Reading, relaxing and rosé-ing

Here’s what’s NOT on my to-do list this weekend. Cut the lawn, trim the shrubs, clean out the garage, or alphabetize the spice rack. Other than that, plans vaguely include a chaise, a bottle of rosé and a pile of books. Who knows – a gossip mag may actually find its way in there — given that Marlene Arpe had the nerve to take some time off her blog, which is one of my secret guilty pleasures. The other one is Coronation Street — guess they’re not secrets anymore.

Some of the titles I plow through may actually be instructive, although I’m handing off one of those that I read this week to my daughter. It’s called Must Have Been Something I Ate, and it’s written by Peggy Kotsopoulos, the pretty, perky resident nutritionist on CBC's Steven and Chris show.

The just-launched book  draws the connection between the food you eat and how you look and feel. Kotsopoulos promises that whether you’re feeling blue or bloated, bitchy or blemished, her tips can boost your health, while keeping muffin tops and man boobs at bay.   

The tone is light and funny (as opposed to preachy) and there’s a ton of good information. Occasionally, it veers toward the simplistic; proclaiming that excess sugar consumption can lead to alcoholism, for example, could do with more explanation. On the other hand, there’s a clear explanation of the role of insulin, good information on why we need and how our bodies use vitamins and minerals, along with explanations on why certain foods either aggravate or alleviate certain conditions.

Kotsopoulos plays the role of healthy food cheerleader well, encouraging folk to start by making small changes. Apparently, it works. Since picking up the book, I’ve chosen tofu over beef for dinner one evening, made a healthy quinoa salad, cooked with coconut milk and stuck (more or less) to my pledge to run every day (call me crazy, but I’m not going to run in the rain). So if  Kotsopoulos’ aim to is to get people thinking about shifting to healthier lifestyles one step at a time, she’s already made at least one convert. For this weekend I am, however, sticking to the books, the chaise and the rosé. Don't try and stop me.