The Road to a Healthy Heart Runs through the Kitchen [Hardcover]

Joseph C. Piscatella (Author), Bernie Piscatella (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 12, 2005

The bible used by heart patients and recommended by thousands of hospitals, The Road to a Healthy Heart is the cardiac patient's step-by-step guide to cooking and eating in the real world. Born out of Joe Piscatella's own experience of coming back from emergency bypass surgery—and his wife's determination to gather the recipes and prepare the foods that would keep her husband alive—this is a complete 10-years-in-the-making revision of the classic Don't Eat Your Heart Out Cookbook.

With: Silver Dollar Pancakes, Grilled Steak and Onion Salad, Tex-Mex Pizza, Linguine with Clam Sauce, Warm Caramel Pears, and Apple Cranberry Crisp.

The furthest thing from a diet of deprivation, these 300 family-friendly, Mediterranean-style recipes will help you prevent, manage and perhaps even reverse heart disease, lose weight and keep it off, and enjoy the double benefit of good health and good cheer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Coronary bypass survivor Piscatella (Don't Eat Your Heart Out Cookbook) champions the benefits of a Mediterranean-style diet for both preventing heart disease and promoting good health in general. The first half of his hefty book surveys all things heart related, with an emphasis on what causes heart problems and how to prevent or reverse them. Though not a physician or a Ph.D., Piscatella presents the material well, using simple graphics to stress key points, such as the fact that a New England Journal of Medicine report suggests that eating only two servings of fish per week may cut the risk of dying from heart attack in half. The latter portion of the book contains practical, family-friendly recipes prepared by Piscatella's wife, Bernie. Easy to follow, and clearly developed with kids in mind (e.g., six kinds of pizza), they include Soba Noodle Salad, Red Snapper with Creamy Parmesan Sauce, and Classic Lasagna with only 346 calories per serving. There's even a Mac and Cheese recipe, which will quell fears that maintaining a healthy heart requires kissing comfort foods good-bye. The Piscatellas not only write well and are passionate about the material, but obviously also love to eat. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Book Description

Over 2.5 million people have bought Don’t Eat Your Heart Out Cookbook and other books by Joseph C. Piscatella. Why? Because Piscatella is the layman who knows how to talk compellingly and directly to everyone who has heart disease or a cholesterol problem. He knows what to say, what to do, and how to motivate. And he’s a convincing authority like no other: At the age of 32, Piscatella had to pick himself up from the operating table after emergency bypass surgery and learn to recover his full cardiac health through diet and lifestyle. It is now 28 years later, a milestone Piscatella reached by “walking the talk.”

Now, 10 years in the making and as necessary as ever comes The Road to a Healthy Heart Runs through the Kitchen, a completely revised and updated edition of Don’t Eat Your Heart Out. While keeping the same thrust and plain-speaking tone that’s made the original a bible used and recommended by thousands of hospitals, the new book reflects the very latest scientific recommendations. For the first time, it offers easy-to-follow menus that will start every reader on the road to lifetime health. It directly connects 10 major risk factors to diet; explains misconceptions about fat and carbohydrates, including the unhealthful effects of low-carbohydrate diets; and offers, for everyone’s pleasure, 300 recipes (60% all-new) that are delicious, healthy, easy-to-prepare, completely family friendly—the patient isn’t the only one who should be eating this way—and analyzed for key nutritional information. This is the book that proves that good food and good health can go together.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 608 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company (December 12, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761140921
• ISBN-13: 978-0761140924
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,024,109 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Author Joseph C. Piscatella has been a keen observer of American eating habits since 1977, when emergency open-heart surgery at the age of 32 forced him to recognize the intimate connection between dietary habits and overall health. His successful recovery and determination to make adjustment in his own lifestyle and diet inspired a new career as an active proponent of healthy lifestyle changes.

As president of the Institute for Fitness and Health, Inc. in Tacoma, Washington, he lectures extensively to a variety of clients, including medical organizations, corporations and professional associations, and is a consultant on major wellness projects for Fortune 500 companies, the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force. Cited in Time for their practicality and effectiveness, his seminars deal with the management of lifestyle habits to increase health, longevity and productivity.

Mr. Piscatella is the only non-medical member of the National Institute of Health Cardiac Rehabilitation Expert Panel, which develops clinical practice guidelines for physicians. He is also a member of the Association for Worksite Health Promotion, the American Association of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, and the National Wellness Association.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good, healthy advice in simple terms : - ), January 27, 2006

By 

Little Miss Cutey (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Road to a Healthy Heart Runs through the Kitchen (Paperback)

I like Joe Piscatella because he explains things in an easy to understand, clear manner. He is very health concious himself, because when he was 32, he had triple bypass surgery. He was on the tennis court on a Monday and then the Wednesday on the operating table. This completely changed him and his life and learned everything he could to help himself beat the odds.
He talks here in laymans terms to explain why we should avoid butter and use soft margarine. Why to avoid white bread and use wholewheat or multigrain instead. Why to eat fresh fish and why you can (only from time to time) fry foods if they are done in a non-stick pan with olive oil. He says that there should be no sodas because he believes that's why we are primarily overweight.
He says we think too much about foods we can't eat and don't think about those that we can eat and he says there are plenty we can eat. Beautiful coloured fruits and vegetables because they have anti oxidents and help prevent heart disease and cancers and these foods should be the center of how we eat.
Anyway, if I go on, you may not need to read this book, but I will say that apart from all the good information in here that I've mentioned, it also has really nice recipes that are easy to follow. The classic pasta salad recipe and the cranberry crisp are two that I've tried and loved. I can't wait to try more because it's showed me that there are healthy foods out there that can taste great (Now if only I could give up Coca Cola!!!). Highly recommended book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Family Physisian recommends, December 1, 2006

By 

Julie Mixter "MD" (Delta, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Road to a Healthy Heart Runs through the Kitchen (Hardcover)

As a practicing Family Physician, I have been recommending this Book to my patients. The book has 2 sections, the first part is an excellent resource of helpful information regarding coronary artery disease and dietary and lifestyle changes helpful in improving the health of the heart. The writing is easy to understand and backed by solid research. I would not call this a diet book so much as a Lifestyle change book based on a healthy Mediterranean approach to eating. I have tried a couple of the recipes so far and found them delicious. I highly recommend this book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Culinary choice = health and heart condition, March 11, 2006

By 

D. Donovan, Editor/Sr. Reviewer "California B... (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Road to a Healthy Heart Runs through the Kitchen (Hardcover)

THE ROAD TO A HEALTHY HEART provides cardiac patients and their loved ones with a step-by-step guide to cooking which links culinary issues with health and heart connections, and represents a complete revision of the classic DON'T EAT YOUR HEART OUT COOKBOOK - a revision some ten years in the making. The Piscatella diet is at the heart of the matter and while 300 recipes pack ROAD TO A HEALTHY HEART, plenty of details on diet and nutrition are included too. A 'must' for any serious about health.