Some Of Our Favorite DASH Diet Cookbooks

 

Medical authorities such as The Mayo Clinic and the American Heart Association have recommended the DASH diet as one of the healthiest diet plans to follow. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension, but don't let the name make you think it only works on hypertension. It is a well rounded healthy diet that aims at weight loss, lower blood pressure and long term health benefits. The DASH diet succeeds by controlling portion sizes and focusing on foods that are healthy and nutrient rich. By eating healthy and following the diet plan, the patient can lose weight, lower their blood pressure (a good way to reduce hypertension) and reduce the risk of strokes. Other benefits that may be obtained by following this diet plan are reductions in cholesterol and possibly reducing the risk of cancer.

DASH Diet Info

Following the DASH plan means that meals will be based on fruits, vegetables and low fat dairy items. The diet plan will also include some poultry, fish, whole grains and nuts. Sugar is cut out and sodium intake is greatly reduced. A typical DASH plan will limit sodium to 2500 mg per day, 1500 mg is you are on a limited sodium diet. The diet does allow for small amounts of red meat and the occasional dessert but in very reduced servings. As with any diet plan, meal planning can be the toughest part. To make any plan work you need to follow the guidelines for every meal, not just once in a while. Sometimes the options are so limited you get discouraged right away. Other plans have too many options and you are overwhelmed by having to choose 21 meals for the next week. Using a cookbook designed just for the diet plan that you are following is a great way to jump into a new diet. Most will have a wide variety of recipes geared towards each meal, plus some snack ideas. Many will have full meal plan suggestions for 7 or 14 days. Here are a few of our favorite cookbooks for following a DASH Diet:

DASH Diet Cookbook For Beginners

The title may seem simplistic but this well written cookbook is an excellent starting point for beginners to a DASH diet. Written by a nutritionist and dietician the book is laid out as a 21 day meal guide. The recipes are tasty and easy to make and the fact that 3 weeks of meals are presented makes this a great choice for starting you new diet plan.

DASH Diet Cookbook: 500 Healthy And Yummy Recipes

This is a huge cookbook with an amazing assortment of recipes and meal plans to help you succeed with your DASH diet. You will be able to find a recipe for any type of food that you may be craving and the section on approved snacks is great. The author uses only ingredients found commonly in most kitchens, keeping you from having to spend money to fix meals in your new diet.  

DASH Diet Cookbook: 250 Recipes For Instant Pot

The Instant Pot has hit American kitchens like a tidal. Entire cooking shows are now dedicated to using the Instant Pot, so it was a treat to find a DASH diet cookbook with recipes using the appliance. There are over 250 recipes here that are well written, delicious and in full compliance with a DASH diet. You will love some of the options here, and the Instant Pot makes preparation quicker and easier.

The 28 Day DASH Diet Weight Loss Program

This is a great cookbook for anyone who is having difficulty setting up a meal plan. Not only does the book put together a 28 meal plan but it offers tips on how to prepare some foods properly and how to measure your success (without getting impatient!). There is also an extra 7 day meal plan that can be a great help after you have completed that first month of changing your eating habits. All of the cookbooks reviewed are full of good information about preparing meals while on the DASH plan, but they also talk about lifestyle changes. For any diet plan to succeed you need to look at your lifestyle, of which your diet is a big part of, and make changes that will improve you chances of succeeding. The goal is for healthy, long term weight loss and the health benefits that will come from that.

