Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Total Nutrition Cooking

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To preface, I love the topic of nutrition, and...let's face it...I just plain love to eat. I will try almost (I said almost) any real food once. Needless to say, I was very excited to receive this cookbook. I had high hopes, perhaps a bit too high.

The nutrition information provided (focusing heavily on the USDA food pyramid) didn't quite match up with the recipes. The author mentions we should consume just 5 to 6 one-ounce servings of meat per day (one-ounce?), yet of the roughly 300 pages of readable content, approximately 100 pages are for meat specific recipes. This doesn't include the fish department, nor the many salads, sandwiches, pastas, and appetizers that just happen to contain meat.

I am an omnivore, however, when I think of "Total Nutrition" I think of a book loaded with recipes on how to use fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and herbs, not pork, beef, and venison! Which brings me to another interesting point...the odd choice of recipes. Diversity is great, but odds are I won't be running out to purchase (or shoot) rabbit and goat meat anytime soon! The author throws odd ingredients like salmon eggs and goat leg without noting why one would eat these things, or where you might actually find them.

Personally, I didn't quite agree with the liberal use/recommendation of Splenda (up to 2 cups in some recipes), salt substitute, and Benecol (contains partially hydrogenated oils/trans fats) either.

So how are the recipes? So-so. I know it is an "Idiot's Guide," but I really don't need a recipe to tell me to buy Kashi or Kellogg's cereal and pour milk and blueberries on it (yes, brands are noted throughout this cookbook), nor do I intend on cooking up any Country Mustard Rabbit anytime soon. Of those that remained, I would say, just okay thus far. The two I tested needed to be tweaked. One didn't work quite right (as I should have noted when reading the ingredients/directions), and the other was very, very bland as is. To be honest, I have had trouble finding recipes in this cookbook that I wouldn't need to tweak just a bit one way or the other.

If you are a big meat consumer, several of these recipes do seem to warrant some merit. Since the author seems to know her meat, I will be giving these or some others a trial.

It should be noted that all of the recipes are fairly simple, with few ingredients. From this point of view, they are very easy to customize. In typical "Idiot's Guide" fashion, the overall format is quite easy to follow. I think this cookbook will go into my reference collection for quick food "ideas", but not for go to recipes.

I have never written a review for a cookbook before because - up until now - I have not found one that an "I can't boil an egg person" like myself could really USE. But "Total Nutrition Cooking" by Larrian Gillespie really simplified cooking for me and gave recipes that even a "non-cook" like myself can not only understand but - most amazing of all to ME - actually PREPARE! I had given up on trying to learn to cook from a cookbook until my husband (probably out of desperation!) gave me this book as a gift - and after leafing through even just a few pages I found "Total Nutrition Cooking" not only full of important nutriton information but at the same time VERY easy and fun to read - its like having a good girlfriend teach you how to cook food thats not only healthy but yummy too - I love this book and highly recommend it!

MEN - BUY THIS BOOK!

I wanted to cook in ways that are healthy for me and this book did it. This is the only book I have found that is 1) easy to follow, 2) makes great tasting food (gets me complements also) and MOST IMPORTANT 3) shows me how to cook in healthy ways. This is the only cook book I would recommend. It is so easy even guys can do it!

Oh, almost forgot, it makes cooking FUN! A great read and a must for EVERY kitchen.

My complements to the chef and author!

This is the book I've been waiting for. Finally, after all of these years, I now know how to cook a simple yet gourmet, nutritious meal! I'm tossing-out all of my old fad diet books, fad cookbooks, and way-too-many-ingredients recipe books that have littered my shelves. With this Idiots Guide, nutrition, diet, and cooking are simplified in one easy-to-read book. The nutrition information is fascinating, and easy to understand. The recipes are simple to follow, and taste absolutely gourmet. Best yet, I can cook for everyone in the family with different health needs, because the nutrition information for each recipe is spelled out clearly. My whole extended family wants this book for Christmas...from my newly-wed niece who wants to learn how to cook a simple meal, to my overweight friends who want to slim down. Three cheers for Total Nutrition Cooking!

This book is so easy to use and has some great recipes! I love the "Fowl Play" section, wonderful tasty ideas in there! I didn't really cook at all before, but this book makes cooking easy and fun! And it is a lot better for me than how I used to eat.