The Real Food Diet Cookbook

I never win contests. Well, maybe not never, but rarely. Which is why I did backflips of joy (Hey, you weren't there. It could have happened) when I found out I'd won The Real Food Diet Cookbook just for entering a comment on a blog post from my new favorite food blogger, Heather Eats Almond Butter. 

I am a huge fan of cookbook porn. I love leafing through cookbooks, ear-marking pages for recipes I want to try, debating whether I have the skill level to carry off a soufflé (no, I don't) and reading a dessert recipe so I can call out to Blair that No wonder Americans are fat can you believe this recipe calls for 2 sticks butter and more than a cup of sugar?! 

I hope the addiction to recipe books is leading me somewhere. When I first decided to be a writer, I did little more than read books on HOW to be a writer for close to two years before I figured out that more active participation was required. Maybe one day I'll actually become the cook I am in my mind when I sigh over glossy pages of perfectly presented food. 

But back to me winning. Heather mailed the the cookbook and I watched the mail each day for it' arrival. This is my kind of cookbook and no, it isn't vegetarian. There's a whole section devoted to meat. But what the author terms "side dishes" will make great meals for me. 

No, what I love most about this cookbook is the feeling of smug satisfaction I get reading it. Not a nice thing to admit, but there you have it. We're already eating very close to what Dr. Axe recommends and his top 30 nutrient dense food choices are all our top food choices as well. Smug, smug, smug. 

However, I think this is a great cookbook for anyone. There's not a lot of preamble. He sets out super simple guidelines such as "eat real food." (Apple = real food. Apple juice = not real food.) He also goes over a few basics like sugar substitutes (the good and bad), why buying organic meat and dairy is worth it, and a lesson on cooking oils. I learned I've been using the wrong oil! I use EVOO for almost everything, but it seems the nutrients in EVOO are burned off when used at heat above 250 degrees, which would include all the sauteeing I do. I recently started using coconut oil and love it, and after reading this book, I went out and bought some grapeseed oil as well. 

All in all, happy times. Gotta love a cookbook with a hot young MD on the cover. 

Oh, and I'm sure the recipes will be good as well. 

Cheers,

Dena