Book Review: The Honest Life by Jessica Alba


I really do try to live a greener, healthier life, but I have found recently that I (and therefore, the family) have started to fall back into bad habits. The funny thing is, I know I am going backwards, but I am finding it hard to get back on the wagon, so when I read that Jessica Alba had released The Honest Life, a book on living a greener, healthier life, I thought it might be just the motivation I need to kick myself up the backside!

Before I say anything else, I have to say that what I loved most about this book was how real and approachable it was. Much has been made about the "rivalry" between Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Alba when it comes to healthy living. Don't get me wrong, I think I am one of the few people that still likes Gwyneth, but as her website, GOOP, has clearly demonstrated, real and attainable healthy living is probably not her strong point. Jessica on the other hand, comes across just like another mum in the playground. She admits that cloth diapers didn't work for her (and guess what, they didn't for me either - thank goodness they have a high resell value!), and neither does growing her own food (again, on our tiny block, with our busy lives, not working here either), but that doesn't stop her from making some real and meaningful change in how she lives her life. She really stresses that it isn't an all or nothing affair. Every small change adds up to a big difference.

The book covers a lot of ground - food, family, homemaking, beauty, even style - and not only tells you what you should be avoiding, but what you should go for instead. She includes some recipes, both for food and for homemaking, some inspiring personal anecdotes, and lots and lots of info on how you can live a clean and healthy life from day-to-day, or as she puts it, Living The Honest Life.  At times, her mentioning of the Honest Company (her business selling green cleaning/personal care products) is a bit off putting, and made the book feel a little like a catalogue, but it really is a small flaw for such an awesome book. It is the type of book that you read from cover to cover, but since then, I have gone back and referred to different sections again and again.

So did it give me the kick I needed? Absolutely!! I am sure you'll be reading a lot more about my "regreenification" over the next few months...



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