Diet Health Books

It is the best book on nutrition ever! Yes it is heavily biased towards TCM, but it is perfectly fine with me. I thoroughly enjoy reading this book. It has good information, research and insights.

With so so many books on food, diet and nutrition, if I was to recommend just one book, this would have to be it.

This book was recommended to me and has come in handy for reference. It's really like a bible for people who are open to eastern and western medicine but prefer to use food rather than pills to help the body do its thing well.

....A wise and valuable book for anyone who is serious about examining their eating habits. A great guide for those who want to improve their life and health conditions and embrace the Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang.This book also includes flavorful and delicious recipe's, to get you started on your journey.

I purchased Healing With Whole Foods about two years ago because my friend who is an acupuncturist suggested it. The book describes how to health practitioner Paul Pitchford diagnoses and treats diseases in his patients. The book is definately a definitive at home alternative health encyclopedia.

For example, the book has a section which explains how to do a liver and gall bladder cleanse.

The book also explains Chinese medicine in great detail. It explains how the author has cured diseases and helped patients, for example it has a detailed section on Cancer. And this is what is important, this book explains how to heal certain diseases, not just treat the symptoms of disease. That being said, it probably will be difficult to actually cure your illness just from reading the book. It has sort of a reference nature to it, it has helpful information, but the application can be more difficult.

The author also is an open minded vegetarian. His dietary guidelines include soaking whole grains and legumes for enhanced digestion, which is important. He believes that it is okay to eat meat and seafood for special circumstances, but in general does not support it. If your looking to understand eastern medicine in a thorough yet comprehensible way, this book is for you. If your looking for an open minded perspective about health and disease, this book is for you. If you are looking for some help about alternative recommendations for treating illnesses, again this book is for you.

The drawback for me is that as much as I wanted to read the book, I just couldn't get into it. It has all the markings of a great book, but may not be right for everyone.
[...]

This book should be in every home where someone cooks or someone eats. In other words, this is an essential book! Certainly for anyone who is seeking guidelines for healthier eating, this is your best source. There are over 800 pages of information that is concise, neatly organized, and easily found. I have been cooking for over 40 years and am learning new things from this book all the time.

Great book with very useful and interesting information. The recepies are easy to follow and practical. It truly makes you want to eat the world's healthiest foods.

This book is a must have. Everything you need to know about foods and how to eat right is in this amazing book.

This book is almost like a dictionary .It gives information about what it believes to be the best foods, easy and quick recipes for each food, plus all about nutrients, and complete knowledge.

... the healthiest foods and the healthiest recipes, this won't disappoint. This 880 page volume transforms nutrition into delightful dishes. It includes 500 nutrient-rich, quick-to-prepare, Mediterranean-style recipes. The book presents the 100 healthiest foods that provide the maximum number of nutrients per calorie so you can lose weight while eating healthy. The author points out that the healthiest foods are also rich in delicious flavors.

The range of recipes includes: Spinach Salad, Creamy Cauliflower Soup, Beet Fennel Salad, Sweet Potato Pudding, Seaweed Corn Salad, Italian Tuna Salad, Strawberry Parfait, High Energy Breakfast Shake, Orange and Avocado Salad, Oatmeal with Cranberries, Miso Salmon, Mediterranean Scallops, Sunflower Seed Butter, Green Beans and Walnut Salad, Cashew Shake, Marinated Grass-Fed Beef Salad, Middle Eastern Lamb, Curry Chicken Salad, Turkey Hash, Lentil Salad, Soybean Spread, Pinto Bean Taco, Chili Pasta, Black Bean Breakfast Wrap, Sweet and Sour Tofu, Split Peas with Kale or Spinach, Poached Eggs, Chocolate Shake, Yogurt Parfait, Mexican Cheese Salad, Goat Cheese and Pear Salad, Rye Stuffed Cabbage, Quinoa Wrap, Rice Pudding, and Buckwheat Tabouli.

