Review: Live in the Balance by Linda Prout, M.S.
I started reading this book by Linda Prout in January. As some of you know, I have the habit of reading 2 or 3 books at the same time. For the first couple of weeks, this book shared time with Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words and a couple of other books. Eventually Live in the Balance took center stage, capturing my full attention.
It is a book chock-full of information, with every sentence seeming to contain a new nutritional idea or fact. Did you know that foods of animal origin, not fruits and vegetables are the main source of pesticides in our diet? When you think about that, it makes perfect sense. I learned that in China, the word for rice is the same as the word for food. On page 170, you will learn all you will ever need to know about margarine and why you should never substitute it for butter. I have always been suspicious of “foods” like margarine and do not use them. Now I am glad to know many of my common sense food decisions have a strong basis in nutritional fact.
The Introduction and Part One do a remarkable job of laying the foundation for what is to follow. Before reading this book, my understanding of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the role of food and nutrition in TCM was limited to what I had read in the popular media. I did know that 
TCM viewed food as being the source of both good, and bad, health. But by the time I got to page 60 of Live in the Balance, I definitely had furthered my education in the fundamentals of TCM and, even though the two are beginning to meld, how it differs from the Western approach to wellness. In fact, after finishing the book, I went back and read part of this first section again, this time with the added advantage of having had the author guide me through the applications in the rest of the book.
Even though Part Two, “Balancing Who You Are With What You Eat” was interesting and informative, I found myself getting a bit distracted as I read. I suspect this was because the focus of that section is identifying patterns of imbalance you might have and listing foods that will help you fix these imbalances. No matter how closely I read, or how honestly I thought about it, I could not fit myself into one of the patterns of imbalance or even into one or the other of Yin or Yang. Just when I would be thinking I was tending 
towards Yang, I would come across something that made me think I had Yin tendencies. It became even more difficult when I tried to identify with one of the patterns of imbalance that TCM uses nutrition to help. In fact, even when telling myself to be brutally judgmental, I could only find a passing recognition with 1 or 2 signs of each pattern. By the end of Part Two, I had concluded that this was probably a good thing.
Part Three starts making specific recommendations to even out any patterns of imbalance you might have. This section is where I realized I was already following most of the author’s suggestions; hence my difficulty in the book’s Part Two, trying to fit myself into a pattern of imbalance. Still, it was very educational to read and consider proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and sugars from the TCM point of view. The section on fruits and vegetables did hit close to home. I tend to eat a lot of raw fruits, vegetables and salads. I realized after reading chapter 14 that I could and probably should incorporate more cooked greens and vegetables into my diet.
One specific enlightenment I got from the book was support for a dietary change I made years ago that has always puzzled me. For 12 or 13 years the first and only thing I would eat every day was fresh fruit, usually lots of it. Eventually I developed a sort of intolerance or allergy to fruit. Only after almost eliminating fruit from my diet for a period of time, did my tolerance return to normal. I now realize that even something as healthy as fresh fruit can put the body out of whack if not consumed with moderation and in balance with other types of food.
When I was done I really felt that if I had any health issues at all, I could probably find a recommendation in this book that would help. I also felt good knowing that the reason I am feel so well at this point in my life is that I already follow many of the suggestions and recommendations in the book. The well known saying “you are what you eat” never seemed as true as it does now after reading this book.
In summary, this is a book that anyone with even a passing interest in diet and nutrition will find enjoyable and educational. It is a must read if you have any health or medical issues or if you are at all frustrated with your current eating patterns. Amazon has it both new and used. If you do buy it, or anything else, from Amazon, please consider using this link, or the one on my How To Help This Site page. I will be very appreciative because the small referral fee Amazon pays will help to offset the cost of hosting and maintaining this site. Thanks!
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