Dietary-Fats Books

Along with Michael Colgans Nutrition books this book is great for creating a healthy diet. I am an endurance athelete and have used this book numerous times to modify my diet.

Dr. Schmidt did a great job writing this book and I highly recommend it to people who have mood/behavior problems, or parents whose kids are on Ritalin, have ADD, ADHD, or petit mal siezures. Excellent info for nutritionists too who are interesting in learning the details.

I would recommend looking into more of Dr. Schmidt's books; they are all good!

Smart Fats is a valuable book. It has detailed information about the fat content of many different foods. Plus, there are good diagrams that will help you understand the structure and function of fatty acids.

You'll think better if you eat the right foods and fatty acids. Michael Scmidt tells you which ones to choose to make your brain work better.

There are extensive chapter notes and a good index.

I was very happy to find Dr. Schmidts book, "SMART FATS". Having spent several years researching EFA Balance, I found the information in his book to be very accurate and a wonderful information source. This country is in dire need for Omega Balance and for the knowledge to know why. Hurray for "SMART FATS"!

Stanley R. Mann, VP. Research and Education Integrity Direct Inc.

This book was an absolute pleasure to read. Although no book can guarentee omega-3s or 6s as being the be all and end all, this book gives an incredibly intellegent lesson on smart fats. There are also details concerning which foods provide what fats and vitamins. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a need to know more about smart fats.

Vegetable oils are the leading cause of the current dismal health of Americans. These oils, which are prevalent in just about every food you eat, break down in your body into a myriad of inflammatory and blood-thickening compounds which wreck your health. Every time you take aspirin all you are doing is trying to stop the damage done by these Omega-6 compounds. Read this book, follow its advice and get healthy. G G Pique (I wrote the last book on this subject 20 years ago)

If you are at all concerned about your health - even if you feel you are healthy, this is a must read. The facts and information in this book will truly make you think twice about what you put in your mouth and body. We have the ability to help our bodies heal by simply balancing our intake of omega 3's and 6's. It really is that simple.

What are the three F's in cooking today? Flavor, Fast and Fat reduced. I found these all in Norma Chang's "wokking Your Way to Low Fat Cooking. I've made several recipes from this book and found them easy to follow and the results delicous! Most recipes have a teaspoon or less added fat. The hints and tips throughout the book are good for all types of cooking. With the variations added to each recipe, add another F for fun!

My husband and I never choose to eat at Chinese restaurants any more. Why? We've been too spoiled by this book! Why go out to eat when we can have better food at home?

"Wokking Your Way to Low Fat Cooking" changed my cooking style and our taste buds forever. The fried rice, chow mein and other dishes served in restaurants now seem too greasy and boring, heavy in calories and unnecessary additives. We've gotten too used to the fantastic flavor and less fat in Norma Chang's creative and healthy cuisine. I use her book at least once a week, if not more. It is my constant companion in the kitchen. Even if I am not cooking directly from her book, I have adapted the author's methods and helpful tips to other recipes. After reading "Wokking Your Way", I've never cooked the same again.

"Wokking Your Way" recipes are not only easy to prepare but also nutritious and delicious. The directions clearly state each step and include variations to add simple spice to any dish. Most ingredients can be bought at a regular grocery store. A wok is not even necessary. I've used non-stick skillets instead.

During my postpartum days, adjusting to life with a newborn, I often made Sweet and Sour Fish or Bay Scallops with Green Peas, dishes that contain lots of protein and vitamin-rich vegetables but can be cooked in just minutes. If I have a busy evening planned, then I do what the author suggests: marinate the meat and slice the vegetables the night before. The next day, dinner can be finished in less time than the rice cooker needs to make the rice. So easy and "yummy" (as my toddler daughter now says)!

The book also contains many other well-loved recipes, including plenty of ideas for salmon (my favorite), a creative Crispy Apricot Chicken, Beef with Spinach Soup, Sesame Noodles, and, a favorite fall dessert: Autumn Fruits with Honey and Lime.

Friends often ask me for my recipes. I tell them what a wonderful cookbook "Wokking Your Way to Low Fat Cooking" is. The subtitle written on the cover says it all: "dedicated to food lovers who are long on good taste but short on time".

I love this book! I usually only buy fresh produce from the grocery store because most foods are overprocessed or loaded with chemicals and preservatives, but this book (and The Food Bible) taught me that there are THOUSANDS of nutritious foods I can store and use to make fast meals.