Contents:
How to Benefit Most from This book
Acknowledgements
Recipe List
Questions of Interest
Part 1: What are the World's Healthiest Foods?
Part 2: The Healthiest Way of Eating Plan
Part 3: Healthiest Way of Cooking
Part 4: The Worlds Healthiest Foods Support Healthy Cells
Part 5: 100 World's Healthiest Foods (Vegetables and Salads, Fruits, Fish & Shellfish, Nuts & Seeds, Poultry & Lean Meats, Beans & Legumes, Dairy & Eggs, Whole Grains, Herbs & Spices)
Part 6: Biochemical Individuality
Part 7: Health-Promoting Nutrients from the World's Healthiest Foods
The World's Healthiest Foods' Quality Rating System Methodology
Nutrient-Rich Foods That Fight Disease
Food Sensitivity Elimination Plan
References, Index, The Author, The George Mateljan Foundation, The WHFoods Website,
Shopping List

The author, George Mateljan, combines his knowledge of nutrition with his experience learned in renowned cooking schools to create a complete guide to healthy eating that is useful and authoritative. A very impressive work! I also recommend THE 3:00 PM SECRET: Live Slim and Strong, Live Your Dreams and The 2007 Second Expert Report, Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective.

One of my problems with trying to maintain a healthy weight is continuing feeling of hunger. The concept of Glycemic Index (G.I.), i.e. how fast food is turned into blood sugar, which in turn causes the pancreas to put out a lot of insulin, which in turn causes extreme hunger,always made sense to me. The problem was, how do you know what is the G.I. of all the food around you. Well this book perfectly listed almost every food that you will be exposed to. Once I selected to only eat really low G.I. foods, my hunger left me right away and my weight started to come off.
The only reason I didn't rate the book a 5 star is something they did that they maybe thought would be helpful but got in the way. They classified all the foods like vegetables, nuts, meats, etc. then within that classification listed them alphabetically. Well that kept getting in my way because, not being a food expert, I couldn't always guess what was the food I was looking for classification. Many times, I thought they hadn't listed the food, but in actuality it I was looking in the wrong clarification. It would have been better if all the foods were simply listed alphabetically. I didn't care about its classification because that had no nutritional impact to me.

i found this book quite good, it gives great lists of all the different food categories. still found that alot of the food listed was american, canadian or australian though.

Update your info about Hypoglycemia food choices and a safe, easy way to lose weight with this book - easy to use and understand.

This was an interesting book but the downside was the products you would find at a grocery store were Canadian products. Products in the USA do not have a GI listing.

I was disappointed with this book. Most of the name brand products they had on their list are only available in Canada. This was of very little use to me since I live in California.

I have been aware of the importance of an alkaline body for over a decade and faithfully drink my alkaline water since the diet is harder to maintain. Dr. Baroody hit's it right on the nose about the importance of alkalinity and acidosis! I haven't had acid reflux, bowel problems, weight problems or sickness issues for 10 years! Cancer isn't even a worry for me or my family. I don't care what some chemistry professor says since he or she is not of physiologist nor a nutritionist and has probably never helped a person get well in their life. GREAT book and great information!

Here are a few excerpts that convinced me that this book is way off base.

For starters, the book's disclaimer: "The information in this book is given strictly for educational and research purposes. The author and publisher do not prescribe or recommend, and assume no responsibility. In no way should this information be considered a substitute for competent health care by the professional of your choice. In the event you use this information without your doctor's approval, you are prescribing for yourself, with is your constitutional right."

p. 57: "An alcoholic is one who takes more than one drink of anything on a daily basis". That gave me a good laugh.

p. 63: "The destructive emotion of slaughter is assimilated by one who eats flesh".

p. 67-8 cites an unnamed "study" from the "turn of the century" of people in northern Europe that lived over 100 years, stating "many of these lived up to 200 years". Many of the same people in the study had bad diet and were drunkards but they all ate food in moderation as their key to longevity. Umm, this contradicts the argument against alcohol from p.57.

p. 109 "To avoid sunburn is foolish" Oh really, what would my dermatologist think?

p. 115 "Red meat is red because it is dyed. The dye is a petroleum product..." There is some truth to this on meats that have hit their expiration date, but -- red meat is red because it is red.

