The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook: The Whole Food Approach to Great Taste and Healthy Eating by Jackie Newgent R.D. is a collection of plant-based, nutritiously well-rounded, simple-to-fix recipes. Now out in its second edition, the book has been updated to include vegetarian and quick-fix recipes, tips for achieving high flavor and suggested menus.
I love eating healthfully and thought this would be a good addition to my growing collection of diabetes-related cookbooks.
NOTE: I received a free copy of this book for review, however, I am under no obligation to write about it positively or otherwise.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Over the past couple of years, I’ve experienced an increased interest in the topic of diabetic-friendly cooking. Not only have a married a wonderful man who has Type 2 Diabetes, but I’ve discovered that I’m pre-diabetic (which is, thankfully, reversible through diet and exercise!). This is the fourth in a series of reviews of books on this topic.
Summary of The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook
The premise of this book is that healthy, natural food should be tasty, otherwise you won’t eat it. The author provides a primer at the front of the book of natural ingredients, including some basic definitions of the terms “natural,” “organic” and how they are different. Recipes are organized into the following categories:
- Breakfasts
- Dips, Salsas and Sauces
- Small Plate and Snacks
- Salads
- Soups, Stews, and Chilis
- Sandwiches, Burger and Burritos
- Entrées
- Sides
- Beverages, Smoothies, and Cocktails
- Sweets
So there should be a recipe that everyone in your family will like!
What Worked for Me
The overall design of the recipes is clean and easy to read. Each recipe includes serving, servicing size, prep time and cooking time, which helps you plan your menus. Also, each recipe has some additional information as a sidebar, adding interest and, at times, ideas for scaling a recipe to feed more people.
Not only do the recipes favor natural ingredients, there are also a wide variety of cuisines included.
What Didn’t Work for Me
This is a small thing, but the color palette for the design is rather drab: A dark grayish-green and black. If you like photographs of recipes, you find very many in this volume either.
Recommendation
This is a utilitarian book. It is useful and you should be able to find something for everyone within its pages. Because it is published by the American Diabetes Association, you know that the recipes are safe for people with diabetes, too. So, if you’re looking for a “whole food approach” to dining with diabetes, this cookbook just may be what you’re looking for!
Rating for The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook
Specs
Format: Paperback (352 pages)
Publisher: American Diabetes Association
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1580405452
ISBN-13: 978-1580405454
Pick up your copy on Amazon.com here.
