The Healthy Kitchen by Andrew Weil, Rosie Daley Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Healthy Kitchen
Book Review: Great recipes!
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading "Optimum Health", I was interested in the types of recipes Dr. Weil used. This book was perfect!! Can't wait to try more recipes from this book!Book Review: Hard to Follow and Gross
Summary: 1 Stars
I agree with other reviewers that the advice given in the book about healthy eating is good but the recipes are hard to follow and not very tasty. I am not an experienced cook and found that some recipes called for cooking utensils or supplies that I was unfamiliar with and did not have readily available in my kitchen. I was also disappointed in the complexity of most of the recipes. I do not have the time to spend cooking for an hour to prepare each meal a day. I found most recipes had too many steps and too many ingredients for a novice cook to follow. I found myself forgetting ingredients because often the directions for the recipes do not remind you of them. I also did not find the food very tasty at all. The authors make it a point to say that eating healthy does not have to be flavorless and boring, and I agree; however, the handful of recipes I cooked did not appeal to my or my husband's tastes.Book Review: Mixed feelings on this one
Summary: 3 Stars
So much that I have to say about this book has already been covered. I agree wholeheartedly about with the people who said that there is a good collection of recipes, however, there are so many factual errors and issues with the recipes that a novice cook may easily be thrown off. Most of the recipes I like from here have had to be adapted. So let me summarize the pros and cons not covered elsewhere.
Pros: Eating healthy doesn't need to be bland or consist of "three ingredient only" meals. This book provides many useful recipes and information on ingredients that will satisfy the desires of those people who are stuck between wanting to eat healthy, but who love to cook (which is me).
Cons: Sadly, these are quite long. The biggest problem I have with this book is it is not really designed for the athletic healthy person. Most of these dishes are far too high in carbs and way too low in protein to fit the diet of someone who is participates in endurance sports or strength training. And what really concerned me in this book was some of the writings of Dr. Andrew Weil. I know nothing about him, but he seems a little fanatical. The Mediterrainean diet is one thing, but he seems to have taken it to extremes. Sure, you can't expect dishes made from red meat in this book. But Weil has taken it a step beyond that. So many of his philosophies about food are really out there. Don't drink milk. Don't drink wine (but drink sake, which is nearly twice the alcoholic and caloric content of wine). He advocates the use of soy sauce, which I love, but is sodium laden. Come on now. This is supposed to be healthy. The one that baffled me was the "don't char your food on the grill" giberish. I'm not arguing the science behind that - I know what he says is true. But he goes a little over the top with some of these things. Man has been making food by charring it since the beginning of time. It is not the reason we are not healthy. Overly processed foods (such as the use of low-fat sour cream in many of these recipes) is the reason why we as a culture are unhealthy. If Weil had the physique of Michelangelo's David, I'd follow his advice to a "T". However, he is someone who lives a somewhat nutty diet and at first glance, looks like someone who is a little overweight. I strictly follow a 40-30-30 diet of carbs, protein, and fats to substain my athletic activity and I guarentee you that my cholesteral and blood work rivals Weil's. And I have a 6 pack tummy to compete with his keg tummy. Do his extreme suggestions really lead to a healthier lifestyle? Not one that I'd think is worth living.
Book Review: Recipe for Empowerment
Summary: 4 Stars
Think of The Healthy Kitchen - Recipes for a Better Body, Life, and Spirit as a conversation about nutrition, food choices, and cooking between two well-informed professionals who don't always agree. Andrew Weil, MD, a physician and well-known healthy lifestyle advocate, and Rosie Daley, Oprah Winfrey's former personal chef, collaborated on this collection of recipes, cooking tips, and food advice. Rather than homogenize the message into a consensus, they trust the reader to reach his or her own conclusion.
This is a book best suited for an experienced cook to learn about healthful foods and their preparation. Short essays by Dr. Weil teach nutrition fundamentals, highlight specific foods such as tofu and fish, and give insight into the cooking cultures of non-western societies. Daley's essays further instruct on specific cooking techniques or possible modifications to her recipes.
The book is organized into traditional sections - breakfast, beverages, soups, etc - but has a nice variety of recipes; some I don't recall every seeing in a book like this, such as pickled vegetables or "tonic" for colds. Poultry and fish recipes are included, but no red meats. Poultry, in particular, is one area Daley and Weil seem to have agreed to disagree.
Many of the recipes, particularly Daley's, have long ingredient lists and fairly complex preparation methods. They look fun and appetizing, but better suited for the week-end than a hectic weeknight dinner.
Another feature of the organization is that the voice of each author is clearly maintained and differentiated. They sign their essays, and their recipes are color coded. Dr. Weil's commentary on Daley's recipes is also featured in sidebars, which share fascinating disputes with the reader, such as the advisability of butter and how much red pepper a dish requires.
This book is lavishly illustrated with photographs of the finished dishes and the two authors clowning around in the kitchen.
My main criticism of this book is in the dessert section. Although I agree with the authors that healthy eating is not about deprivation and that an occasional treat is fine for most people, we don't need pie recipes in this book. We have Paula Dean for that. The space could have been better spent with ideas for low-fat, low-calorie desserts.
The Healthy Kitchen provides sound nutritional information and instructions on some healthier cooking techniques, such as sweating vegetables, grilling, and braising. It also highlights healthy food items that even experienced cooks might not know how to prepare, such as quinoa and the many varieties of tofu. This is a book for a reader who can be inspired by these recipes and has sufficient cooking skills to make up his or her own mind about how to proceed.
Book Review: The Healthy Kitchen
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is not kidding. I've already lost weight and feel better and don't have to spend as much time in the kitchen!!!!