Mediterranean Diet Cookbook . A Delicious Alternative for Lifelong Health

Ive been hearing that the Mediterranean Diet is the most recommended by Doctors for a healthy lifestyle. So, I borrowed this book from the local library to see what was involved and to make sure that I could prepare the dishes. These mouth watering recipes are so delicious and good for you too and best of all, they are within my limited cooking ability.. Im ordering the book today.

This book reads like a traditional mediterranean cook book. There is an intro describing the typical meditterean diet (italy, greece, middle eastearn) Pasta, beans, garlic, veggies and olive oil. Delicious recipes, that hardly feel diet. In general, I would say they are somewhat lower in sodium than the typical american diet. I think it is healthful to get used to a lower sodium diet. You can always add a bit of salt if you find the recipes a bit bland without it.

There is a great recipe for Hummus, not *too garlicy but lots of fresh lemon. very good.Very good greek white bean soup... most soups use water as a base, and i tend to use stock instead, for flavor.Another favorte is a wild mushroom risotto... i tend to use regular mushrooms as porcinis are expensive. There are many very good recipes. There are even desserts, altho i havent made any of them.

This is an excellent addition to a cookbook collection. It is a great meditterean cookbook and a great healthy cook book. Nutitional info is included so these recipes can be fit into any diet plan.

The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook has received many glowing reviews, all of them likely very much warranted. While I understand its worth as a cookbook, I have to object to how this book is marketed as being able to change ones lifestyle.

Recently diagnosed with heart disease in my mid-thirties, I have been looking for information that will both improve my health and work within the limits of my lifestyle. This book, at least for me, will not and cannot work. But I recognize it will for others.

First of all, as the author indicates, this type of cooking requires time and preparation. This is, after all, a part of Meterranean culture. I understand that. But it is not part of American culture. More importantly, its not even feasible for many people trying to scrape by financially. The idea of working in the kitchen for hours each day is simply not possible for many Americans - regardless of their own desires. This is why I suspect that the audience for this type of book is restricted almost exclusively to families and individuals who are wealthy (or at least not in financial debt) or who are in a traditional relationship in which one spouse stays home during the day.

Another thing that I found annoying was the authors attitude that ones sweet tooth should be easily satisfied with a basic cookie or a piece of fruit. Having been raised a vegetarian throughout most of my childhood I can attest to the fact that eating natural foods all the time does not guarantee that your desires for cake, ice cream or brownies will simply disappear. For some people, perhaps even a majority, it is a question of just giving up what they desire. If theres one thing Ive grown to detest after my own diagnosis is that I will be easily satisified with my new diet and lifestyle. Like many individuals with heart disease, I must accept my plight. However, I dont have to put up with anyone telling me that I will be satisfied with something that I already know from my own experience to be a poor substitute. In other words, dont manipulate me, just state the truth outright. you may like desserts, but youre going to have to give them up.

If you have the time and interest to cook this book is an excellent choice. If your lifestyle simply cannot adapt then I would recommend looking elsewhere. In my personal experience I found SuperFoods Rx . Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life by Steven G. Pratt to be the most helpful thus far.

I borrowed this book from the library to try. Now I must purchase it. The recipes use ingredients easy to obtain and the instructions leave no questions on how to prepare it. If one follows this complete healthy eating regime they WILL find that their sweet tooth is satisfied with a simple cookie or piece of fruit. Your cravings come from a diet lacking in complete nutrition and your body lets you know it in no uncertain terms. This book may not have pictures but the author paints wonderful word pictures if you take the time to enjoy it. Not a fast read. Lets slow our pace down like the Europeans do and find enjoyment in the simple pleasures of life.

The word diet smacks of deprivation. Jenkins advice Limit red meat, sugar, and dairy products, substituting instead olive oil, vegetables and legumes, breads, and fruits. Her long residence in Tuscany, plus her food writing background, results in unusual recipes among the more than 200 featured. in addition to such familiar staples as fish, soups, and minestrone, she includes treats from all over the Mediterranean, including Armenian pizza and Spanish chicken with sweet peppers. Sidebars and personal introductions to many of the recipes, along with nutritional data, supply encouragement for healthy living, not just dieting

Like a number of recent books on this topic, Jenkinss book is no doubt inspired by a 1993 Harvard conference on the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet-that is, the Mediterranean cuisines that have always emphasized grains, beans, and vegetables over red meat and olive oil over butter. Jenkins, a food writer and culinary historian, includes more than 200 recipes from all over the region, from Italys Panzanella to Lebanese Garlicky Roast Chicken to Turkish-Style Winter Vegetables. The text is readable and informative, with lots of boxes on ingredients, techniques, and the various cuisines, and the recipes are good, certainly not diet food. Martha Rose Shulmans Mediterranean Light (LJ 4/15/89) was one of the first titles in this area and still one of the better ones, but most collections will want to add Jenkinss book.

Though many authors have tackled the healthful recipes of the Mediterranean, Jenkins is not simply following a fad. She brings her understanding of the culture, gained through years of living and working in the region, to the task of writing a comprehensive cookbook. Jenkins gives practical advice on how to gradually implement the Mediterranean diet at home, urging us to eat more fruits, grains and vegetables, reduce meat and fat intake, cook with olive oil instead of butter, serve plain bread at every meal to increase consumption of carbohydrates, and--perhaps hardest of all--to set aside time for meals every day, building a sense of food as a fundamentally communal, shared experience. Jenkinss recipes, though not always inventive, are faithful to the originals and demonstrate her appreciation for the vagaries of cooking well with fresh foodstuffs that may not always yield the same measures. She unfolds the common threads of cuisine that unite the Mediterranean, acknowledging regional variations that lend piquancy.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Mediterranean cooking is refreshingly low in salt, fat, and starch, relying instead on fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, and poultry. Nancy Harmon Jenkins provides a delicious alternative for anyone who feels their basic diet needs a change, but isnt sure which way to turn. Jenkins relishes tradition and place, and the vibrant people who bring this style of cooking alive. She circles the Mediterranean, collecting the classic recipes that fall within the defined parameters of the Mediterranean diet (as recognized by the World Health Organization). plentiful fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains. olive oil as the principal fat. lean red meat only a few times a month. low to moderate consumption of other foods from animal sources, such as dairy products, fish and poultry. and moderate consumption of wine. Simplicity is the key to the Mediterranean diet--simple ingredients and stress-free preparation and cooking. This is more than a cookbook--it is a blueprint for healthier living.