 

A Few Keto Friendly Baking Cookbooks

 

  We love our desserts. Giving up desserts can be the worse part of any diet, we are so used to having a sweet course to finish off a meal. Some diet plans offer desserts that are basically ricotta cheese with an artificial sweetener added. Sure, it's sweet, but not very satisfying. You are trying to follow a smart diet plan but you would like a treat once in a while.       One great feature of a keto diet is that there are options for desserts, real desserts. Desserts that feature chocolate and brownies and some of our other dessert favorites. The secret is substituting high carb items, such as all purpose flour, with low carb alternatives that work very well. Consider a favorite cake recipes. Instead of 2 1/2 cups of all purpose or cake flour, a keto friendly recipe will call for 1 1/2 cups almond flour, 3/4 cup coconut flour and 1/4 cup flaxseed meal. All three substitutes are zero carbs, work like flour and are found in almost every grocery store. The other key ingredients, chocolate, eggs and butter are already approved for a keto diet. One substitution and you have a delicious, rich chocolate cake that looks and tastes like a cake. Instead of having to cut out desserts completely, a keto diet allows you to have desserts as long as they are not make with flour (or any other high carbohydrate ingredient) and sugar. Most sugar substitutes are exchangeable in recipes in the same portions as regular sugar, you don't have to pull out a conversion chart to figure out how much to use. There are quite a few dessert cookbooks on the market that feature keto friendly recipes. Here are some of our favorites.

The Best Keto Friendly Dessert Cookbooks

Easy Keto Desserts is a fun cookbook with over 50 delicious keto friendly dessert recipes. The book is very well written, the recipes are easy to follow and the photography is really well done. Most of the recipes use standard baking ingredients and don't requires special purchases.  

Pros

-Very well written. The recipes are detailed but easy to follow. -Well photographed. You usually only get a photo of the finished product but the images are stunning. -Excellent recipes. We have tried most of the recipes and the results have been wonderful. -A wide variety of desserts. There is a nice assortment of cakes, cookies, freezer desserts, ices and pan bars. You may be on a diet but this cookbook allows you to enjoy some fun desserts.

Cons

-A few of the recipes have a lot of ingredients. Granted, you are substituting high carb ingredients for low carb, but some of the recipes are overly complicated. -While the author is very helpful with her advice about sweeteners, there are a few sugar substitutes that can taste harsh in some recipes. Keto Fat Bombs, Sweets and Treats pulls no punches. This cookbook is about sweets and other comfort foods and how to have them while on a keto diet. With over 100 recipes you can easily find a keto friendly dish to help satisfy almost every craving. Not only are there dessert recipes but you will also find great recipes for pancakes, muffins and breads.

Pros

-A wonderful assortment of recipes, over 100 in total. Not only are there dessert recipes, there are keto friendly recipes for breads, muffins, crackers and pancakes. -Very well written. None of the recipes assume anything, the directions are very clear. The author does a very good job of explaining what an ingredient does and why your are using it. -The author explains how a keto diet works and what you should do to follow a healthy keto plan.

Cons

-Many recipes use peanuts, peanut butter or chocolate. Anyone with food allergies will want to pay attention to the recipes. -A few recipes use some hard to find ingredients such as xantham gum or psyllium husk powder. Everyday Keto Baking gives you some fun options for keto friendly baking. Here you will find great recipes for desserts such as Streusel cake, cookies, cobblers and cupcakes. Along with these excellent desserts you will find recipes for bagels (finally a keto bagel!), breads ticks and quiche.

Pros

-Most of the recipes are built around almond flour and coconut flour. Both of these are very common ingredients, not expensive and found in most supermarkets. -There are a few recipes for savory bites. While these aren't baked, they are low carb and delicious. -Pie recipes. Yes, pies can be keto friendly. -Very well written recipes with excellent photography.

Cons

-Some of the recipes use a lot of ingredients. This is not necessary a bad thing, but it does mean you may need to do some special shopping. -There is not much guidance on the use of sweeteners, especially when using dairy. Many people don't like sweeteners such as Splenda with dairy rich dishes but the recipes often don't offer advice about your options. 

 

A Few Final Thoughts....

