Small Changes, Big Results, Revised and Updated: A Wellness Plan with 65 Recipes for a Healthy, Balanced Life Full of Flavor : A Cookbook

by Ellie Krieger, Kelly James-Enger

An easy-to-start, simple-to-maintain, scientifically sound, and eminently usable twelve-week program of small steps on the road to better health

Small Changes, Big Results is not about cutting all the carbohydrates out of your diet. Or replacing every single gram of sugar with omega-3 fatty acids. It’s not about doing one hundred sit-ups a day, or getting on the treadmill whenever you have a free second. In fact, it’s not about any of the total lifestyle-replacement gimmicks—whether diet, exercise, or pop psychology—that have swept our culture in recent years, putting untold millions of Americans on the risky roller coaster of success and failure that defines fad diets and programs.

Not here.

Small Changes, Big Results is about reality—the reality of what you can do, the reality of what you want to do, and the reality of what works. It’s about introducing a series of small changes each week for three months in the three core areas of diet and nutrition; exercise and fitness; and emotional wellness. For each of the twelve weeks, nutritionist Ellie Krieger introduces a very finite, completely practical action plan for the week—and not only are these tasks incredibly doable, they’re in fact so accessible that it’s tough not to be inspired.

For example, in Week 1 the nutrition task is merely to go shopping, buy some healthful pantry items, and start keeping track of what you eat; the exercise consists of taking three twenty-minute walks; and the wellness aspect is to do a five-minute breathing exercise. That’s it. And it doesn’t really get any harder.

But these small changes do in fact lead to big results. At the end of twelve weeks, a totally unhealthy diet has been overhauled: armed with easy, delicious recipes and tips, you’ve removed unhelpful munchies and replaced them with healthful snacking, you’ve cut down on lethal trans fats while adding beneficial fat choices, you’ve replaced refined grains with whole grains, you’re eating more fish and less red meat, and so forth. Yet you’ve never been forbidden to eat a single thing: instead of prohibiting entire food groups, Ellie categorizes foods as Usually, Sometimes, and Rarely—and now you should be eating more from the Usually choices, less from the Rarely category. Furthermore, you’ve integrated physical activity into your life, and you’ve developed a set of tools to help you deal with stress—you’re not only eating better, but you’re also exercising better and feeling better.

The beauty of this program is that none of these action steps is remotely intimidating, because they’re not a full immersion into a totally new lifestyle. Instead, it’s a series of incremental changes—removing bad habits one by one, while at the same time adding good ones. There’s nothing to scare you off—on the contrary, here’s a whole book full of small changes that produce big results.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Cookbooks, Health, Cooking, Self Help, Nonfiction, Food, Nutrition

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 22, 2005

About the author

New York Times best-selling author and registered dietitian ELLIE KRIEGER was the host of Food Network’s Healthy Appetite, which also aired on the Cooking Channel. She regularly contributes to CNN and USA Today, and appears often on national morning shows.

Reviews

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, do not believe the subtitle. Ellie Krieger’s Small Changes, Big Results is not a cookbook, not really. Sure, it contains 65 recipes, but the book’s real value consists of getting people to overcome the obstacles they themselves place in their own way when they want to get healthier. (I number myself amongst those, which is why, after checking this book out of the library, I went ahead and bought it.)

What’s a person to do? Reduce red meat consumption? Cut out all red meat? Cut out all meat? Does that include fish? Fewer carbs? More protein? Running? Or yoga? Or that tai-chi walking that’s all over the Internet? How to manage stress and depression in this rushed and chaotic new state we find ourselves in the 21st century?

As a dietician and professional cook, Ellie Krieger of The Washington Post is much better placed to dole out advice. And her advice is to concentrate on three areas: eating better in moderation, incrementally exercising more and conserving one’s mental health. Krieger skillfully suggests the small changes that she promises will lead to big results over 12 weeks.

Don’t think about what you can’t have, but what you can: “…food is not the enemy. Food is a wonderful, delicious, sensuous part of life, and it doesn’t stop being so just because you’re eating healthfully.” Moderation also goes for exercise: walking is the easiest way to stay fit and be sure to move on a regular basis. As to mental health,

Self-esteem, adequate sleep, and supportive, happy relationships contribute to health just as much as eating right and exercising. Giving your body a chance to rest and repair, maintaining good relationships — a sense of connectedness in your life — and having a sense of purpose all help you stay healthy, maintain your weight, and prevent disease just as exercise and eating well do.

I’m going to call Small Changes, Big Results a five-star read. I do wish that Krieger had provided in her recipes the estimated times for prepping the dish, cooking it and the total minutes. That’s the only quibble I have, so I felt it would be churlish to take off a star for that even though the book isn’t perfect.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful easy-to-read-and-do prescription for good health. I use the exercises daily and find the simple program to be extremely effective. Have also tweaked my lifestyle, making small changes that have produced big results. The clean well-organized format makes it a breeze to skim and apply. Highly recommended!

