UnDiet with Meghan Telpner

The internet, TV commercials, and magazine ads are overflowing with weight loss programs and diet tricks that promise you will lose inches and have rock-hard abs by the end of the month. Toronto-based holistic nutritionist Meghan Telpner won’t offer you any of that. In fact, she says she embraces her own “jiggle in the middle.”

In her new book, UnDiet: Eat Your Way to Vibrant Health, Meghan provides the tools and motivation for a total lifestyle transformation – one that cultivates exceptional health and abundant happiness. Who wouldn’t want that?

Peppered with words like “awesometown” and “booyizzle,” sitting down with UnDiet is like having a conversation with that infectiously optimistic friend who is always willing to give you a gentle kick in the right direction – for your own good, of course.

Unlike other healthy lifestyle books, UnDiet isn’t a guide to counting calories or tallying points until you’re blue in the face. It doesn’t focus on restriction or deprivation and Meghan won’t ask you to take on complicated regimens that set you up for failure. The UnDiet lifestyle is about breaking the conventional rules for health and wellness to get in tune with what makes your body tick. It’s about making small, simple changes to your lifestyle that will yield radical results.

With a truly holistic approach, the chapters cover everything from diet and exercise to beauty and environmental impact. Each section shares a portion of Meghan’s own health journey, which began when she was diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disease called Crohn’s. She’s now been symptom free for six years.

Her no-nonsense explanation of why each change is important and her simple tips for ensuring they work make the UnDiet approach practical for anyone. And never does she say it’s all or nothing. In fact, she encourages readers to, “take what you can, leave what you’re not ready for, and maybe you’ll come back later and give it a try.”

Her home of 23 years, Meghan praises Toronto for being an UnDiet-friendly city. “If you live downtown, you really have easy access to everything you need,” she says.

If you’re itching to start UnDieting your own life, Meghan offers a couple of tips: Start your day with two glasses of fresh water and keep sipping throughout the day. Aim for two litres total between wake up and bedtime. She also says, “If you’re up for more of a challenge, try going for a few days without eating anything that has had to go through a chemistry lab or a factory… It will get you thinking about what foods you’re eating and the impact they have on your health.”

So if you’re looking to shake things up, make a little love in the kitchen, and get on the path of vibrant health, be sure to pick up your own copy of UnDiet.