Best cookbook for dieters

[hummingbirdkiss]

try Karens site (when it comes up again) I am not sure I can post a link to it here so if you want it pm me. I think you will find what you want there honestly. It is "low carb" but I also think calories are valid... her recipes are wonderful they are not really complex but way above the average so you can really eat well and loose weight

I will not go into my history here but it is a history and I adore food will not compromise my tastes and enjoy cooking

she does too

[viva]

Just a another vote for the Moosewood cookbooks - I own four of them and find the recipes very flavorful and healthful.

From an omnivore perspective: a number of the Moosewood cookbooks have a fish/seafood section in them. In addition to that, I replace some volume of the bulk ingredients with an animal protein - e.g. adding chicken instead of tofu or potato, lean pork to go along with some beans - depending on the recipe and what might fit. Surprisingly, I don't really do it that often - I like playing with other grains and proteins. But it's an option. Obviously keeping the protein to a reasonable amount will also keep the calories in line.

[lcdm]

I have the "Better Homes and Gardens Dieter's Cookbook" and the "Complete Cooking Light Cookbook". I like them both, I'm sure you can find them in the library so you can try them out before you buy.

[pax]

I wonder if anyone has thoughts they'd like to share on "Eat Right for Your Blood Type"? in relationship to dieting/nutrition. I don't remember it having actual recipes, but it did have a lot of interesting points about what suits people's body types, and why, and what's more likely to be healthy for them.

←

I don't know if he has the answer, but I think he is on the right track.

We all have different make-ups. Some can eat anything they want and never gain a pound, others...well you know.

This might help

http://www.veg.ca/content/view/128/110/

Hope I'm not preaching

←

Huh, interesting. They really seemed to feel there is no merit to it. I guess if we want to talk about it more, (and I do, kinda, because I found the book interesting, but maybe I ought to refresh myself on it first), I should probably start another thread, rather than take up space in this one. Thanks for the link.

[cfm]

As much as I agree with the advice above, it is hard to cut down on portions and specific books can be helpful.  When I wanted to lose weight a few years ago and hit a brick wall, I got a lot of inspiration from a British book by Ruth Watson, Fat Girl Slim.  Interesting recipes with advice on how to add and detract calories, plus lots of advice on how to snack sensibly etc.  The snacking is important - stresses the necessity to eat small amounts, regularly, because that way you don't have drops in blood sugar levels and are less likely to feel hungry and have cravings.  Anyway, it's truly a diet book for people who love food and love cooking.

←

I haven't seen that book (it seems to be out-of-print now, too!), but it sounds like a good one. Is it intended to be more than just a cookbook? Like how South Beach is a diet book with some recipes, for example? Or is it primarily recipes with some extra information?

←

I went and counted the pages to answer this question. More than half are recipes (there are around 80). It is more than a cookbook, in the sense that it is an account of how one food professional lost weight - she hasn't devised a new dieting method or anything like that. She just provides appropriate observations about her experience and a batch of recipes for things she cooked and enjoyed.

Catherine

[christian_ramon]

Just curious about everyone's opinion about cookbooks for the active healthy lifestyle. I only have the Best Light Recipes from Cooks Illustrated. Wondering if there are any other out there that are worth buying. Most light recipes like Weight Watchers stuff is usually void of taste. I know you will always sacrifice a bit of flavor when you cut back on fat and salt but some light recipes are downright awful. Thanks

[sugar plum]

I've always loved Moosewood's Low-Fat Favourites. It's a fantastic cookbook. As a gift, I've just received Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave. I've tried a few recipes and I'm impressed so far. I also like the Looneyspoon's series...I'm not sure if they are available in the US? Probably not.

Just curious about everyone's opinion about cookbooks for the active healthy lifestyle. I only have the Best Light Recipes from Cooks Illustrated. Wondering if there are any other out there that are worth buying. Most light recipes like Weight Watchers stuff is usually void of taste. I know you will always sacrifice a bit of flavor when you cut back on fat and salt but some light recipes are downright awful. Thanks

←

[zoe b]

I use this cookbook weekly--delicious recipes--it's by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo--and once you are comfortable with the way she makes the recipes low fat you can use her methods for almost any ingredients.

http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Way-Healthy-...42308107&sr=1-5Chinese Way--Healthy Low Fat Cooking

Edited May 14, 2009 by zoe b (log)

[divalasvegas]

........................What I was looking for was one-stop shopping for recipe ideas that would result in my eating fewer calories.  I thought that was clear enough in my OP; maybe it was not.

←

I think that the book, Mediterranean Light by Martha Rose Shulman should fit the bill nicely for you CDRFloppingham. I actually own this one and have used recipes from it. There's a lot to like about it in my opinion. For one thing, it incorporates recipes from several cuisines: European (French, Italian, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese); North African (Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia); and the many cuisines of the Middle East. Her chapters are divided into different categories--soups, starters, side dishes, breads, etc.--that allow you to build an entire daily menu of healthy eats. I especially think that this time of year, with so much wonderful produce starting to come into season, would be a great time to start a new eating plan using this book (note, I didn't say the word "diet") because of her heavy use of fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, her extensive use of, and guidelines for using, a wide variety of herbs and spices is most appealing.

Some of the issues I have with the book are minor but worth stating. For one, the version I have has no photos and I love glossy, food porn photos. Also, I find her use of olive oil to be unnecessarily stingy, but to her credit she is promoting low fat; I found that adding a little more olive oil doesn't hurt. As far as meats are concerned, for the purposes of this book, she only advocates the use of chicken, fish/shellfish and rabbit. Since, I'm a red meat type of woman, I really don't think it would hurt to substitute sensible portions of lower in fat red meats perhaps once or twice a week. Finally, I find some of her suggestions to be a bit carb heavy but that's easily resolved I think: eat less carbs than she recommends and more of her tasty vegetable dishes.

Quoting FatGuy: "If your goal is to find recipes that produce food that is lower in fat and calories -- or carbs or whatever -- than what you're currently eating then the best thing to do, in my opinion, is go through the best cookbooks you can find and extract the recipes that naturally fit into your model of a good diet. If you're trying to cut out fat, you'll find that a lot of Mediterranean recipes are very good for that. If you're trying to cut out carbs, you'll find lots of protein-heavy recipes in most any classically oriented cookbook. You can also make some modifications to some recipes without breaking them."

I think his advice is perfect for how to approach this book. I generally use cookbooks/recipes as guidelines anyway and found her recipes and advice to be pretty easy to follow with great results. It's available on both Amazon and Jessica's Biscuit.

Good luck!

[Kayakado]

Chef George Stella has put out at least two really good low-carb cookbooks. One is called Eating Stella Style, the other is called Livin Low Carb. His family got pretty amazing results.

[prasantrin]

What did you try and what did you like?