Snack Girl to the Rescue

There are skinny girls and fit moms, and there are snack girls. Blogger Cain falls in the latter camp, offering sensible, non-judgmental dietary advice compiled into this healthy eating guide/cookbook. Cain candidly shares her own experiences with failed diets and some of the lessons she’s learned along the way—liquid diets are impossible to maintain, eliminating whole food groups is maddening, journaling can keep you on track. The point here is that no matter what the approach, anyone interested in weight loss and maintenance can use an arsenal of healthy, actually tasty foods for daily eating. Cain’s accessible recipes are designed with less than 400 calories per serving (they are indexed by calorie count). Indulgence is not a dirty word for Cain. Less-healthy foods like pancakes are enriched with yogurt and banana; a tuna melt subs red pepper for bread; and mini pecan pies are baked into airy fillo shells. There are even some low-calorie cocktails for kicking back after a long day of cooking. With humor and common sense, Cain’s diet book manages to distinguish itself from the legions of holier-than-thou advice mongers. (Apr.)