Having desserts, whether you are on a diet or not, usually means that you are adding something to your diet, such as fats (cream, butter) or sugars. Just because the recipes is keto friendly doesn't mean that there are no consequences if you eat the whole dessert. Portion control is still important. Any dessert recipe that is allowed on a keto or low carb diet will use a sweetener other than sugar. Some are good, some less so. Pay attention to what the recipe calls for until you have decided which sweetener you like best. Alternatives to wheat flour, such as almond flour and coconut flour, will usually react to other ingredients in the same manner that wheat flour does. However, these alternatives can absorb liquids slower and may require a mixture of two or three different types of flour to achieve the same consistency as wheat flour. Almond flour and coconut flour will generally be about twice the cost of wheat flour. They are usually found in the organic sections of supermarkets as well in the baking aisle. Not all alternative flours are organic, be sure to check the labels. Keep them dry and awake from high heats. Your freezer can be a great storage space for coconut flour.

Increase Your Weight Loss By Adding Some Exercise To Your Daily Routine

 

Most doctors and health professionals will tell you the same thing when you consult them about losing weight. To achieve effective long term weight loss you will need to have a smart diet plan, an exercise routine and a change in your lifestyle (eating habits, workout habits). Studies have proven over and over that just exercising probably won't help you lose a lot of weight. Same with dieting only, you may lose some weight but it probably won't stay off.

For Best Weight Loss Results-Diet AND Exercise

Some people cringe at the word diet. It can hold some unpleasant meanings of food deprivation, hunger, cravings and discomfort. The same can be said when some people hear the word exercise. They will pull up thoughts of sweating, muscle aches, a sense of body embarrassment, being humiliated by all of the skinny people in the gym and other unpleasant thoughts. While all of these emotions can be real and act as an impediment, the reality is quite different. Most good diet plans don't involve hunger and cravings, they are usually an adjustment of what someone eats and how much they eat. The same can be said about exercise. No one is going to tell you that the only successful exercise program will involve you going everyday to a gym and working out for 3 hours. It is also about a lifestyle change and becoming more active. Let's look at what exercise can do for you and how it can improve your diet's chances of helping you to lose weight and keep it off. There is hardly ever a downside to exercise. By increasing your activity level and maintaining an exercise routine you help your body in a wide variety of ways. Exercising can reduce or even reverse some health problems such as high blood pressure and problems caused by cholesterol. Lowered cholesterol has been shown to be a positive factor in lowering the odds of a heart attack. Exercising regularly can also help to reduce your risk of certain types of cancers. Colon and breast cancer rates are lower in people who consistently exercise. It has also been shown that depression can be lessened with a regular workout routine.

Exercise And Weight Loss

Exercise is an excellent tool to help you lose weight and to keep it off. That's the goal of any weight loss plan and adding an exercise routine will help dramatically to keep the weight off. When you exercise you raise your metabolism. This is the rate of how many calories per day that your body will burn off. The higher your metabolism, the more calories you will burn and the more weight you will lose. This can also help you to maintain a leaner body and have better muscle mass. While your diet plan may be designed to help your body burn fat, exercise will help to ensure that is exactly what your body will do. 

 

How Much Exercise Do I Have To Do?

This is where many people can get confused and discouraged. We have all turned on a TV program that has featured skinny, young fit people doing extreme workouts with someone shouting encouragement to them. The sweat pours, they frantically run/jump/bend/twist to a loud musical background and go on like this for an hour. That is not the exercise routine that we are talking about. You need to be realistic when you are setting a workout routine. Take into consideration your age, your weight, you general fitness and any health issues. Someone with a bad back shouldn't start out doing exercises on a mat with weights. In the same vein, if you have not exercised in years you will quickly discover that you have no stamina. After 5 minutes you are winded and discourages. Any ex-athlete will tell you how disappointed they were to find out that they couldn't do the things they could do in their 30s now that they are 60. While the urge is to go big and get a large loss of weight right away, the most effective plans are just the opposite. Start small but follow a routine everyday. Increase your efforts as you start to feel better and get more comfortable but always be aware of what your body is telling you. You want a slow, steady loss of weight and you want to keep it off. You want to feel the positive effects of exercise, not 2 weeks of constant muscle strain and pain.

