Customer Reviews

ChefMD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine: A Food Lover's Road Map to Losing Weight, Preventing Disease, and Getting Really Healthy

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I bought this book after I heard Dr. La Puma give a women's workshop in San Francisco. Though he had the audience at "Dark Chocolate", the book is even better!

I have a lot of health books, including You on a Diet and the Zone ... and a ton of cookbooks too: Mark Bittman, Deborah Madison, Fannie Farmer, Joy of, James Peterson, and of course, Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking.

But ChefMD's Big Book condenses the best of each, and makes it easy. Plus it is pretty funny too: "What can perfume, some massage lotions, and a sex toy lead to? I know what you're thinking, but that's not it." (hint: plastics).

His approach totally makes sense: Eat broccoli with meats to detoxify carcinogens. Marinate for flavor and protection. Store your watermelon on the kitchen counter for extra beta carotene. Go organic when it counts: milk, potatoes, peanut butter, ketchup, apples. No microwaving fatty food in soft plastics (the phthalates sneak in). And 25 pages of scientific papers and books to back it up.

The fact that it has 50 recipes and a diet plan is just a bonus. I've already made the 4 ingredient Chocolate Blackberry Breakfast Smoothie (for depression) from The Today Show (how cute is that?), and Pasta e Fagioli (a perfect easy soup, very rich and thick and quick--for hair/skin/nails).

Plus there are more recipes for cholesterol, blood pressure, and losing weight that my family will eat, and are quick: most are less than 30 minutes, start to finish.

I think he is a next generation Dr. Oz, and his recipes are actually way better, but he doesn't overstate the case. Blend the art of cooking with the science of medicine, but keep the medicine too--and all the flavor-- too. Works for me!

The article I read about this book lead me to expect a more of a reference-type book..."if you have a cold, eat this soup because it contains....", but it's not. The first part is more of the health info I'm reading everywhere, although the author is quite funny, and it's easy to read. (Warning: if you'll be offended by crass humor and extramarital sex references, you'll be offended!) The recipe part is fun. The things we've tried were amazing, but not worth buying the book for. Though my family typically eats well, many of these recipes are a little too exotic to be useful for us on a regular basis. If you have crystallized ginger and agave in your kitchen already, you'll be in good shape. It's not really bad, but it's not what I wanted. I'd recommend checking this out from the library first to see if it's what you really want.

I found Dr. La Puma's book to be unique packed with valuable information and full of cooking tips I will incorporate in my daily menus.
I tried the 14 menu plan following it exactly. The food was delicious and easy to prepare. I was never hungry and I have noticed after just 14 days the remarkable health benefits. I caught myself not reaching for my glasses in order to see more clearly, I had much more energy and slept more soundly. My hair & nails have improved and complexion is clear and smooth. I salute Dr. La Puma for devising this wonderful health booster made possible from my own kitchen! Bravo! Dr. La Puma.

After enjoying the ChefMD segments on TV for the past few years, I was excited to have Dr. LaPuma's book. While a lot of us don't live close to stores like Trader Joe's and can't pick up some of the items he recommends, the book comes in very handy when planning menus with more ordinary foods. I'm seeing results with the arthritis in my hands already. I hope he comes out with a full cookbook with lots more recipes.

This book is a guide to improved health through informed food choices. Certain foods contain healthful components that can be used to combat specific medical problems. Food can play an important role in getting well.

Healthful foods are best appreciated when served in delicious meals. That's where the word "Chef" in the title comes from. Recipes are provided for presenting these foods in chef-quality meals.

The book has a pleasant tone; it's enjoyable to read. A companion website - chefmd.com - provides supplementary information.

I've read all kinds of books on nutrition and health from "What to Eat" by Marion Nestle to "The Sunfood Diet Success System" by David Wolfe.

This book provides a delightful balance of scientific research, humor, and practical tips on how to get healthier. I was excited to learn that combining foods properly will allow for better absorption, and grateful to find a book that I can reccommend to my friends who aren't nutrition nuts.

While this book may not have the look and feel of a traditional cookbook, you can find videos of recipes at http://www.chefmd.com

All in all, It's an excellent guide that should live in your kitchen and be used whenever you need a quick, delicious, healthy meal.

I really found the book interesting and fun with a lot of interesting tips and notes about how food works with your body, what benefits it brings, etc, which is why I'm starting to put turmeric in a lot of my food. I knew ChefMD from TV already and started some of his other recipes a few weeks back (things like the roasted spaghetti squash, sirloin meatloaf and roasted winter vegetables have become favorites of mine). When I bought the book, it really put together how these foods can help and how you can make it good - believe me, I'm no health food nut, and I've never found books about nutrition (this isn't a cookbook as much as it is a nutrition book) all that interesting before, so I was glad to get this one. I'd recommend it for anybody who wants to find the right balance of health and taste in food they make, and who needs some good guidelines on how to eat better. I'm down a couple pounds already!

As an athlete dutifully concerned with nutrition, I read this book thinking that I knew everything already, but Dr. La Puma proved me wrong. Not only did I learn a lot, this book is a delightful, down-to-earth read. What it may lack in illustrations it more than makes-up in wisdom and joie de vivre.
Although I am a vegan and this book is not aimed directly at the vegan community, the recipes still rekindled my love for everything health-food related.
My inner skeptic also appreciated the research citations in the back of the book.
The environmentalist side also applauds Dr. La Puma's efforts to return to local foods, organic foods, and generally just slow down with food and enjoy.

Overall, a solid book that I would definitely give as a gift!

*Oh and I guess if you want to look at pictures, his website has little video clips and other bells and whistles.

I like the topics this book covers, recipes and medicine but the combination offers lots of medical trivia on recipes I can find anywhere.

My suggestion, stick with "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" for a more thorough reference on the health benefits of food
and "The World's Healthiest Foods" for great recipes. (Love the Indian Curry Green Beans (p181))

This book is okay only if you are brand new to the whole notion of nutrition for better health. I was interested in information on how to lower cholesterol and blood pressure and found nothing I hadn't seen in a more complete discussion elsewhere. The books The Spectrum by Dean Ornish, Cholesterol Down by Janet Brill, and Neil Barnard's Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes do a much better job in getting to specifics. Before you buy this book, check out a library copy to see if it will cover what you need in the depth you need. I learned nothing new in this book and would not buy it over again.