Heal Your Gut, Save your Brain by Partha Nandi

HEAL YOUR GUT, SAVE YOUR BRAIN by Partha Nandi was published last Fall by the Mayo Clinic Press. This is a very accessible and informative work. Written by a gastroenterologist and clinical associate professor of medicine at Michigan State University, it first describes gut health and its importance. He then elaborates on the “Five Pillars:” nutrition, movement, community, spirituality, and purpose which impact overall well-being. Nandi also devotes several chapters to Strokes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, describing for each how gut health contributes and how one can change the course of the disease, as well as suggesting a few applicable recipes. While many of his comments (e.g., more omega-3 fatty acids are associated with lower risk; more animal fats are linked to increased disease risk) echo other resources about good nutrition, those with pre-disposition towards one of these diseases may find his comments helpful, especially as an incentive to take early action.

The Official MIND Diet by Martha Clare Morris

THE OFFICIAL MIND DIET by Martha Clare Morris outlines “A Scientifically Based Program to Lose Weight and Prevent Alzheimer's Disease.” The majority of the text is about the science behind the diet; there are chapters on research and benefits of specific foods.  In terms of application, there is a toolbox section which suggests tracking your consumption, using a calendar for reminders, and menu planning.  Only about twenty-five percent is devoted to the sixty or so recipes which are included. Morris led a team of researchers at Rush University Medical Center and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to develop the MIND Diet. Her daughter, a professionally trained chef, has worked with a registered dietician to compile this text and includes recipes with nutrition information for dishes like Veggie Hash with Eggs or Smoked Paprika Chicken with Seared Green Beans. However, there are NO pictures in this section of the preview (despite its appealing cover). The final ten percent of the book contains notes, references, and a poorly formatted six week at a glance chart. As valuable as this scientific and health information may be, my impression is that readers who are interested in exploring this diet will largely be convinced of its merits and be more interested in trying to develop motivation to prepare some of the recommended foods. I am tempted to look instead at titles like MIND Diet for Beginners (with 85 Recipes and a 7-Day Kickstart Plan), The 30-Day Alzheimer's Solution, or Blue Zones Kitchens. They seem to have many more appealing images and less text and tasks.

Zingerman's Bakehouse Celebrate Every Day

If you have never been to Zingerman’s Bakehouse in Arbor, Michigan, you absolutely must go (and eat!). In the meantime, have fun sampling delicious recipes from a brand new cookbook, ZINGERMAN'S BAKEHOUSE CELEBRATE EVERY DAY by Amy Emberling, Lindsay-Jean Hard, Lee Vedder, and Corynn Coscia. The four authors each adopted a season in order to include “A Year's Worth of Favorite Recipes for Festive Occasions, Big and Small.” The photographs by E. E. Berger are stunning – and there are more of them (roughly a hundred) than recipes (about 80) so this is a visual feast as well as one sure to please the palate. Recipes are detailed with fairly lengthy ingredient lists, but the results are so creative and special, that it will truly be a joy to experiment with the ideas here. Examples include Key Lime Pie, The Works Grilled Cheese Sandwich, or Hot Cross Buns for Spring and Blueberry Buckle or Fresh Fruit Tart (plus a couple of Paella choices) for Summer. Fall may be my favorite with Bavarian Soft Pretzels, Kickin’ Butternut Soup, Pumpkin Cheesecake and Michigan Double Chocolate Cookies, but Winter has plenty to offer, too: Pfeffernűsse, two versions of King Cake, and West African Peanut Stew or Zingerman’s Deli Chicken Pot Pies. And that is just a few from each season – don’t they all sound yummy?

Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken

The recent New York Times bestseller, ULTRA-PROCESSED PEOPLE is written by Chris van Tulleken, a BBC television and radio broadcaster whose relevant credentials include a medical degree from Oxford, a PhD in molecular virology, and a position as an associate professor at University College London. In addition, van Tulleken is willing to experiment with his own body, allowing ultra-processed foods to account for 80% of his daily calorie intake for a month. Afterwards, he gained weight, slept poorly, and became more anxious while noting “ironically, food often felt like the solution rather than the problem.” Van Tulleken splits the text into five sections, with background on what we are eating, ideas about control and addiction, physical and psychological reactions to these products, as well as associated costs and possible solutions. With approximately 10 percent devoted to notes, this text is full of facts about nutrition, physiology, and ingredients – many are disturbing. They may not be enough to change strong habits or combat the addictive qualities of these processed items, but they will definitely have readers looking at food labels in a new way. ULTRA-PROCESSED PEOPLE, about “The Science Behind the Food That Isn't Food” (more like “an industrially produced edible substance,” per one scientist van Tulleken interviewed), was a Next Big Idea Club selection for June 2023. For interested readers, related texts include 2015’s The Dorito Effect, 2013’s Grain Brain (updated in 2018) and 2021’s Metabolical.

New cookbook titles ...

THE ULTIMATE MEDITERRANEAN DIET COOKING FOR ONE COOKBOOK by Kelly Jaggers includes “175 Healthy, Easy, and Delicious Recipes Made Just for You.” Jaggers is clearly passionate about preparing food; she is the author of several cookbooks, a cooking instructor, personal chef, and caterer. And it’s a good thing, too, that the recipes are great because that cover could be so much more appealing, right? This new cookbook is part of a series (others are on Baking for One and Cooking for One) and Jaggers divides it into fairly standard sections such as breakfast, side dishes, seafood, poultry, and desserts. She includes nutritional information for each recipe and also has some beautiful pictures (a sampling of which appears in the look inside feature at amazon). In general, the recipes seem to meet the promise of being healthy and relatively easy. I am excited to try the Frozen Fruity Yogurt Bark (only 4 ingredients).    

SIMPLY TOMATO by Martha Holmberg offers “100 Recipes for Enjoying Your Favorite Ingredient All Year Long.” SIMPLY TOMATO received starred reviews from Booklist (“consider this the tomato Bible”) and Publishers Weekly (“an indispensable resource for tomato lovers”). It is a unique book for the more experienced cook and is filled with mouth-watering choices. Holmberg has been very creative; for example, she includes eight tomato soups, three of which are variations on gazpacho. Numerous salads (like Sungold Cherry Tomato and Summer Corn Salad), pastas (Penne with Blasted Cherry Tomatoes, Fennel, and Salami), and both main and side dishes are featured as well as snacks (like Grilled Cheese with Sun-Dried Tomato and Smoky Red Pepper Mayonnaise), drinks, and tarts or pastries. Nutritional information is not provided and not every recipe has a picture, but tomatoes are so easy for the home gardener to grow that this cookbook will offer many fun ideas for experimenting during harvest season and beyond. 

Diet, Health, and New Cookbooks

I took a quick look at several food-related new books recently; they are from a number of publishers and cover a variety of more niche topics so I am posting them together in case one is of particular interest to you.

That said, who doesn’t love pasta? And AN A-Z OF PASTA by Rachel Roddy provides stories and commentary on 50 types of pasta, with, as the subtitle notes “Recipes for Shapes and Sauces, from Alfabeto to Ziti, and Everything in Between.” Roddy, an award-winning British food writer, says, “The idea is the 50 stories, arranged alphabetically according to the first letter of the shape, are like pieces of a jigsaw…” The relatively few pictures look scrumptious, like the one for baked macaroni with meatballs and eggplant (Maccheroni ‘ncasciati), although I did not see any nutrition information in the preview. In general, the recipes use numerous ingredients so this may work best for more experienced cooks, but some are marked very quick (e.g., butter and parmesan fettuccine) or quick (e.g., Carbonara). In addition to the delicious food, fans of pasta are sure to enjoy the details – like Penne being named for its slanted cut thanks to an 1865 patent on a diagonal cutting machine - revealed in the descriptions. AN A-Z OF PASTA received a starred review from Booklist. 