[Beth Yeh]

I waited for this book on the library loan list for months, and I was pretty disapointed when I got my hands on it and it didn't engage me at all. I can't really put my finger on it, since I love health and exercise non-fiction in general. I cracked it open and skimmed it a few times and then sort of lost interest. I think many of the topics are geared at people who are a very beginning level of engagement with health and fitness. Also, I found the format--splitting things into "week" chunks, prohibited being able to skim the exercise recommendations or recipes in a topical way. I think this is a book that is very much needed in our society, just not a perfect match for me. I am going to return it soon so that someone else on the wait list, who is ready to take the first steps toward a fitness promoting lifestyle, gets this book for support.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I already knew most of the information Krieger presents in her book, it was good to be reminded of healthy changes I can make (or continue). I like that she focused on mental health and stress relief, in addition to the expected nutrition and exercise tips. The twelve-week format helps the reader to adapt to changes without being overwhelmed by too many things to keep track of at once. Recommended.

[Consuela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enjoyed Ellie Keieger's recipes from foodnetwork.com, so I got this book from Amazon for a few bucks. I read/skimmed it in one day. It's got some good ideas and I especially like the way she doesn't beat up on people but helps them ease into better eating and lifestyle choices.

[Siona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great tips for eating healthy

[Eileen]

Easy to read, simple suggestions to help get on track with eating right and getting healthy. As usual, Ellie shared some easy yet yummy recipes.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Ellie Krieger and bought this book eons ago. It has a good, sensible plan for healthy living and eating. Lots of tips and good information.

[Sybil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sensible, no hype advice. Kinda "back to reality" in our get it quick culture. Sensible food, sensible activities, sensible attitude toward life. I wish more people would hear her message.

[Deborah · Rating 1 out of 5]

nothing new

[Becky R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very common sense ideas and plan. These changes are so small that anyone could do them.

[patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellie krieger

I like Ellie's tv show . Some very good recipes. She is charming and witty.
I would have like to see more recipes. And in sections under Brfst, lunch ,and supper.
All in all it is a nice book and a good reminder of what we should do to keep fit and healthy

[Leandra Melton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and easy to read

[Lynne Scopazzi]

Very good ideas in her book. Will start following her plan in September.

[Ian Bordenave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellie Krieger’s Small Changes, Big Results is a wellness book that promotes good nutrition, healthy exercise, and a positive outlook. While Krieger offers readers plenty of exercise and feel-good ideas, her best contribution is in nutrition. After all, she is a registered dietitian. She helps readers understand food groups, including a twist of her own with beans, soy, nuts, and seeds forming a separate food group that provides a healthy alternative to always eating meat and eggs to meet one’s daily protein intake. She also helps readers to understand serving sizes and provides them plenty of nutritious and delicious recipes to go along with the food groups she discusses. The best part of Krieger’s book is a sensible approach to food that does not forbid any food as some diets do. Rather, she promotes healthy eating that allows people to occasionally indulge their guilty pleasures. If for no other reason, one should read Krieger’s book for helpful nutritional information.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book, with sound advice, it almost felt like it moved too slow. This is a very basic book, and I felt like there wasn't enough new information in here. The book also felt a little dated, though it was revised in 2012.

Krieger's tone is peppy and encouraging, but I really wish there were more recipes in here. The ones she does give us are good, and quick, but I thought there would be a lot more recipes for each chapter. She includes a lot of other helpful information (sugar counts, glycemic index, etc).

This is a good book to read to kick-start a health program. But you're going to need her other books for recipes.

[Jessie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wasn't impressed with this book. I was excited about it because I was reading "Body for Life" at the same time. This book also gives a 12-week plan to lose weight. It just didn't fit my excercise/food regiment I already have in place. I really loved her cookbook but this one just didn't do it for me.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

lots of suggestions I already practice...did find one new recipe to try, though :)

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot of common sense in this book so I feel like it was a waste in that respect. I liked the food nutrition charts and recipe ideas.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Common sense advice

[Lynette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent for anyone wanting to start a personal wellness program.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good recipes, easy exercises.

[Sara Branmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read the 'updated' copy, but I enjoyed the 'older' one. Ellie knows what she's doing in the kitchen!

[False · Rating 1 out of 5]

Small portions, clean foods, exercise. Ok. What else have you got to make you unique and this book interesting?

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The version I read has absolutely no pictures. When looking at recipes I like to see what the food is supposed to look like . I only found one recipe in here that interested me