![\"image\"](\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/ou-images\/content\/judycookingjewishcover125.jpg\")
<\/div>\nIt\u2019s that time again! According to USA.gov, the most popular New Year\u2019s resolution is (drum roll please)\u2026 lose weight! What a surprise.<\/p>\n
If, like me, you make this same resolution every year, three books may turn things around, and then maybe next year we can all resolve to reduce carbon emissions and promote world peace.<\/p>\n
In the latest installment in the Kosher by Design series, \u201cKosher by Design Lightens Up\u201d (Artscroll, $35.99), the ebullient, wildly popular Susie Fishbein teams up with certified nutritional expert Bonnie Taub-Dix, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, to bring over 145 new recipes and dozens of tips and entertaining ideas to jumpstart your plan for a healthier, trimmer you in 2009.<\/p>\n
\u201cBonnie commented on every single recipe,\u201d says Fishbein, \u201cpointing out areas that could be lightened up. She confirmed to me that the philosophy of this book was the right one \u2013 forget diets, learn what is good for your body, work change in slowly, and eat what you love.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pass on the cottage cheese and Melba toast \u2013 this is \u201chealth food\u201d with pizzazz! Steamed Veal Dumplings, Japanese Udon Noodle Soup, Mile-High Chinese Chicken Salad, Ratatouille Polenta Pie, Chicken Skewers with Ponzu Dipping Sauce, Grilled Reuben Sandwiches, Huevos Rancheros, Pumpkin Barley Risotto and oh, those desserts.<\/p>\n
The only one she could not lighten was the chocolate chip cookie. \u201cIt just could not be done,\u201d Fishbein laments. \u201cI tried eight times, but there was no getting over the need for butter or margarine. I sadly accepted defeat.\u201d<\/p>\n
No worries. Here\u2019s your consolation prize: Coconut-Lime Tart, Fudge Brownie Torte, Banana Chocolate Strudel, Pistachio-Cherry Biscotti…23 luscious desserts in all. And every recipe is photographed in that signature mouthwatering, Kosher by Design style by John Uher. Never did wholesome foods and healthy ingredients look so good!<\/p>\n
“These nutritious recipes are easy to integrate into your everyday menus,\u201d Fishbein notes. \u201cAnyone looking to migrate into a better way of eating and living will find delicious options here.”<\/p>\n
In \u201cThe Portion Plan: How to Eat the Foods You Love & Still Lose Weight\u201d (DK, $17.95) TV and radio personality (and upcoming OU food columnist) Linda Gassenheimer says the key to losing weight and keeping it off may lie in the palm of your hand. Love that burger? A healthy portion is palm sized. Your baked potato should be the size of your fist. And you don\u2019t have to give up French fries if you eat what will fit in two cupped hands (about 20).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe portions of foods we are eating have ballooned,\u201d writes Gassenheimer. \u201cRestaurants serve extra-large amounts of food, yet we still clean our plates, just as we were told to do when we were children.\u201d This \u201cportion distortion\u201d has completely perverted our sense of normalcy.<\/p>\n
Take the bagel, for instance. \u201cOriginally the size of a hockey puck, bagels now have the circumference of a CD,\u201d she says. Stick to a palm-size portion and use reduced-fat cream cheese and save 382 calories.<\/p>\n
Seeing is believing, and \u201cThe Portion Plan\u201d offers dozens of life-size food photos of ideal and not-so-ideal portions of common foods so we can make wise food choices. And learning to distinguish between what Gassenheimer calls \u201cthe good, the bad, and the ugly\u201d (choices to savor, choices to watch and choices to avoid) will assure we\u2019re not only losing weight, but maintaining a healthy lifestyle as well.<\/p>\n
The book also includes a seven-day eating plan with recipes, an eating-out guide and oodles of tips for delicious alternatives to calorie-laden foods.<\/p>\n
\u201cFood that\u2019s good for you should taste good,\u201d says Norene Gilletz, whose latest cookbook \u201cNorene\u2019s Healthy Kitchen\u201d (Whitecap, $29.95) contains over 600 recipes that prove that we don\u2019t have to sacrifice flavor for nutrition. \u201cMy recipes are heart-healthy and weight-loss friendly, offer low glycemic index values (GI) and are suitable for people with diabetes,\u201d she writes.<\/p>\n
A lengthy introduction give tips on everything from meal-planning for diabetics to choosing healthier sweets, shaking the salt habit, storing food, cooking and baking substitutions, and even food safety. And like her popular \u201cHealthy Helpings\u201d (originally titled \u201cMealLeaniYumm,\u201d) the book is kosher and includes a Passover chapter.<\/p>\n
But you needn’t be diabetic to appreciate these healthful and tasty recipes that are short on deprivation and long on flavor. Confetti Vegetable Strudel, Spanikopita Roll-Ups, Chimichurri Chicken, Luscious Lemon Berry Mousse.<\/p>\n
Gilletz is in the kitchen with you, encouraging you with tips and advice. \u201cDid you know that if you eat a bowl of vegetable soup, you will feel full for a longer period of time than if you drink a glass of water and eat the vegetables separately?\u201d<\/p>\n
This \u201cmultivitamin in a bowl\u201d is a dieter\u2019s friend. Follow Gilletz\u2019s tips: Cut the fat by using a mere tablespoon of olive or canola oil to saut\u00e9 three to four cups of vegetables. Use nonstick cookware or cooking spray, or even chicken or vegetable broth instead of oil.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n