to rolling my eyes when I first saw that the author was GP. After all, isn't this the same person who has sworn by diets and fads on all ends of the spectrum over the years? From macrobiotic diets, to raw diets and juicing fasts, and even cupping and acupuncture procedures? And didn't she just write a clean diet cookbook inspired by her dad's cancer not too long ago? But, I figured maybe she learned a few things along the way, and if the book provided some new, good recipes, then why not give it a try? So, I did. I will make every attempt at keeping my eye rolls separate from the actual contents of the book, but at times it may get tricky. And considering that with 80some pictures in this COOKbook, and 35 (that's nearly half, math wizard!) of them being solely of HER and not at all of FOOD, Ms. Paltrow doesn't make it easy.

First, the misinformation:

Gwyneth had a migraine and thought she was having a stroke, so her Dr. put her on an elimination diet to clear out her system. (But according to her, wasn't she already eating this way? She calls it a "lapse" in her healthy lifestyle, yet it kind of comes across as just riding the coattails of the next dietary craze.) That's how she decided that her two kids, husband, and herself are all intolerant to gluten, dairy, and chicken.

In the book she writes,
"Every single nutritionist, doctor and health-conscious person I have ever come across...seems to concur that [gluten] is tough on the system and many of us are at best intolerant of it and at worst allergic to it."

This is full of hyperbole ("every" [related] person she's "ever" come across? wow), and absolutely false. Fact: A gluten intolerance mimics Celiacs which tears apart your GI tract and/or causes a wide variety of health problems. Fact: A gluten allergy is the same as any food allergy which can result in anaphylaxis.

The standard American diet is absolutely too glutenous. It's also too high in sugar, fats, caffeine, processed chemicals and preservatives, etc... But there are very specific differences between being allergic to gluten, intolerant to it, and sensitive to it. And some people just digest better without it. I digest a cucumber a lot easier than I do broccoli, but that doesn't mean I'm intolerant to broccoli.

Gwyneth also doesn't allow her kids or husband to eat nonglutenous carbs like potatoes, but the book includes recipes with corn. I guess she skipped the memo on the downsides to corn, but kept the one on potatoes? Also, she includes recipes involving soy. Soy has not only been proven unhealthy for a myriad of reasons, but it's also been suggested that up to 85% of the soy supply is genetically modified and does not have to be labeled as such. But, I guess that one isn't important, either.

Then comes the hypocrisy claiming she allows her kids to be kids and cheat by eating Oreos and Cheetos occasionally when they are out. I totally get that, I allow my kids indulgences, too. However, didn't she just say that people are "at best" intolerant of gluten, including her kids? If that were true, then she knowingly allows her kids to consume foods that are potentially tearing apart their intestines. Doesn't make sense? That's because it's nonsense and proves that her kids "tolerate" gluten just fine.

Yes, everybody benefits from drastically limiting their gluten intake. That doesn't mean that most people are intolerant. But hey, she also claims her whole family is intolerant to chicken and dairy, too. People who aren't lactose intolerant (most people) don't have to eliminate dairy, but can highly benefit from switching to organic which cuts out the antibiotics and hormones. Still doesn't make them intolerant. A couple of glasses of red wine have been suggested to be rather healthy for you, but overindulging consistently (much like what Americans do with gluten) will send your liver straight into failure. Doesn't mean you're intolerant to wine, it means you drank yourself to death. I haven't eaten meat in nearly a decade, but I've never once made the claim that I am intolerant to it. You see, I like to use facts rather than rhetoric. GP just really likes the word intolerant.

My point: If you're going to publish a healthy cookbook, that's great! But at least know what you're talking about before publishing. Otherwise, just write the cookbook and keep your rhetoric and stories out of it. And don't pick and choose what you *think* is healthy, while promoting other foods that studies have proven are not, especially when you've already promoted so many fad diets and back peddled yourself into that stroke/migraine drama.

Let's move on.
Next, the "recipes".

I'm not even sure how to say this without sounding like I'm lying, but please believe that I'm being 100% honest here. One of the recipes is for a "hard boiled egg." That's it. A hard boiled egg. In case you're not sure how to make such a complicated dish, I'll sum it up for you: place egg in boiling water. Wait for it... Done!

Is this a joke? I paid for a cookbook but instead got a bunch of photos of GP riding a Vespa, her celebrity friend name dropping, stories of how she overnights vegan cookies to her manager, and a recipe for a hard boiled egg?! Not to mention, if your family is "intolerant" to chickens, then why aren't they "intolerant" to chicken bi products? Doesn't make sense again, right? I'm thinking of a word again, I'll give you a hint: starts with hypo, ends with crite.