In retrospect the disclaimer should have read "Rather than forming decisions based on decades of medical research using proven protocols including clinical trials, the opinions provided in this book are drawn from the latest trends in alternative medicines with no scientific basis. After reading this book, please go to my website to buy my products."

Time to go barbecue a pork shoulder.

Not a fun read. It did not keep my interest at all. I wish I purchased another book with the same topic with more "UMPH!"

I am reviewing the ninth edition (2006) of Dr. Baroody's book, Alkalize or Die. Dr. Baroody's book has helped me understand the relationship between acid-forming foods and alkaline-forming foods, yet I must say it required some level of discernment to sift the wheat from the chaff.

One of the positive features to Dr. Baroody's approach to healthful living is his recognition of each person's unique biochemistry. Throughout this book he continues to remind his readers that each person is an individual and therefore might experience variant results when compared to other people.

It is important to understand that Dr. Baroody's theories and principals are based as largely on his personal alternative health experiences (trial and error) as they are on any demonstrable medical science. It is also important to know that Dr. Baroody gives much credence to the metaphysical teachings of eastern spiritualism, which may be a detractor to some readers. In the book's introduction, Dr. Baroody writes, "My viewpoint is founded on ancient Hindu, Chinese, Tibetan, and Greco-European healing philosophies and on several great modern men in the field of health." One of these "great modern men" is Edgar Cayce, who is referenced as an authority many times throughout the book.

So long as the reader is a proponent of New Age and/or Eastern spiritualism, this book should be quite acceptable. For those of us who are more Western in their worldview, the book requires discernment to pick and choose what you care to take from it.

An example of how Dr. Baroody's metaphysical beliefs influence his dietary advice can be seen in his counsel for reducing the consumption of red meat: "The destructive emotion of slaughter is assimilated by the person who eats flesh." (pg. 63). For many, this statement might resonate well with their worldview, but for others this statement will likely be challenged as to it's applicability to the subject of acidity/alkalinity.

Dr. Baroody's experience in the alternative health field appears to be quite extensive. No doubt he has learned a lot from published medical research and other practitioners, yet much of what he proposes in this book is admittedly derived from his own experience; some of which he still doesn't fully understand himself (for example, read chapter 4 on the "Vagus Nerve"). Those readers who are looking for a book filled with footnotes and documented scientific research will be disappointed with this work.

What I found most helpful in the book is Dr. Baroody's exhaustive list of foods with a corresponding rating as to their alkaline-forming or acid-forming properties. Dr. Baroody abandons the conventional 0-7-14 pH scale in favor of a scale he developed to measure alkaline-forming and acid-forming foods. Dr. Baroody's scale (pg. 38) ranges from 0.5 to 7.5. All foods below 4.0 are acid-forming and all foods above 4.0 are alkaline-forming.

The chart I refer to above is alone worth the price of the book. Depending on the readers religious and scientific convictions, the rest of the book may or may not be appreciated.

I've read four books on this subject, and EVERY ONE of them says different things about what is acid and what is alkaline. Even the people who are supposed to be researching and studying this thoroughly don't know what is going on, but they pass the information on anyway and expect us to follow and believe it? In addition, if what all these people are saying is true, then half the American population should be dead. Period. There is no way a human being should be able to live eating the typical American diet of junk food and very little fruits/veggies, smoking, drinking, etc.

There is health-promoting info in here, however, but that is just basic common sense: Eat more fruits/veggies, drink more water, and cut down on meats and alcahol, etc. Because of that, I'll give it a decent rating, but don't expect to find any hard answers in this, or any other book of its kind.

