Diet 911 : Food Cop to the Rescue with 265 New Low-Fat Recipes

Rating:
Summary: Great and informative book on healthy-eating
Review: I really liked Yolanda's book. Her writing style is engaging. She does a good job of giving some introductory nutrition tips that relate to real-life, every-day eating. Not all of the recipes come out perfectly, but for the most part, there is something for everyone. There is even advice on ethnic foods and seasonings, which helps increase variety of the food you can eat. I have had the best luck with foods that are baked i.e. muffins and lasagne. However, since I am working full-time and am a part-time student, her suggestions for no-brainer quick food-on-the-go has helped me make better food choices (and lose 15 pounds -- gradually). I live in California so it is easy for me to find large health food stores that carry the brands she mentions. However I've noticed a trend in larger chain stores like Safeway, Lucky etc. in stocking things like Wonderslim and Whole Wheat Flour by Arrowmills. Yolanda's right: as a consumer, we all have power in our spending dollars. Retailers are taking note of what and how much we buy. If you want more stores to carry more healthful and better quality brand foods, show them by buying it. The competition will definitely catch on.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good read, but some problems
Review: Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. The author's attitude toward eating and dieting is very healthy and practical, and she offers good nutritional tips as well. However, I have had a number of problems with some of the recipes -- undercooked chicken, runny sauces, etc and have had to adapt the recipes accordingly. But, some of the other recipes are quite good (I agree with the other reviewer in that the tuna salad is yummy) and it makes for worthwhile reading.

Rating:
Summary: Good ideas for lowfat, healthy cooking
Review: This is a very readable book which isn't just about dieting; it's about eating healthy and making responsible food choices. Yolanda's style is entertaining and enlightening. She spurns 'diet junk food' and urges readers to eat more natural foods. Good advice, but not necessarily practical. Many of the brands of food she recommends are not to be found at your local grocery store. Nevertheless, many of the recipes were intriguing. I tried the tuna salad with cottage cheese and capers, and it was a delicious alternative to traditional mayonnaise-laden tuna salad. The Worcestershire turkey burgers were pretty good as well, though when making them the meat mixture was so wet that I figured for sure the recipe was going to be a flop. Yolanda gives great ideas for lowfat, healthy lunches and breakfasts on the go. The only thing I didn't care for was the nutritional breakdowns. Dietary fat grams are not provided, thus it is difficult for me to use a Weight Watchers Points Finder to determine the points value of a particular dish. Nevertheless, with all it's helpful strategies for lowfat cooking, this is a good addition to my cookbook library.