Heart-Healthy Cookbook Is That and More!

Admit it. We all need to eat better. For our health. For our well-being. For our future. 

Which is why the newly revised and updated 5th edition of the Healthy Fats, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook by the American Heart Association is exactly what the doctor ordered.

With 200 recipes that are not only good for you but delicious, too, there's bound to be something to please everyone--even the pickiest eaters!

Take, for instance, the Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken on page 144. 

This is how the recipe is described: 

"This spicy, heart-friendly alternative to traditional fried chicken surprises your taste buds with a pleasant nip of ginger. Try it with Individual Corn Puddings (page 259), which bake at the same temperature, or with Sauteed Greens and Cabbage (page 261)."

Which is exactly what I decided to make. All three.

Not only was this meal attractive, easy to prepare, and heart-healthy, it really tasted great, too. 

The beauty of this cookbook is that for each and every recipe, it lists such helpful and useful information, from calories and fat grams, to cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, and protein. Suddenly, all this data is right at your fingertips. No more guessing or estimating!

The recipes are nicely divided into categories and are even easy to mix-and-match. Oftentimes the headnotes will also give suggestions for pairings, which will make anyone's meal planning a whole lot easier.

The instructions are super clear. The techniques are extremely simplistic. And the ingredients are readily available at most all grocery stores. 

As an added bonus, the book also offers a variety of extremely helpful (and even critical) information, from healthy strategies for shopping, cooking, and dining out, to risk factors for heart disease and warning signs for strokes.

The only downside to this book is the lack of photos. However, the dishes are not so elaborate that it's impossible to picture what they would look like. I'm willing to forego this disadvantage for the wealth of information and quality of great-tasting recipes included here.

So whether you're watching your waistline or simply wanting to cook healthier, this is one of the best cookbook resources you'll find. I know it is for me.

*I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.