Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

UPDATE #2: After cooking 30+ recipes I have a love/hate relationship with this book. I picked recipes with accessible ingredients or substitutions I felt good about, not those with flour, sugars, potatoes, corn, etc. My husband, my two teenagers and I have loved almost everything we tried! But I keep taking away stars out of frustration! The binding is falling apart. Photos do not all accurately represent recipes. Some ingredient ratios are off. Some serving sizes are off. Some cooking temps and times are off. I still cannot find a good number of ingredients, especially produce. While some ingredients are indigenous to these lands, I do not have access to them or suggested substitutions. There is overuse of common substitutions for the US, IE: potatoes. There is also overuse of nut milks which are loaded with unhealthy ingredients in the US or are very expensive for organic or more "whole" brands. And this whole book is vegetarian! I've been following Blue Zone info for years, and there has been mention of seafood and meats harvested in each zone. What happened? The author has lost credibility with me. It feels like the original Blue Zone recipes have been altered by the author to represent his current personal and political platforms. Why not "report" original recipes as they were collected and let readers alter as desired? Do I believe these are the real recipes passed thru generations? Not anymore. However, there are some unintended positive consequences of eating Blue Zone Vegetarian. My weekly grocery bill has been significantly reduced. I am using my Instant Pot for dry beans like crazy. And now after the holidays, my family is actually MISSING eating Blue Zone foods and ready to return to exploring more recipes from this book and cooking our favorites again! It just takes an experienced cook to sort thru all of the issues within this book to make it work. I initially was concerned with obscure ingredients and the use of what I would consider unhealthy Western foods such as AP flour, sugar, corn, potatoes, etc. And with thorough examination, I am less than enamored by the chapter from the California Blue Zone, Loma Linda. In fact, it feels completely out of place in the book. The history of this particular Blue Zone is far too short to substantiate longevity findings. And I chuckle every time I flip past the photo showing a potluck with a bottle of ranch dressing front and center!