Nonfiction Reviews HEALTH, HOME & HOBBIES Printing from the Garden: Create Stunning One-of-a-Kind Prints with Flowers and Leaves Alison Kelly . Storey, $30 (192p) ISBN 978-1-63586-876-0 Kelly, a textile artist and founder of the Brooklyn-based design studio Flora Obscura, debuts with a dazzling guide to botanical contact printing, or using plants and flowers to print designs onto fabrics and paper. Describing the practice as a “delicate dance between chemistry, botany and art,” she encourages crafters to first experiment with fabric scraps or recycled paper before investing in nicer materials. She spotlights botanicals that can be used for printing, explaining that anemones impart strong prints, as do eucalyptus, hibiscus, and hollyhocks. The material on which the design will be printed, be it fabric or paper, must first be soaked in a solution of metallic salts, a process known as mordanting, so the fibers will accept the pigmentation. For printing on fabric, she outlines such techniques as bundle dying, which involves layering leaves and flowers onto fabric, rolling it around a dowel, and then steaming it. Turning to paper printing, Kelly demonstrates techniques like steaming vegetation onto paper with a damp cloth blanket. Highlighting a plethora of striking plants and a variety of printing methods, this is a comprehensive manual for creating visually stunning designs. It’s a valuable resource for anyone seeking a natural approach to art and fashion. (Mar.) Crafting for Your Cat: 25 Playful Projects for You and Your Feline Friends Annika Hinds . Chronicle, $24.95 (208p) ISBN 978-1-79723-682-7 TikTokker Hinds debuts with a charming how-to on crafting cat toys and accessories from upcycled or repurposed materials. Arguing that the DIY approach is more affordable and fun than buying something ready-made, she identifies essential materials, like sisal rope, cardboard shipping tubes, wood, and fabric, and offers tips for understanding what
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kind of toys one’s cat would enjoy, as some are always ready to pounce while others are laid-back observers. She begins with cat accessories, detailing how to make a sparkly resin name tag and jazz up a cat collar with charms (crafters can make matching “fur-endship” charm necklaces for themselves, too). Elsewhere, she teaches readers how to make catnip- filled plushies, suction springs, and braided ropes adorned with jingle bells. More advanced projects include a crescent moon–shaped hammock for cat naps and a hidden litter box to keep spaces tidy. For a budget- friendly project, there’s the cardboard scratcher, which requires little more than a box and cardboard. Hinds’s favorite project is a strawberry- shaped scratcher made with a plastic planter and red and green sisal rope. Adorable photos of cats using their DIY pieces accompany accessible step-by-step instructions. This is a must for cat-obsessed crafters. (Mar.) The Hunger Code: Resetting Your Body’s Fat Thermostat in the Age of Ultra-processed Food Jason Fung . Greystone, $30 (288p) ISBN 978-1-77840-156-5 The prevailing weight-loss advice to “eat less, move more” is overly sim- plistic, contends nephrologist Fung ( The Obesity Code ) in this convincing treatise. Fung proposes a new frame- work: People gain weight because they are overly hungry, which causes them to overeat. He identifies three kinds of hunger that can be controlled to promote weight loss: homeostatic (physical hunger), hedonic (eating for pleasure or comfort), and conditioned (eating out of habit). Homeostatic hunger is regulated by hormones, Fung explains: different foods stimu- late certain hormones that the body responds to in various ways. Cookies, for example, stimulate insulin, which tells the body to store the incoming calories as fat, whereas eating eggs boosts GLP-1, which causes satiety. To lose weight, he recommends a low-insulin diet, which involves eating fewer refined carbohydrates and being sure to eat carbs with fats and proteins
to slow digestion. Addressing hedonic and conditioned hunger, Fung details how the chemical nature of ultra- processed foods makes them addictive and how their cheap cost and pre- valence makes them hard to resist. Interspersed amid the explanations are 50 practical tips for losing weight, such as “eat more fiber to satisfy hunger” and “find a weight-loss buddy.” It’s an important contribution to the conver- sation about nutrition. (Mar.) A Nourishing Perspective: Reconnect with Your Inner Voice and Harmonize Dietitian Cotton debuts with a com- passionate primer on healthy eating geared toward helping women undo disordered eating habits. Believing that the path to a better relationship with nutrition begins with awareness, she helps readers unpack their ideas about food, encouraging them to reflect on what they learned during childhood and how those beliefs evolved as they grew up. She traces diet trends through the decades, like the diet pills of the 1960s and the Atkins diet resurgence in the 1990s, explaining how advertis- ers make women insecure about their bodies to drive up profits. Meanwhile, quick weight-loss solutions not only deprive people of essential nutrients but lead to a cycle of stress, disap- pointment, and low self-esteem. She urges readers to view food as nourish- ment and pay attention to their bodies’ unique cues and signals, which change over time. Cotton also debunks myths about eating disorders, demonstrating how they can’t be identified by outward appearance alone, and outlines treat- ment options, including family-based treatment, which allows the patient and their family to meet with a thera- pist together. Elsewhere, she offers tips for cultivating a positive body image, applying mindful eating principles, and navigating nutrition during meno- pause. She imbues her practical advice with empathetic and empowering Your Relationship with Food Lee Cotton . Amplify, $30 (256p) ISBN 979-8-89138-771-3 messages (“You are worthy of nourish- ment”). The result is a welcome antidote to a diet-obsessed culture. (Feb.)
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