Book review

Eat to Live Cookbook
by Joel Fuhrman, MD
HarperOne, 2013, 320 pages, $24.99 (list price). 
ISBN: 978-0-062-30995-2
Available at Amazon.ca, also available forKindle 

This is without doubt my new favourite cookbook. Sure there have been other favourites, but none so closely match my style of eating as the Eat to Live Cookbook. If you enjoy the recipes in alive magazine and strive to add just a wee bit more nutrition into your day, then you too will embrace these recipes.

Joel Fuhrman is the highly respected doctor and author of the best-selling book Eat to Live (Little, Brown and Company, 2012). If you don’t already know his name, I recommend checking the internet for Fuhrman’s full credentials. For now, let’s explore why this recipe book belongs in your hands.

The 200 recipes in the Eat to Live Cookbook adhere to Fuhrman’s simple equation: Health = Nutrients/Calories (H = N/C). Simply put, if our nutrient intake is greater than our caloric load, we’ll be healthier. Fuhrman’s “nutritarian” lifestyle involves eating more nutrient-dense plant foods, fewer animal products, and almost no foods that lack nutrients. Following this prescription over time can help to reduce our reliance on medications and lower our blood pressure—not to mention provide weight loss benefits.

I can’t attest to having followed Fuhrman’s recommendations impeccably for any length of time, but I can attest to the fact that his recipes are right up my alley. For many who aim for better health, this book will be the tipping point. If you eat thoughtfully and healthfully most of the time, these recipes will make you want to eat better all the time.

The Eat to Live Cookbook recipes use common ingredients, but they’re combined in such easy and irresistibly tasteful ways that it’s easy to become a glutton for health. Some of my favourites include “Lemon Cauliflower Risotto,” “Ukrainian Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup,” “Polenta Frittata,” and “Quinoa Breakfast Pudding.”

There are smoothies, salad dressings, soups, stews, main dishes, and desserts. Fuhrman’s own take on fast food includes a recipe for oat nut burgers that rivals any non-vegan version. To make things super easy, there’s a list of the 25 best foods for us to shop for.

Go ahead, slap my hand, but I creased the corners on more than half the pages of this book! The Eat to Live Cookbook quickly earned a place of prominence in my kitchen, and I think it will fit well into yours too.