Although I was not interested in low fat cooking when I bought this book, I found it almost converted me! I am now much more conscious of how I cook, shop and eat. Its a very practical, down to earth book with great recipes. The recipes are very real-life (I have kids and a husb. who don't want anything weird or fancy) and tasty. It has good, down to earth information about reading labels, deciphering types of fat and calories, and overall health. Its not fanatical, its common sense good ideas.

I am proud to say that I do not take any prescription drugs. I totally believe in supplements and and helping the body naturally heal itself. I've bought Relora since reading the book, and take it three times a day. I'm considerably less edgy than normal, and I'm sleeping better than I ever have without waking up groggy. This book is a quick-read with lots of information regarding stress and its effects. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

My husband is a heart patient who is usually dissatisfied with the taste of low-fat foods, but he has really enjoyed the variety and good taste of the dishes found in Sharing The Lite!. The recipies are easy to follow and prepare. I was so pleased with the cookbook, I bought several more for my health conscious friends and they love it too!

This was the first book I read on the subject of weightloss by combining macro-nutrients in the right percentage. I chose this over "The Zone" as it seemed more user-friendly, and I was right. The system can be complicated at first, until you get used to it, and the Zone's "blocks" are an additional complication.

The authors do a great job at explaining why it is so important to balance the right amounts of carbohydrate, protein and fat, and how to choose wisely. It could very well be the first health/fitness book a person reeds and the reader would not feel overwhelmed, as the information is given in a way that it can be easily understood without any previous experience or background in the field of nutrition. The data is complete but you don't feel you need to be a biochemist to understand it, like in some other health books.
The book also offers one week of menus, in different variations: the regular ones, the vegetarian and the "fat flush", for those who want a more rapid weight loss. The meal plans are furtherly taylored to your individual needs by establishing which type of 4 (A-D) you fall in, depending on your weight and activity level, and therefore being able to establish the right quantity of each food contained in the daily menus.

There is also advice on what to choose when dining out and nutritional info on common commercial products, as well as a food value guide (how much protein is in 4oz of chicken breast?) to help the reader make the right choices and design his menus following the 40-30-30 regimen.

Overall, a very good guide, which doesn't get 5 stars just because at an attentive eye (from someone who has a background in nutrition/health/fitness), the plan would be even better if it was lighter on the sodium and dairy, but still, it's a great improvement over the current nutrition of most people.
I would suggest it to anyone who wants to lose weight but also to anyone who wishes to improve his/her fitness performance and energy levels.

My husband visited a nutritionist and he highly recommended this book and that's how we found it. This book was great and the recipes were wonderful. Nothing too fancy or crazy in taste. Has sections for Vegetarians, for the Fat Flush which is a specific diet you do for a few weeks to kick your body into gear losing the fat as quick as possible, and then a section on maintenance with new recipes and meal plans. The Fat Flush helped me lose 8 lbs. the first week and my husband lost 12 lbs. (men loose faster than women). The meals are about balancing your carbs, protein, and fats. I plan to re-read it again to refresh the nutritional information and advice.

I bought this book in December 1998, at the recommendation of the womens gym where I had been exercising. I followed the "Fat Flush" sample meal planner and lost 16 pounds. Now it's April 2004, I am 5 months post pardum, and have lost 10 pounds in 5 weeks, using the same meal plan. I've lost the carbohydrate cravings and truely feel great! The sample meal planners are satisfying examples. Chapter 8 "Putting it all together" provides all the tools you need to creat your own 40-30-30 meals in the portions right for your weight and activity level. Chapter 4 "The Glycemic Index" is an excellent resource for good-better-best carbohydrate choices.

I have finally found a weight loss book that is simple to understand and easy to follow. What I found to be extremely helpful was the Meal Planner Conversion Chart. It's all figured out for you. You choose the plan that suits you best. Since I have been on this diet, all the cravings for junk food have gone. I was someone who lived for sugar and now I do not want any of it. I use to crave coffee in the morning as well but realized I didn't want that wired up feeling & acid stomach. I switched over to a caffeine-free coffee substitute made from soyabeans I found on the net at www. S o y c o f f e e.c om. It so easy for someone to tell you to eat less, but if you are craving bad foods, eventually you will fail. In the first five days I was on this diet all the craving ceased and I was already 8 lbs down. If you were like me and cannot wait for your next slice of cake and at the same time really want to change your lifestyle, Try this. I lost 9 pounds in three weeks. Went from a size 18 jeans to a size 16. This is the only way to go!!!

