Cooking a la Heart: A Book Review #ourgoodlifebooklist

Everyone needs to know how to care for the one and only body you will receive on this earth. This book carefully, but in layman's terms, tells us the latest research on heart-healthy eating.

The Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating patterns are scientifically proven to be the healthiest for our hearts, and they even have added brain health benefits. Combined, they make the MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet, which further reduces the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Cooking à la Heart incorporates all three into one nourishing, wholesome, environmentally friendly cookbook with

• 500 delicious, health-promoting recipes for every meal (plus snacks and desserts), including: Spinach Scramble Pita Pockets • Turkey-Vegetable Soup • Cilantro-Lime Chicken & Corn Salad • À la Heart Mexican Inspired Mac & Cheese • Shrimp Tacos • Blueberry Crisp • Pumpkin Spice Ginger Bars
• an emphasis on plant-based ingredients, healthy fats, and thoughtful use of dairy, poultry, and lean red meat
• nutrition facts for calories, protein, total carbs, dietary fiber, added sugars, total fat, saturated fat, omega-3s, sodium, and potassium

More than 35 color photographs show off how indulgent heart-healthy eating can truly be. With Cooking à la Heart, eating better isn't difficult or boring—it's an investment to keep you enjoying good food for many years to come.

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My Take:

My number one reason that I loved this book is that the book opens with this:  There's no single dietary pattern that's best for everyone.  I love that this author/nutritionist recognizes that fact and lets you know that it is ok that you have tried every diet under the sun.  Still, the book features ways to improve your own patterns of eating and tells you some of the research about the popular diets like the Mediterranean Diet, and more.

About the Author:

Amy Myrdal Miller, MS, RDN, FAND, is an award-winning dietitian, farmer’s daughter, public speaker, author, and president of Farmer’s Daughter Consulting, an agriculture, food, and culinary communications firm founded in 2014. During her 25-year career, Amy has worked for Fleishman Hillard (a global public relations firm), the Rippe Lifestyle Institute (a small clinical research firm in Massachusetts), Dole Food Company, the California Walnut Board & Commission, and most recently, The Culinary Institute of America.

A farmer’s daughter from North Dakota who now lives outside Sacramento, Amy received her B.S. in dietetics from the University of California, Davis, completed her dietetic internship at the University of Minnesota Hospital & Clinics, and earned her M.S. in nutrition communication from the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.

She and her husband Scott Miller love playing golf, listening to smooth jazz music, sampling wine and craft beer at local Northern California wineries and breweries, and hosting family, friends, and neighbors for backyard parties where they can enjoy the beauty and bounty of CA GROWN foods and beverages.