MIND OVER BATTER by Jack Hazan is subtitled “75 Recipes for Baking as Therapy.” Hazan writes quite a bit about his Syrian Jewish family members and obviously shares numerous favorite recipes, including his own experience making and selling challah. It all sounds delicious, and frankly, I think if I had more patience and somewhat different expectations that I would like this book more. I was honestly hoping for less stress through easier recipes. Pictures are quite colorful and have me thinking about giving Pesto Pull-Apart Bread or Choose-Your-Own-Scone a try. Since these are baked goods, they tend to be on the sweet side and nutritional information is not included. Hazan, a licensed psycho​therapist, also includes information on self-care, mindfulness, and healing exercises. MIND OVER BATTER is a unique cookbook, especially if you enjoy baking. 

EAT TO BEAT YOUR DIET by William W. Li describes how to “Burn Fat, Heal Your Metabolism, and Live Longer.” Li is a physician, scientist, and author of over one hundred scientific publications in leading journals. He outlines a program to improve your metabolism by carefully choosing what you eat and eating less and more slowly at certain times of the day. The text focuses more on the theory of what and when to eat, but Chapter 12 includes a sample meal guide and recipes like Berry Walnut Breakfast Cookies, Artichoke Egg Scramble, or Pasta Salad with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Olives. Unfortunately, the preview did not contain images (always a favorite part of cookbooks) or nutrition information. Addressing a topic of interest to everyone, EAT TO BEAT YOUR DIET appeared on The Wall Street Journal non-fiction best seller list and for those who are interested, this link leads to a short video interview with Dr. Li as shown on Good Morning America. 

THE EVERYTHING ONE POT MEDITERRANEAN COOKBOOK by Peter Minaki offers “200 Fresh and Simple Recipes That Come Together in One Pot.” That is a style of cooking that I appreciate and there are many, many great choices here: Risotto with Shrimp, Mushrooms, and Asparagus; Cod with Raisins; Skillet Lasagna; even making Sun-Dried Tomatoes yourself. Minaki blogs about “Greek food and more” and embraces Greek (e.g., Scallops Saganaki) and other cuisines in his latest book with recipes like Moroccan-Style Chicken with Green Olives and Lemon or Spanish-Style Chickpeas with Cod. THE EVERYTHING ONE POT MEDITERRANEAN COOKBOOK contains sparsely illustrated sections for skillet dishes, sheet pans, Dutch ovens, Slow Cookers, Instant Pot and casseroles. Yummy! Nutritional information is provided and readers will have a hard time deciding what to try first.

Metabolical by Robert H. Lustig

METABOLICAL by Robert H. Lustig (Fat Chance and The Hacking of the American Mind) is subtitled “The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine.” And the author, a trained physician and professor emeritus at the University of California, San Francisco, refers to the text as “medical heresy” because of its strident appeal to the profession to focus more on nutrition, diet, and healthier eating. In fact, he offers an entire chapter titled “Assembling the Clues to Diagnose Yourself” which will likely add anxiety to those of us who are considered well within the “normal” range by our time-pressed physicians. Lustig argues that overly processed foods, particularly those with added sugars and salt, are contributing to disease (such as cancer, dementia, diabetes, hypertension or heart issues) in the United States. He points out that physicians should be spending greater effort promoting changes in lifestyle and eating habits, rather than waiting for disease symptoms to appear and need treatment. For added perspective and numerous relevant examples, he devotes a chapter each to What and How Adults Eat; What and How Children and Adolescents Eat; and What and How Fetuses, Infants, and Toddlers Eat. Subsequent sections discuss public policy, including educational campaigns, changes in law and economics (taxes, subsidies, etc.), and incentivizing real food. This thought-provoking book with certainly be of interest to student researchers. METABOLICAL received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.