Book Review: Laugh With Health by Manfred Urs Koch

Rating:

Loving the title of this book – firstly because it, well – makes me smile. But also because it infers holistic health. The clutch of vibrant fruit and veg on the cover also helps – but so does the subtitle … your complete guide to health, diet, nutrition and natural foods.

In other words – here is a book that takes health and vibrancy and packs it in a nutshell. No fad diets, no kooky claims, no fast-fix nor wobbly promise (and I don’t only mean the thigh and belly ‘wobble’)… here is a book that tells it like it is at a grassroots level. Right down there near the seeds, where healthful origins really are meant to be.

Manfred Urs Koch has had a lifelong passion for natural health. Endorsed by both the Australian medical profession and naturopaths, Laugh with Health was first compiled in 1981, after years of intensive research. This updated and thoroughly revised edition continues to be a bestselling health bible Australia-wide, and its content is a breath of fresh air.

Beginning with a chapter on ‘nutrition’, the book provides a clearly-laid out and simplified peek at the basic elements that comprise nutrition. I love how this is presented – literally in list format that makes this information accessible and easily absorbed.

Also provided are food pyramids and food groups, charts on suggested food quantity intake and which foods provide carbs, protein, fats and oils, minerals, vitamins and water. Major foods are even divvied up and explained, so those interested in lowering their carbs or upping their protein can easily eat accordingly.

Chapter Two focuses on carbs, Chapter Three is protein, Chapter Four lipids, Five and Six are minerals and vitamins, respectively. I particularly love how vitamins and minerals are explained – how they affect each and every part of our body, from our skin to our reproductive system. The information is fascinating, enlightening and important for anyone interested in maximising their longevity and wellbeing.

Each chapter also provides excellent listings of major foods, their glycemic index, calories and nutritional information, with special detailed sections on such topics as soy beans and the food derivatives they provide.

The final chapter in Laugh with Health – Summary – provides information on our various body systems, from circulatory to skeletal. Our blood and cellular functions re clearly explained, as are their beneficial nutrients.

An Ailment and Healing Chart at the end of the book features the perfect healthful food for a myriad issues. Suffering anaemia, asthma, diabetes, sciatica or dandruff?

The author lists nutritional needs to heal and alleviate both chronic and mild symptoms. He also provides tailored diets, with suggested food intake for those battling or wanting to prevent cancer, the perfect choices for athletes and children, the ideal plan for irony deficiency – there’s even an anti-stress diet.

A question and answer session at the end of the book make this an ideal reference compendium for students and health professionals. Thorough, insightful, incredibly comprehensive and utterly fascinating, I’m already feeling rejuvenated after diving headlong into Laugh With Health. This is truly a food and health bible every family should own.