Therapeutic Chef

"Let food be they medicine and medicine be thy food." So says Hippocrates, the man who also lends his name to the Hippocratic oath that all doctors take before embarking on a life meant to help people be as healthy as possible. It's also the quote that author Kristin Doyle chose to put on the cover of her cookbook, called Thereapeutic Chef: Recipes to Prevent Cancer, Heart Disease and Diabetes.

The introduction is full of pithy wisdom like "Sickness isn't an accident, it's the result," "Your body is your temple," and "Make each bite count." That's great food for thought, and she backs it up with a great book that has recipes aimed at better overall health.

It's a treat to see a cookbook where the goal is to help you eat healthy rather than adhere to a no-carb, no-gluten, or low-fat diet, rather than introduce a specific stipulation and build around that theme, Doyle's theme is your overall health and each recipe builds from that theme.

I can vouch for this one. My wife has been cooking out of it since she got her copy for Christmas, and the food is hearty and healthy and to top it off, it tastes good.

What I like most about the book itself is that recipes are printed so that they're easy to use. They each have their own page so it's easy to keep your place, and they are printed in a large font so that you can realistically read it while you are standing up and cooking at the counter.

She leaves out the color photographs in favor of simple drawings and icons. That keeps the focus on you understanding how to make food that's good for you well rather than trying to live up to some staged, best-case scenario photograph done by a professional with good lighting.

If one of your New Year's resolutions is to eat better, this is a book that will help get you there.

Image courtesy Therapeutic Chef website.