The Simple Seven

A delightful read. Marlene effectively distills an often convoluted and biased world of health information to the most basic and essential ideas for maintaining personal health. Her tone is sincere and simple, but the simplicity by no means undermines her advice. The information presented is solid, effective, and real! I can honestly say that I’ve been learning a lot through reading this book; it has left me re-evaluating a lot of my small habits that could end up hurting my health in the long run. Very grateful to Marlene for dedicating so much time and effort into compiling all this information. Definitely would recommend to anyone interested in transforming small daily habits into long-term happiness and health!

I give thanks for this book! The book is full of useful health information for those of us who need some reminders about how to stay on track for more healthy and joyful living.
Clearly Marlene Veltre has done her research (as a result of her own health challenges) and shares her findings with her readers in a very understandable and readable way. One can tell that she is genuinely interested in getting valuable health information out to us readers, in addition to providing many ideas to feel and look our best. I appreciated her positive attitude present throughout the book, like a good friend who really wants the best for you. She is very good at explaining how our systems function and makes the connections between why we might not be feeling or looking so great, but more importantly what we can do to reverse what’s not working inside and out. A lot of practical information for keeping one’s self healthy and for those who want to go deeper good information about detoxing. Veltre is very consistent about reinforcing things and making sensible suggestions that are essential for good health throughout the book, like eating leafy greens, hydrating, sleeping, stress management and avoiding process foods, just to name a few… Overall, it is a great resource.
I only wish it were in hard copy!

Simplicity and common sense - the core tenants of living healthy and of the book itself. The author has cut through the often overwhelming amount of contradictory, fad driven hocus-pocus about our diets and living healthy.. From carbs and protein, to how we exercise or drink water. She demonstrates why the seeming labyrinth of information and disinformation about what it means to live healthy is too often motivated by commercial interests and the messaging of the food industrial complex. In a clear, actionable way, the author illustrates common sense concepts in a way which has the ring of truth- resonating with what you probably already intuit. Yet, the book makes all this common sense accessible by distilling it into actionable principles - at every turn translating 'what we know' into suggestions for what to do.

Particularly refreshing is the lack of 'one size fits all' prescriptions so often the focus of 'gurus' and experts. Instead, built into the tenants of the author's perspective is the larger theme of simplicity; with an awareness of common sense principles, your own body will guide the rest and tell you when and what you need more or less of. After all, as the author highlights, millennia of human evolution have produced remarkably resilient bodies which have healed themselves and lived well without big industries and complex regimens to maintain our species.

In a truly radical shift in perspective the author compellingly illustrates that staying healthy is actually easier than getting sick. In other words, it takes a lot of work to make the body sick, because being healthy is our natural state of affairs. Being healthy isn't hard work nor should it be. The books style and approach is elegant and simple, carving a path through scientific research as well as through pseudo-scientific mumbo jumbo without an agenda. Instead the author's intention is clarity, along with a translation of what we know from genuine research and evolutionary science in order for the reader to engage their own common sense.