“Fabulous Health” by Terri Chrisman

Fabulous Health

Terri Chrisman
Fabulous Health (2025)
ISBN: 979-8998578342
Reviewed by Dawn Colclasure for Reader Views (11/2025)

Plant-based diets may be really trendy these days, but if you want such a diet that is actually healthy and without the fluff, then you might do well to check out the book Fabulous Health: A Simple Plan to Get Well and Stay Well by Terri Chrisman. Written by a nutritionist who has practiced what she preaches for many years, Fabulous Health gives readers the lowdown on food and how it can be used to improve their health.

Readers of this book should first understand that it promotes a whole-plant foods diet. It does not hate on diets with animal products, but it does outline the negative health effects that a diet including animal products will result in. These include gastrointestinal ailments such as Crohn’s disease, cardiovascular health issues such as heart disease, and obesity. She touches on a few other health problems – cancer and diabetes, for instance – in which a diet that includes meat could contribute to. She backs up these claims with research data that used whole plant food diets to treat these conditions. While this is all good information to think about and do further research on, one must keep in mind that a healthy diet (along with exercise) is an overall good choice for optimal health. The author notes on page 70, “A whole plant foods diet may not be the magic cure for all ailments, but it is the best starting point.” 

What I love about this book is that it is no-holds-barred. It provides the reader with some hard truths about the food industry, as well as some facts about nutrition that some people may not like (“CARBS ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY!!”). I also appreciated how she shared that regular alcohol consumption can damage your health (“Alcohol is a toxic drug”). She explores this further later in the book, when she shares what her acronym ASOUPAS stands for, with alcohol being the “A” in that equation. Here, she writes:

Alcohol is detrimental to brain health and has been implicated in the progression of dementia. My favorite study on the effects of alcohol followed 500 people for thirty years and compared the amount of alcohol they drank with how well their brains worked. Even moderate drinkers showed brain damage and shrinkage! (page 94)

There are other things to love about this book. The author provides a breakdown of food labels, which she encourages smart and health-conscious consumers to read. She also shares a list of transitional foods that are meant to be temporary replacements until one’s diet has completely shifted to a healthier, whole plant foods diet. Additionally, she provides healthier alternatives to popular snack foods (such as chips and French fries). She acknowledges that many people rely on snacks, and instead of saying “NO SNACKS!” she provides healthier alternatives to their unhealthier counterparts.

There are also worksheets, pages for journaling, and quick tips that would be very useful to the reader who decides to follow this lifestyle and implement the food changes provided here. I like how the book includes quizzes and journaling prompts. The author stresses the importance of recording your thoughts, ideas, and feelings as you read this book, and these are helpful ways to get it done. The journaling pages are something which such a person might want to use, as the author notes that it will be hard to change to a healthier diet and the temptation to devour unhealthy foods will always be there every time you step into a grocery store (she provides tips on how to avoid caving in to this in one chapter), so having used the journaling pages will allow the person making such changes to go back and read what they wrote when deciding to eat a healthier diet.

And the recipes! By far, this is the biggest feature of the book. Until you get to the back of the book, where all of the recipes are, there are numerous other recipes in different parts of the book. The recipes included in this book are all simple to make, and they all sound delicious. From homemade granola to a healthier version of pasta sauce, from healthier pancakes to bean chili, there are a variety of recipes that replace the unhealthier counterparts, as well as put a new spin on an old favorite (a healthier cheese sauce added to macaroni for a baked mac and cheese? Yes, please!). Perhaps a reader might want to try the recipe for oat cookies or tofu chocolate mousse? I know I would!

Of course, this is not a recipe book; it’s a book meant to show just how amazing a whole plant foods lifestyle can be, both for your health as well as your taste buds, and it provides some samples of foods readers can try. These recipes are just an introduction to show readers that giving up on poor eating habits does not mean going without the tastes they love. This entire book is an excellent introduction to a whole plant foods dietary plan, and it provides sound information on the health benefits that come with it. It’s a great place to start, and the author provides further material for readers to explore and learn more.

Fabulous Health: A Simple Plan to Get Well and Stay Well is an informative introduction to anyone who is interested in eating better, making healthier food choices, and feeling better about the foods they put into their bodies. Whether you want a dietary change for ethical reasons or feel that it’s time to change poor eating habits, Fabulous Health provides a no-nonsense and informed approach to eating healthier, natural foods. Following the plan in this book will help such a person have a sound conscience about their dietary choices, as well as a healthier body because of it.