Cleveland Clinic Healthy Heart Lifestyle Guide and Cookbook: Featuring more than 150 tempting recipes

by Bonnie Sanders Polin, Steven Nissen (Foreword)

Ranked as the #1 heart hospital in America eleven years running by U.S. News & World Report, Cleveland Clinic is also world-renowned for its life-saving medical breakthroughs, including bypass surgery. The hospital performs more open-heart surgeries and transplants than any other hospital in America. Now, emphasizing prevention, it has teamed with cookbook authors Bonnie Sanders Polin and Frances Towner Giedt to create the most complete and easy-to-follow plan yet for preventing heart disease: Cleveland Clinic Healthy Heart Lifestyle Guide and Cookbook.

Polin and Giedt have developed outstanding recipes that taste too good to be good for you (but are), ranging from Cajun Grilled Shrimp with Fresh Pineapple Salsa to Chipotle Chicken and Corn Tamale Pies, All-American Meatloaf, and even New York-Style Cheesecake. The authors also provide a week's worth of menus for each of three caloric plans to take the guesswork out of eating from morning to night.

With this guide handy, there’s no irksome hunt for answers to heart-related diet and fitness questions. Just turn the pages to find:

• How many eggs can be safely consumed per week

• Lists of foods rich in omega-3 oils and tips on avoiding mercury in fish

• Ideas for healthy snacks under 200 calories

• Strategies for eating out

• Why fiber is the key to good nutrition

• How to choose the healthiest protein–and the facts on soy

• The latest findings on alcohol

• How using a pedometer can keep you out of a gym

• How to calculate a healthy body weight

• How to keep kids fit and cope with finicky eating habits


Backed by the reputation of Cleveland Clinic, this all-in-one guide is the easy, enjoyable way for Americans to care for their hearts and live longer, healthier lives.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Health

365 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 30, 2007

Reviews

[Virginia Brien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Half the book is talk about the medical and physical side of your lifestyle and then a cookbook. My problem is the emphasis on spicy foods. Don’t just say leave out but give alternatives to add flavor. Too much curry, and the difficulty of the recipes. I want a simple easy cookbook for busy days. Salads but no salad dressings. But that said there are several recipes I will try after I adjust the spices. But it will remain a library book and not be put on the purchase list.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

The recipes are good, but the guide had me question some things as other healthy heart lifestyles have never recommended margarine given the chemicals and the healthier benefits from using less butter. I have issues with the low-fat with other studies - it goes back to the joke of "One study/clinic/doctor says x is bad and then the next day x is good for you." Ultimately this is good to use in conjunction with other health clinics or nutritionists to work with what is best with each person.

[Donna Hutt Stapfer Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best as a reference textbook

Actual recipes don't begin until you are 40% into the book; this is a teaching manual directed at training the reader towards a nearly fat-free, low sodium, cholesterol reduced diet designed to be 1,500 calories a day. It does encourage varied food choices, but best used as a starting point.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a concise and accessible introduction to improving heart health. The recommendations are easy to understand and implement (spoiler alert! It recommends what you've already been told: eat better and exercise!) This is a good starting point for making lifestyle changes. If you're very familiar with nutrition, it might be a bit basic.

The recipes are modern and provide some interesting options beyond the standard "health" fare.