If a hard boiled egg isn't fancy enough for you, fear not! Right below it is a recipe for an "Olive Oil Fried Egg"!! As in, an egg fried in olive oil. Yep. That's it. Too complicated? No worries! Another "recipe" is one that she says is her favorite yet admits is not even a recipe: Avocado Toast. As in, slices of avocado with store bought veganaise on a slice of gluten free bread. Note to the author: if you find yourself typing out the words "it isn't an actual recipe"? Don't put it in your cookbook. That's what Pinterest is for.

And then comes my favorite recipe of all: POPCORN. This tough-to-master, little-heard-of gem of a recipe was taught to her by none other than her very famous celebrity friend Cameron Diaz, whom Paltrow calls a "popcorn making master." ... In case you missed my sarcasm, it's POPCORN. You pop it. You eat it. The end. Move over, Diaz! Looks like I'm a master, too!

You can't make this stuff up.

The book isn't ALL bad from cover to cover. It's absolutely gorgeous from the photography to the layout and Gwyneth is glowingly beautiful, as I'm sure is a mark of how well her diet does work for her. There are a lot of recipes in the book, not just hard boiled eggs, I just didn't find anything that I don't already have from my other whole foods cookbooks and recipes I've found online. But if this is your first clean eating cookbook, you may very well be happy with the selection. The people who are complaining about the cost of the recipes... Well, that's not *always* Ms. Paltrow's fault (although, if she was gonna bother giving recipes for popcorn, she could have taken the time to detail at least a few "on a budget" meals... And some of the ingredients suggestions are RI-DIC-U-LOUS) .... But mostly, it's just the world of clean eating. It can get pricey. Load up on hard boiled eggs, I guess. And, lucky for you, this book will teach you how!

It's All Good just wasn't for me.. Recommendations for nothing under $500 blenders (What? Can't EVERYONE afford that?), outrageous ingredients not at all "easy" as the reviewer AK pointed out (what? doesn't EVERYONE get their organic flour from "Williams & Sonoma?"), picture after picture of herself, recipes ranging from hysterical no brainers to ones I've seen before or found online for free, misinformation.... She makes sure to mention all the organic apples she yields from her summer home in the Hamptons. Just in case you want to do the same...

I don't like giving out poor reviews, but It's All Good turned out to be All Ridiculous.

*Edited To Add:
Apparently, some people get really angry when you point out the things that Gwyneth Paltrow put in her own book. I don't have a personal vendetta against Ms. Paltrow. She's the one who wrote this stuff and added misguided health information, personal stories, impractical suggestions, and a decade's worth of personal photos in her cookbook. I'm simply pointing it out and interjecting my opinion that it is not relatable. Jessica Alba recently wrote a book on ridding your home and diet of toxins that I thought was absolutely brilliant because she went out of her way to list affordable options for regular people and doable changes for those who have to work, cook, clean, and take care of their own kids every day with no outside help. It's called being down to earth. I'm not comparing books, as they're very different, but I am pointing out that you CAN be wealthy without being completely disconnected from reality. Gwyneth Paltrow seems to struggle with that quite a bit which makes her and her books extremely hard to relate to. At least for me, anyway.

Maybe you'll have a better experience than I did with this book, especially if you're new to the world of clean eating. But there are SO many other good whole foods cookbooks out there that have much less of an agenda, are practical for regular people who can't spend a mortgage payment on groceries, and are actually worth the money spent (I listed the ones that have been most helpful to me in the comments.) Some people really seem to be enjoying the book. But personally, I walked away from It's All Good wanting my money back and thinking the only thing Gwyneth is actually intolerant to is reality.

I am divided as to whether this is the most hilarious or the most tragic thing I have ever read. What sort of person requires a detailed recipe for a hard-boiled egg yet can simultaneously be advised to "contact [their] local fishmonger" in order to learn their area's freshest fish?

If you're looking for a clean eating book that's going to give you a lot of bang for your buck, this isn't the book. If you're looking to learn a few new recipes here and/or keep track of how often GP says she "hearts" a certain ingredient, this IS your book.

I'll keep it short since many others have more than adequately explained why this is such a terrible book.

- Some of the "recipes" are laughable (a boiled egg? Right...)

-The book is meant for people who have too much money to spend and who choose not the spend it wisely (if you were to plan your nutrition life the way she says you should you would be spending over $1000 a week for very little food)

-her `logic' is flawed and hypocritical. I'm not saying she is malicious and is out to con people, but it seems like she has no ability to stop and consider that we can't all afford the same lifestyle as her and that maybe she should take a second to question herself. The problem is that she fanatically makes claims (everyone is gluten intolerant) but offers no rational explanations or just contradicts herself later.

-this book is not so much a cookbook as it is a book that touches on food but focuses more on Gwyneth Paltrow pictures and has her name drop her celebrity friends.

Its' stuff like this that gives healthy eating a bum rap in the eyes of those who have yet to understand the proper way of going about it.