This book was recommended based on interest in the book "In Defense of Food" which I loved. This book has the information that shows people are too hung up on balancing a diet, when eating FOOD is really what we need to focus on, fruits, vegetables, etc. that give individual bodies nutrients and energy without having to calculate and quantify all elements of food.

This book answers practically every question that today's confused American consumer could possibly have about food. It is valuable information, organized to be very user-friendly. Ms. Nestle cuts through the conflicting information that is available regarding so much of our food supply, and offers clear, sane guidance that will be a benefit to anyone who seeks it.

This is really two books that would have been better separated. The author takes us through a supermarket, showing us what to look for on the shelves and what various labeling means. Much of this information is very interesting (she has one of the clearest explanations of what a calorie is that I've ever read; she explains how mercury in fish becomes so toxic to humans). Unfortunately, even though the book is only two years old time has not been kind in other areas. She advises us that after going through a processing plant she has fewer concerns about pre-packaged salads and vegetables (oops!) and she still subscribes to the mostly-debunked link between dietary fat and heart disease (recommending nonfat milk [shudder]).

However, commingled with the useful information are rants about how politics have corrupted our food supply. Again, some of this is very interesting (for instance, due to the efforts of the sugar trade association, in the U.S. getting 25% of our calories from added sugars is considered okay; most other countries cap it at 10%). However, this information isn't helpful as you're wandering the supermarket; it belongs in a separate book and in fact can be found in her book Food Politics. That's where it should be, and removing this would have made the book a much more manageable length.

At last, an easy to read, comprehensive book that explains the ins and outs of the food industry. The author delivers the information without any kind of prejudice, just facts. Food is big business, and your health is not a priority to these companies; they vie for premium shelf space to appeal to you and your children, are allowed to misrepresent nutritional value in their products in the hopes of fooling you into buying it, and answers all those little questions that go around in your mind as you shop, wondering what's healthy and what's not. This book is for everyone who cares about what goes into their bodies , and having read it, you can enter any grocery store with confidence and know exactly what to buy and what to avoid.

Marion Nestle's What to Eat is a scientific examination of the health claims that food manufacturers and marketers use to move products. Organized by supermarket aisle, the book covers every food product in the produce, diary, meat, fish, frozen, processed, baby and specialty food aisles. Nestle helps the reader decipher both nutrition labels and marketing claims such as `certified organic,' `fair trade,' and `American Heart Association certified.' She exposes the food industry's role in our national nutrition and food policy and roots out the truth the sound bite headlines for scientific studies on diet.

What to Eat serves up 600 pages of indispensable advice, but the author is also willing to sum it up quickly: "Eat less, move more, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, go easy on junk foods."

Srgie comes from a great famiy. It is interesting and inspiring to hear his message as a young person. His peers do not sound too different than those we hear each day. It is very good!

The precocious Boutenko duo is all grown up! Having co-authored Eating Without Heating: Favorite Recipes from Teens Who Love Raw Food during their teenage years, Sergei and Valya of the famous "Raw Family" now present wisdom from fifteen years of raw foodism.

Fresh includes "over 250 recipes from the Raw Family test-kitchen," both favorites from earlier Boutenko books, as well as new recipes using raw cacao, goji berries and wild edibles. They offer full color photographs of common "wild foods" like nettles, sheep sorrel, chickweed and purslane often belittled as "weeds" and show how such no-cost foods can supercharge salads and smoothies without breaking the bank. Readers who recall stories of the Boutenkos foraging for wild lettuce and berries on their Pacific Coast Trail hiking journey can now harvest some of nature's best superfoods at home. The book lists the twenty-three most toxic plants (excluding mushrooms) and encourages readers to be safe and learn how to identify them. Despite this warning, Fresh focuses on the abundance of nutritionally dense and beneficial plants available sometimes, quite literally, in our own backyard!

