"The Blood Sugar Solution Cookbook"

Mark Hyman, M.D., is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, "The Blood Sugar Solution" so I decided to check out "The Blood Sugar Solution Cookbook" that he authored that is billed as having "more than 175 ultra-tasty recipes for total health and weight loss."

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE cookbooks and have quite a collection of them but now that I am working towards a Plant-Based diet, it is time to cull the ones on my shelves and sell or donate those that I don't plan to continue to use.  New cookbooks I am trying to check out from the library so I can peruse them before deciding if they will be a good addition to my collection in light of my current health goals.  Dr. Hyman has written at least eleven books so I'll be busy if I decide to check them all out.

In the "Note To The Reader" section of this cookbook, Dr. Hyman suggests reviewing his book, "The Blood Sugar Solution,: as well as joining the online community with free access to hundreds of videos which include cooking videos as well as health-tracking tools.  Go to bloodsugarsolution.com to learn more.

I was surprised to learn in the introduction (although I'm not sure why it should surprise me!) that in 1900 only 2% of meals were eaten outside the home but today that number is over 50%.  When I look at my own eating habits (for my spouse and myself), it should be obvious that that is true despite my desire to prepare and serve healthy meals at home.  All my spouse has to do is offer to take me out to eat and I'm saying yes!  I rarely say, "Oh, but honey, I have such a great meal planned to make right here at home!"  That's especially true if the offer to dine out comes after one of the three days when I work outside the home -- or on a weekend -- or.....!

Did you know there are food scientists whose job is making the processed foods we purchase so yummy that we don't want to stop eating them?!  Dr. Hyman says our tongue and brain may be fooled but our bodies aren't and aren't designed to handle these artificial substances...thus, the obesity epidemic we now face.  Other risks from being overweight include the possibility of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, etc.

There is a thread in all of these books that I'm checking out from the library and that is that we need to take back control of our health.  We need to be informed consumers of the food that we eat and we need to make our own healthy foods at home.  Dr. Hyman suggests we start with our kitchens and do a fridge, pantry, and shopping cart makeover.

In his book, "The Blood Sugar Solution," Dr. Hyman "provides a step-by-step, goof-proof plan to reverse the root causes of diabetes and obesity."

Did you know that eating low-glycemic foods are recommended for diabetics or pre-diabetics?  These are foods that don't raise blood sugar as much or as fast as  high glycemic foods.

Do you know what your BMI (Body Mass Index) is?  You can use his online calculator at bloodsugarsolution.com/tracking-tools.  The goal for a normal BMI is less than 25.  If yours is higher than that, you are considered overweight.  Calculator.net is another site that will allow you to calculate your BMI.

Chapter 2 informs the reader on how to prepare the kitchen including a list of essential kitchen tools as well as how to have fun in the kitchen (a good way to encourage us to spend more time in our kitchens!).as well as how to detox and stock the kitchen.  There are also tips on purchasing and preparing foods.

Chapter 3 gives suggestions on how to "unjunk your life and your diet" as well as ideas on the best choices to make.

Chapter 4 introduces the reader to Dr. Hyman's basic plan along with recipes.  The smoothie and soup recipes look very good and like something I would try.  However, I would avoid those that have meat in them although I do still have fish on occasion and I haven't given up eggs completely.  I do avoid dairy but have cheese on occasion.  I might make an exception for the "Healing Chicken Soup" on Page 88-89.  I'm pretty picky about my salads so there were only a couple of salad recipes that appealed to me.

The Quinoa-Bean-Vegetable Cutlets sounded good but, if I'm going to commit to cooking more of my meals at home, they need to be simpler than this one and I do own some cookbooks which have quick and easy plant-based meals.  Although, if a recipe sounds really good and makes enough servings that I'll have leftovers for a few days, I'm willing to put in the effort to try it.  The sweet potato burgers fall into this category.

Many of the entrees also include oil which plant-based cooking avoids although I personally still use a little.  I do substitute water or vegetable broth for the oil sometimes.  I could also substitute tofu for meats or beans for the beef in Mexican dishes.  Since I have some liver issues, I do want to try the recipe, "Roasted Veggies To Make Your Liver Happy" on page 164.

A key for me is assembling all ingredients before I start cooking because, if I don't, I find the cooking process is much slower or I'm missing an ingredient!

Chapter 5 covers the advance plan which is designed for individuals with more advance issues and/ everyone with full-blown type 2 diabetes to follow.  The Strawberry Spinach Salad is something I will definitely try -- but without the onions.  I just don't like raw onions.  Another recipe that takes some advance planning to make is the Cashew "cheese" and I definitely will be trying that as I am a fan of Cashew "cream."  If you haven't tried Cashew "cream,' I highly recommend googling it to find a recipe.

The book lists further reading and resources from Dr. Hyman which include brand names to look for.

One of the first recipes I think I'll try from this book is "Kristen's Kale Waldorf" as it sounds yummy! pazt