cover image Cooking Well for the Unwell: More Than 100 Nutritious Recipes

Cooking Well for the Unwell: More Than 100 Nutritious Recipes

Eileen Behan. William Morrow & Company, $25 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-688-11372-8

Reaching way beyond chicken soup, Behan, a dietitian and contributor to the Tufts University Diet and Nutrition Newsletter, does offer two fine recipes here for that traditional cure-all. To help caregivers plan meals for the ill or convalescent, Behan explains essential nutrients and lists recommended daily servings of six food groups: protein, calcium, vegetable, fruit, grain/starch and fat/oil. The special needs of those with AIDS, cancer and those on certain restricted diets are considered. But most of Behan's advice is general: make every bite count, and make sure the patient gets lots of calories and protein. This is no time to worry about cholesterol levels, she counsels. Thus, Banana Buttermilk Pancakes use whole eggs and butter; Creamy Chicken Soup is enhanced with pureed baby-food chicken, evaporated milk and eggs; and Baked Stuffed Sweet Potato contains real sour cream and eggs. Among the expected comfort foods--pastas, puddings and custards--are such surprises as Curried Chicken with Fruit to pique a waning appetite. Recipes are quite easy and all have nutritional analyses. Included are suggestions (but no recipes) for feeding a sick child, warnings about nontraditional diet therapies and possible food-drug interactions and a resource list of medical professional and interest-group organizations. (July)