All recipes exclude meat, fish, eggs, and dairy, but some do contain honey. Vegans can easily substitute raw agave nectar or dates for the honey, though. In fact, Sergei writes an entire section on the importance of improvisation and customization. For those with gluten allergies, this book offers an almost gluten-free experience. A few recipes call for sprouted barley or rolled oats, but the vast majority are completely gluten-free, vegan and tasty!

Besides recipes, Fresh offers some of the best advice on how to thrive in mixed-diet relationships. Whether vegan, raw, vegetarian, carnivore or omnivore, you will find valuable tips on how to maintain your dietary preferences in a non-judging and non-threatening way. Valya, in particular, offers valuable insight into helping children choose and enjoy healthier foods. Given the epidemics of childhood obesity and childhood diabetes from which Sergei healed naturally this information provides hope and instruction to well-meaning parents dealing with "rebellious" eaters.

Because Sergei and Valya spent much of their childhood as raw foodists, they can offer insider advice from both angles that of instructors and that of children forced to embrace a new and unusual dietary regime. From them, we learn how they dealt with teasing, peer pressure and social services. With humor, gratitude, and wisdom beyond their years, they reveal a perspective that few, if any, others can share yet.

Chef Cherie Soria, founder and director of the Living Light Culinary Institute, where both Sergei and Valya have trained, provides a heartfelt forward. In Cherie's words,"Sergei and Valya shine as living examples of what is possible when we resolve to squeeze every drop of juice out of life." On a recent visit to Living Light, I repeatedly heard this idea validated by students, visitors and employees. The compassion, presence and creativity one finds in Fresh will touch the lives of anyone who reads it, just as Sergei and Valya's love, clarity and maturity continue to impress and inspire in person.


[This review, written by author Laura Bruno (If I Only Had a Brain Injury),first appeared on VegFamily's June 2008 Online Magazine.]

I have at least four other raw food cookbooks. The recipes in them always have a thousand ingredients and take forever to produce. I wind up not using them because of the exotic ingredients or the time it takes to make the food. Soaking, cutting, blending, juicing, dehydrating, all in one recipe usually!

This book uses simple, available ingredients and a minimum of time to prepare. I can usually prepare a dish from what's already in my house, which if you've used any other book, is usually impossible. Yes you might need to blend something and then dehydrate it, but you probably didn't have to soak it and juice it and hang it somewhere first.

The other thing I really like about the book is that if you use their recipes for salad dressings, for example, you are not just adding flavor, but you are also adding nutritional content. It's all very well thought-out. It's a lovely little book that I recommend to anyone who is interested in making simple, elegant raw food dishes that taste great.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE, LOVE, LOVE WHAT'S IN THIS BOOK, FROM THE TOUCHING STORIES OF THE FAMILY'S HEALING EXPERIENCES TO THE ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS RECIPES. I HEARTILY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK. IF YOU ARE NEW TO THE RAW WORLD, OR EVEN A SEASONED VETERAN, THIS BOOK IS A MUST HAVE.

Great "cook" book with very simple yet delicious recipes. Uses everyday ingredients and gives great insight into fresh, raw foods.

I did a 13 day Master Cleanse and LOVED it! I had never done a cleanse and was not sure i could do it. I am a yogi and eat very well, but at 47 was feeling a little sluggish and chunky. After meeting three people in different circles that had done it, I thought I'd give it a go! The book was super informative and covered all the bases. I personally felt good to fantastic the whole 13 days, in fact i was energized! I lost some inches, my skin looks great, and I feel amazing! Since then, my son, two friends and their son have started it and love it! This book is definitely a must if you're ready to let go of some old stuff!

The things I learned from this book changed my life. I am a happier healthier me. I feel lighter and I don't just mean weight wise. I was surprised at how healthy I felt and how much negativity I had stored in me that was released after only 10 days. I had so much energy and I was cleansing at the same time.

I have never attempted a fast before. I always thought it would be too hard. This is a great book and really helped me through some of the rough times. It provides answers to all your questions on the Master Cleanse. I don't know if I could have done it without the help.

