REVIEW: CLEAN LIVING BY LUKE HINES & SCOTT GOODING

CLEAN LIVING

Author: Luke Hines & Scott Gooding
Hachette RRP $29.99
Review: Monique Mulligan

We are two Bondi boys who believe strongly in a few simple things in life … They are a healthy body and a healthy mind. Pretty simple, huh?

Hit Australian TV series My Kitchen Rules gave Luke Hines and Scott Gooding a golden opportunity to share their message of health and wellness with a wider audience – now, with the release of their book Clean Living they are taking that message further into homes, with a three-week overhaul plan for those who want to change their lifestyle habits. The principles behind their clean living plan are simple:

• Eat right
• Move right
• Think right
• Recover right
• Stay motivated

The last line makes me think the “doing” is probably on the harder, rather than simpler, side. I know all too well how easy it is to start the day/week/month/year with good intentions, only to lose motivation. And the exercise section, complete with how-to images, includes squatting, planking, lounging and something called “The Frog” tells me participants will get sweaty! The photos, taken around the stunning Bondi area of Sydney, make it look pretty fun, though. Looking through this, I can see more than a few things that would help me in my daily life and I like the encouraging way this section is written, acknowledging that some of the exercises are difficult at first, but reiterating why they work. Hine and Gooding also mention the Tabata training method (four-minute training programs) and I’ve been giving that a try already, so it encouraged me more to see them give it the thumbs up. At the end of the book are some fitness plans perfect for time-poor people. They’ve covered all the bases.

As Hines and Gooding say throughout the book, “Life is all about choices” and if you want to have a fit and healthy body, those choices need to be smart ones. Eating nutritious food is what the guys promoted on My Kitchen Rules, and their desire was to show that healthy food did not have to be boring. The recipes included are a good fit for those following a Paleo diet and tend to be high-protein, wholefood meals. It follows the traditional breakfast-lunch-dinner model and includes menu plans at the back. I’m not a follower of the Paleo diet, and unlikely to be, but a number of these recipes appealed to me because of their mouth-watering pictures and ingredients as much as their nutritious value. Feeling a family of six does mean some of the ingredients push our budget over the limit, so for me, these recipes will have to be part of my wider repertoire, rather than becoming a complete diet shift.

Here are a few I’ll be adding to my menu:

• Surfside Granola with Raspberries
• Shakshuka with Crispy Bacon
• Salmon, Cherry Tomato and Kale Frittata
• Adobo Roast Chicken

Somehow I think if I make the Green, Lean and Clean Smoothie I’ll be drinking it all myself (haven’t managed to convince anyone else that the green bits are not so bad)

Overall, Clean Living is an attractive, positive book that would make a great gift for someone who wants to make some healthy changes and doesn’t know where to start, or someone who is interested in Paleo-style food. I’ll be giving a copy to my sister, not because she needs to make a change, but because she’s already embracing this lifestyle and she lives in the vicinity (so the location photos will seem very familiar to her). I think she’ll love it.

Available from good bookstores and Hachette Australia. This copy was courtesy of Hachette.