Eating Well, Living Better: The Grassroots Gourmet Guide to Good Health and Great Food

Fenster, a cardiologist and trained chef, puts his profession and passion to work in this practical, if somewhat overblown, eating guide. He can be cloying (e.g., "Dear reader" this, "Dear reader" that) and his reliance on medical studies and statistics might alienate a general audience, but Fenster pulls no punches and goes for the goal: a sustainable, healthy, and delicious "food program." If his intentions were murky, his appellation for junk food ("weapons of mass consumption") should make his stance clear%E2%80%94Fenster is a vocal proponent of fresh food, reasonable proportions, and sensible eating decisions. The author holds forth often and at great length about the attitudes, behaviors, and misconceptions that lead to bad eating habits, and he also provides plenty of cooking tips, like how to select the best proteins and seafood, as well as over 100 pages of recipes, each of which includes nutritional information. He relies on natural spices to wake up the palate, incorporating garlic, ginger, and thyme, for example, in a Caribbean-inspired broccoli and cauliflower dish simmered in coconut milk; cayenne and black pepper in pumpkin cornbread; and a lemon-curry hollandaise in a smoked salmon pizza. For those willing to look past Fenster's verbosity and philosophizing, this volume is full of delicious dishes and tried and tested advice. (June)