This book is truly remarkable! I did the 10-day Master Cleanse in May with only the information I got online from Stanley Burrough's book. I had so many questions and nowhere to get the answers until I heard about Peter Glickman's book, "Lose Weight, Have More Energy, and Be Happier in 10 Days". I am now on day 9 of my second cleanse and am so much more confident of what I am doing and am constantly referring to this book to read what others have experienced. This cleanse is so "do-able" because Peter coaches all along the way. The results are amazing! I've lost 6 lbs. and haven't experienced a bit of hunger. I am energized and have decided to make this a 20 day fast. The exhilarating feeling of cleansing your colon of a lifetime of crud is empowering and freeing. Thank you, Peter, for devoting your life to helping we health-minded people with this easy-to-read gem of a book. I appreciate the reasonable cost, too!

Losing weight and having energy is the main reason I tried this cleanse but wow, all the benefits I received on top of that was amazing and just the reason why I do this cleanse every three months. The first time I did the cleanse it was hard; I only had the book "The Master Cleanse" but, the second time I did the MC, it was much easier because I purchased this book "Lose Weight, Have More Energy & Be Happier in 10 Days." This book helps explain the process a little better and is very encouraging. In my opinion, you must have both books to be successful in the cleanse. Thank you Peter!

This is a must read for those who need to identify their emotional eating habits. Great! I highly recommend it.

This book was very very helpful. I really changed the way I approach food after reading it. Revolutionary.

I haven't finished the book yet but what I've read so far - I find
inlighting - I't on the money - it goes to the root cause of the
problem - learning how to eat properly in the key - and I give thanks
to the authors for this inspiring work.

This was well worth my money! After reading the first chapter I began to make changes. It all makes sense. The best part, after years of dieting and regaining the weight, I am losing weight without any effort. I no longer see food as the enemy. I'm grateful to have been introduced to this book and love the effect it had on me. I will certainly recommend it to others.

I give five stars to this book for a few reasons. First, being a young adult involved in the fashion industry, it is not easy to find answers out there that make sense. Of all the literature I have read on nutrition, dieting, and weight control, I feel this one is well rounded. There are no severe restrictions, no two week diet plans, and no extreme measures with results that do not last. I would feel comfortable recommending this to a younger crowd- teenaged group, or to an older more experienced crowd.

Pressure from outside sources are enough stress- we do not need to add the additional pressure form oursleves. One of the most important facts about this book was that it showed me what is right for myself may not be right for other people, and that is okay. Being true to yourself is one of the best ways to feel better, regardless of judgement and criticism.

After years of struggling with body image and disordered eating, I am starting to feel better. I have been practicing intuitive eating for 4 months now, and through the stress of graduating college, I feel pretty good! I realize that eating, as in what you eat, how you feel (or don't) when you eat, and how you eat, all reflect a deeper look into yourself. In this healing process, I finally realize it is no longer about losing weight. The point is to feel better, happier, and have more esteem for yourself and your body. I can say that I enjoy ice cream to the max now! By removing the deprivation and guilt, we release the need to stuff our faces (and our emotions). Thank you.

My family has loved everything out of this book so far. My 8- year old is a hard sell so this is impressive to us. There is a wealth of very good, helpful information in the beginning of the cook book about why certain ingredients are used, if you don't have them how to substitute and general information about principles of cooking GF. Why didn't I give it five stars? The only down side is the need to make several different mixes in advance and have them on hand in the pantry so the recipes are much quicker at meal time. While this may seem to some a brilliant idea, and it is, it's not terribly effective for me since I forget to have it done ahead and am scrambling to make the mix and then the recipe which takes time. When I do have the mix handy it's really wonderful ... especially the waffles!