My doctor started me on this book in June 2004. I am 5'6" and was hitting the scales at my highest ever - 200 lbs. I was having trouble fitting in my size 14/16s and couldn't stand the thought of buying new, bigger clothes. I have always been a woman that "knew" what was good and bad in my refrigerator (I've read just about every article about dieting written), and had trouble fitting in exercise - especially after having two kids. The Zone was outrageously complicated, and so many other diets had huge restrictions on fruit and most veggies, and just didn't seem to make sense from a nutritional standpoint - I couldn't stick with them for long. My cravings, weird rules and the heavy restrictions on almost everything I loved was always a bomb ticking away inside. Then I found 40-30-30.

It is now six months later, I've lost 40 pounds and counting. I have a new way to eat for life! I lost 14 pounds the first month, then seven, then six and the rest has been consistently coming off ever since and - get this - I haven't managed to fit exercise in yet (still trying). I was very religious the first three months, then fell in to more of a settled routine where I am comfortable with the general parameters without refering to the book or my notes very often. And the beauty is, since you are changing the way you build your meals, I can "cheat" - I really consider it more like living your life, not cheating. I had chocolate cake at my son's & daughter's birthday parties one month in to the diet, had a glass of wine WITH my dinner during the second month but it was no big deal! My new way of eating wasn't disrupted, weight loss continued, and I very rarely have any cravings - I find that most of them are psychological anyway (a habitual reaction to stressful situations, etc.). Odd thing is that most of the things that I used to REALLY love (all carbs), don't return the same old satisfaction anymore - just not the same response from my body - that's definitely not something I expected.

I even managed to stay "even" during the difficult holiday weeks (Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year's). I thought for sure that my excesses would tip the scale since I seemed to indulge in so much! But here I am, right on track! Looking back, I seem to make enough slightly different choices at all of these events to still maintain some balance (like eating shrimp cocktail along with some chip & dip instead of a plate of straight carbs).

Some of the key things for me were:
1) The ability to substitute my ZonePerfect bars (Fudge Graham are best) for up to two meals a day - really a lifesaver when you're on the go at work and with the family and it's critical that you not skip your meals.
2) There are really quick & easy meals that fit in to a life that was used to all of the convenience foods.
3) Please, those of you reading those "the cost of good food is so high!" reviews... have you added up the cost of all of your sodas, chips, ice cream, etc., lately? Even with the cost of fresh fruits, vegetables and lean meats, I'm still spending less.
4) New, clear approaches to fast food and restaurant eating is outlined - I even check the websites of different companies to makes sure my picks keep my carbs, protein & fat in balance - it would surprise you what some of the "healthy" items add up to!
5) I have almost completely eliminated hydrogenated oil and aspartame from my diet - not easy considering they're in darn near everything these days! (I'm not sure if that came from my doctor or the book.)
6) First meal within one hour of getting up, last one four hours before bed.

Good luck! It's a great book, clearly and simply written, and it's been a lifesaver for me!

Every recipe I have made from this book has tasted excellent, the best gluten free dessert book out there

I have enjoyed this product, it has been a great help in making gluten-free foods for my loved one.

I bought this book because it was so highly recommended by others I met on a gluten-free trip - and there are breakfast treats I may try when the family comes to visit (muffins, scones, coffee cakes, etc.). Lots of elaborate desserts too, which I might try for a pot-luck if I ever get tried of baking cheesecakes or carrot cake. But that's all the cookbook gives you. The chapters cover breakfast treats, cookies, cakes, icings, pies and tarts, puddings and cobblers, and cream puffs and crepes, and that's it - none of the day-to-day, like biscuits and corn bread and pizza crusts and such. (OK, she does suggest using a scone dough for pizza, baked in a parchment-lined pizza pan. It's that kind of book.) Lots of butter and other ingredients (like heavy cream) I try to avoid too - the non-celiac in the house is on a low-fat diet and we both try to eat sensibly. I still haven't decided whether to hold on to it or give it to a newly diagnosed fellow celiac who is still trying to gain weight. Fortunately I also own Annalise Roberts' book - Gluten-Free Baking Classics - which has the basic day-to-day along with the breakfast and other sweet stuff (everything I've tried has been fabulous, from the carrot cake to the cornbread to the first really good bread - her French Italian bread - I've been able to make in 15 years of gluten-free cooking). If I ever get bored with that book, I might learn to appreciate this one. It does seem to have more recipes in each category - and if you already have the basics covered and are looking for a variety of more elaborate treats to try, it might be the book for you.

When I first stopped eating gluten, I gave up baking from scratch. I knew there were ways to make substitutions in recipes, but my few attempts came out very poorly. I've always been a good baker, so it was heart-breaking to turn out dry, crumbly, barely-edible versions of my previous specialties.

