THE FASTDIET COOKBOOK
The FastDiet by Dr. Michael Mosley, a medically trained journalist and Mimi Spencer, a journalist and author, took the world by storm when it was first published in the UK last year. Since then, it has climbed to the very top of the New York Times Bestseller List and has been featured on Good Morning America, Rachael Ray and in People Magazine and USA Today, among many other outlets. The FastDiet presented a unique and alternative approach to weight loss that proposed eating normally for five days a week and following a calorie-restricted diet (600 calories for men; 500 for women) on two other preferably nonconsecutive days. The science behind the diet that claims to result not only in weight loss but as a way to reduce your risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer, is based on evidence that intermittent calorie restriction results in greater loss of fat, particularly around the abdomen where fat accumulation is considered to be the most unhealthy. Human trials indicated that The FastDiet resulted in quicker weight loss that was easier to keep off.
I had read about The FastDiet and had even written about it for another website so I was thrilled when I was offered the chance to receive a complimentary copy of its companion, The FastDiet Cookbook to review for EverBeautiful.com.
The FastDiet Cookbook by Mimi Spencer with Dr. Sarah Schenker, a registered dietitian and nutritionist, takes the FastDiet one step further by offering 150 nutritious, low calorie recipes that make it easier to incorporate calorie restriction into your lifestyle. The FastDiet Cookbook includes recipes for every meal and none contain more than 500 calories per serving. While the book offers lots of tips for incorporating these recipes into your fast days, it can certainly be used by anyone who wants to eat healthy, nutritionally balanced meals that are low in carbohydrates. And, because only a few of the recipes contain wheat or dairy, it’s appropriate for people with those food sensitivities as well as for vegetarians since many of the recipes rely on plant proteins.
Frankly, I was expecting a book of bland and boring low-cal recipes. Was I ever wrong about that. The book includes “simple” recipes such as Warm Puy Lentils with Tomatoes and Crumbled Feta (153 calories per serving) and Pesto Pronto Salmon with Ribbon Veggies (327 calories per serving) and more complex recipes such as Sarah Raven’s Chicken Puttanesca (247 calories per serving) and Shakshouka, a Tunisian breakfast of eggs poached in a cumin-infused tomato concasse (178 calories per serving.) In other words, there’s something for everyone. Each recipe offers a calorie count per serving. One of my favorite things about the book – besides the beautiful color photos – is the intro to each recipe that offers useful and interesting tips and information. The FastDiet Cookbook also includes a section on 500 calorie meal plans for four weeks, a calorie counter, information on equipping a kitchen and other tips that dieters and those who want to eat healthy will find useful.
While it’s called The FastDiet Cookbook, don’t be fooled by the name. The FastDiet Cookbook would be a welcome addition to any cook’s bookshelf, whether or not they are fasting.
The FastDiet Cookbook is available on Amazon.com.
Get it and The FastDiet here …
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