This is the cookbook I chose to give to a newly diagnosed friend - great recipes, healthy and easy to find ingredients - and I like it so well I've pre-ordered her new book even though I don't bother to consult GF cookbooks that much any more. Fenster's oven-fried chicken is the best I've ever tasted, her lasagna doesn't require you to cook the noodles first, etc., and there are some imaginative dishes you don't normally see (even schnitzel!). Everything I've tried has been great. The only complaint I have about Fenster's book is that it would be helpful to have a chart giving ingredients for making 2, 4, etc. cups of her flour mixes. Her bread mix recipe makes 12 3/4 cups and includes 4 cups of another of her mixes as an ingredient - really a pain to calculate ingredients for the 3 cups needed to make her French bread. But I must admit the results are worth it. Her bread's very easy (especially if you have an electric oven - it rises while the oven heats) and has a great texture.

First a warning, regarding anything you have to bake, it is not quick and easy the first time you make it. In fact, if you don't follow her suggestions and make a big batch of her flour blend, her baking mix blend, her yeast mix blend etc, and keep on hand in your kitchen, then this adds time and many extra steps to her recipes. I was not feeling too friendly to Carol until I tasted the end result, very delicious, very yummy, worth all the effort. I highly recommend her gluten free zucchini bread and her gluten free pizza. I am now a believer! Will buy Fenster's other cookbooks as well.

The recipes are great but I am a visual person when it comes to recipes. Little or no color pics left me a little less than excited about my purchase

Great book except that unless you are cooking for more than 2 people there are too many flour mixes. Every section had its own flour mix. And the mixes were each about 8 cups of different flours and startches. The Cakes had a huge flour mix then the breads had one and the cookies had one. Being the only one in the family with celiac, I need to know just what small flour mixes go into a recipe. In other words, the other books have one or two basic base flour mixtures and then they add specific ingredients to make the recipe.

I love how this cook book has lots of healthy recipes that are full of flavor - not just grilled chicken! I have made several recipes for friends and family and all were really good and easy to follow. I will make adjustments to some of the recipes to make them more my taste, but I do that with most recipes anyway.

Weight Watchers Take-Out Tonight! : 150+ Restaurant Favorites to Make at Home--All 8 POINTS or Less

This is an excellent cookbook. I have been a Weight Watcher member forever, and I never saw this cookbook for sale. I have bought the ingredients for Chicken Chow Mein and Vegetable Calzones.

The delicious chapters are: Deli Specials; Chinese Classics; Greek Diner Delights; Viva Mexico!; Beyond Sushi; Now, That's Italian; Totally Thai; and Treasures of India.

As an experienced cook, I am not a fan of low-fat cooking and fat-free substitutions. So I was hesitant to give this cookbook a try. I am so glad I did. I love it. I am following Weight Watchers to shed a few pounds and I find these recipes to be really delicious, close to the real thing and easy to do. So far I have made the Shrimp and Pork Wontons, Kung Pao Shrimp, Pan-Steamed Vegetable Dumplings, Chicken Empanadas, Japanese Eggplant and Tofu in Garlic Sauce and the Neopolitan Cookies . This really satisfies my craving for ethnic food and still allows me to get creative in the kitchen while following Weight Watchers. My non-dieting boyfriend loves the dishes I cook from this book. I highly recommend this cookbook for people who love to cook and are following WW or just trying to eat healthfully.

This book arrived in a timely manner as promised. It has some great recipes that my husband and I have enjoyed in the last few weeks. Every one that I have made has turned out well except for the Chapati (Next time I will roll the dough into 5" circles instead of 6"-7"). The only issue that I have is that the book is already falling apart. I plan to take it apart, hole-punch the pages, and put it in a binder. In spite of that, I highly recommend this cookbook for all of the delicious recipes that fit in our weight loss plan.

I chose two recipes out of this cookbook -- a Mexican chicken and rice dish and a Greek pasta casserole. The Mexican chicken and rice dish was so spicy, it was unpleasant! The Greek dish had the opposite problem -- it was incredibly bland. Neither one was inedible, but it wasn't anything I'd ever cook again.

I guess I'm in the minority -- I was super unimpressed. My family picked at both meals, and refused to eat the leftovers.