For a couple of years, I've been baking from mixes, which is fine, but doesn't give me the same satisfaction as baking from scratch. So, this summer, I decided to try again, and finally opened this cookbook with the intent of baking from it, and not only drooling over the gorgeous pages of full-color photos.

I've made the sour-cream coffeecake and the blueberry scones (a suggested variation on the raisin-cream scones), and served them to my parents and sister, all of whom can eat gluten and are gentle-but-candid when they don't think a recipe has come out well. They've loved them both!

And me? I can't wait to try the next one!

My daughter and my husband were both recently diagnosed as being allergic to gluten (although not Celiac). At first we just avoided everything with gluten in it and I didn't try to make any replacement foods for their favorite -and now off-limits- baked goods. I LOVE to bake, but I was very confused and intimidated by the new world of gluten-free baking. The ingredients are so expensive compared with wheat flour that I was very afraid of baking up a costly disaster. But, my husband was in mourning for baked goods so I took the plunge and got this book from the library. The instructions are very clear and guide you around the differences between the wheat version and GF versions. For example, you don't have to worry about overworking GF pie crust, which makes sense if you think about it, but is TOTALLY different than the treatment of a wheat crust. I have made several recipes out of this book and we have loved them all. I have taken them to work as treats for collegues and they are incredulous when I tell them that they are GF. A group of us wheat-eaters all agreed that Reilly's GF brownie recipe is better than the "normal" wheat-laden recipe I used to bake. This book gave me new-found confidence in GF baking. I am very happy that I can provide delicious "normal"-looking and tasting treats that are safe for my family to eat. I have now returned the libraries copy and have bought my own.

I bought this cookbook after about 6 months of being on a diet recommended by my naturopathic doctor. I was told to avoid meat, dairy and sugar. I had been doing o.k. with one of the Moosewood Restaurant books, but was looking for more variety. When I first started looking at the recipes in here, I was a little nervous, being "cooking-challenged". There were a number of ingredients I had never heard of! But there is a glossary in the front that explains what the ingredients are and where you can find them. Also a good techniques section, which helped me a lot in preparing tofu. And now having made several of the recipes and being amazed when they are finished (they actually look like something I'd get at a restaurant), I'm not so daunted anymore. They are really fairly easy to make and don't take as much time as you might think from reading the ingredient list. The desserts are great, and believe me, I was addicted to sugar! But these recipes use evaporated cane juice, which you can find at the health food store, and are very tasty! I especially like the chocolate chip cookies and the brownies! I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking to make a change to a healthier diet!

I have been an ardent vegan for nearly 2 years, and this book nearly made me go and buy a McDonald's hamburger. The recipes I have tried had ingredients that were expensive, difficult to find or both. The finished dishes were not appealing to any of the senses, and had a horrible aftertaste. The aftertaste may have been attributed to the massive amounts of nutritional yeast and miso required by many dishes. After the third time I tried to make a meal using recipes in this book, I threw it out (and almost threw up). I did not want this book to go to Goodwill or Salvation Army and continue the legacy of horrible vegan cooking. There are good vegan cookbooks out there, try again. IF YOU MUST TRY THIS BOOK AVOID: Quiche Lorraine, Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts and Creamed Artichoke Hearts. All will break your vegetarian/vegan spirit, and scar you for life.

This book doesn't say "vegan" anywhere on it, and I myself am not vegan (just a vegetarian for now), but I feel like I could be vegan based on this cookbook. Oser gives a great, not-too-lengthy but informative introduction to using soy, with a complete list of "unusual" ingredients and where to get them, as well as a conversion chart. The recipes are great -- easy to make and delicious! She has a fantastic mix of foods, but my VERY favorite thing about this book is all the "comfort foods" she includes. There's an AWESOME recipe for shepherd's pie, for example, that is filling and tasty and makes you not miss meat at all. This book also has the hands-down BEST vegan chocolate cake recipe I have ever eaten. I recommend this book to both new and veteran vegan/vegetarian cooks. You will not be disappointed.

Some very good recipes and easy to follow.

I give this 4 stars, only because some of the ingredients are not typical pantry stock and many of the recipes are labor intensive. However, they are "delicious" and filled with nutritional balance. The quantities are large, so often, I will freeze recipes. Also, I've found that if I don't have all the ingredients like mushroom powder or nutritional yeast, the recipe is still very good. Thank you, Marie Oser, for taking the time to test and balance healthy recipes that are worth making.