Set Up A Workout Plan

When you add exercise to your diet plan you will increase your odds of long term weight loss. The secret is consistency, you want to exercise every day or at least 4-5 times per week. For best results you will want to do 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercises during each workout session. This can include walking or jogging, biking or swimming. If you have access to a stationary bike, ride it for 20 minutes per session. Other aerobic exercises can be done with machines in a gym or by lifting small weights. If you want to exercise at home, pick up a small set of dumbbell weights and use them regularly. You can lift small weights while you watch TV, you don't need to concentrate on the exercise to make it effective.   A great purchase for working out at home is an exercise mat. Sometimes called a yoga mat, they are small and portable. They help you keep you secured on the floor when you are doing exercises and help to keep your flooring clean. One mistake made by some people when they are starting out a work out routine is to try and do too much right away. Yes, Zumba is a great program to help you lose weight and make you feel better. It also requires a minimum level of fitness and you may have better luck waiting a month or two before trying a Zumba session.

Workout Videos

Like every part of your workout routine, what you actually do is going to be determined by your physical condition at the time. If you try exercises that are too advanced right away you will get discouraged and probably quit in disgust. If you want to use a workout video, the same rule applies. Use a video that is appropriate for your level of fitness. There are some great fitness videos that you can use for home workouts. Some are designed for seniors, some are designed for people who have never worked out. The last thing anyone struggling to find a compatible exercise video needs is some hyper-fit trainer screaming at them from the TV. Look for DVDs that are aimed at beginners, they will usually give you a good 20-30 minute workout that will be beneficial to your health.

A Good Workout Schedule

A recent recommendation from the American Heart Association has become the standard for workout routines. Their recommendation is 30 minutes or more of aerobic exercises 5 times per week. One example would be to take two 15 minute walks per day. You have reached the 30 minute goal but have broken up the workout into 2 parts. It's also recommended that you add or incorporate 2 muscle strengthening sessions per week. These sessions should focus on major muscle groups and can also be broken up into smaller sessions. Will this schedule help you lose and keep weight off? Yes, if you keep a schedule and maintain 30 minutes 5 times per week. This will help you burn an extra 100 calories per week which can translate into about 10 pounds of excess weight lost over the course of a year. That's a nice, sustainable weight loss that is good for your overall health.

I Need Some Help With The Keto Diet!

 

You may have heard about a keto diet. Quite often TV and movie stars have gone on a talk show and praised the benefits of a keto diet when it comes to weight loss. Some restaurants have gone so far as to label certain dishes as keto friendly in an effort to bring dieters into their cafes. There is a lot of noise being made about keto diets.

What Is A Keto Diet?

A keto diet is not a brand name (such as Atkins) but a type of diet plan called ketogenic. A ketogenic diet will be low in carbohydrates and high in fat, similar to the type of diet plan found with Atkins or other low carb diets. The goal of the plan is to train your body to burn fat, not carbohydrates, by having your body go into a state called ketosis. Once your body is in ketosis it becomes very efficient at burning excess fat for energy. One other benefit is that your liver also starts to turn fat into ketones. Studies have shown that this improves brain function. By shifting your body away from carbohydrates a ketogenic diet reduces the blood sugar and insulin levels. Adding the benefit of the increase of ketones will help you lose weight, feel better overall and improve your general health.

Does A Keto Diet Work

Keto diets have been shown to work for both short term and long term weight loss. Some long term studies have also shown that this type of diet can help with diabetes, heart disease and blood pressure problems. The two kinds of keto diets that have been studied the most and show the best results are the standard ketogenic diet (SKD) and the high protein ketogenic diet. While other versions of keto diets have shown some promising results, they don't have long term studies to back up those claims. A standard keto diet (SKD) can help you lose weight quickly. This diet will contain 75% fat, 20% protein and 5% carbohydrates. At first glance the high fat level seems frightening but a careful plan will help you to add proper nutrients. As you lose weight your overall health will improve and you will have no problem with the increased fat intake. Starting out with a standard keto diet causes you to be a bit drastic for the first few weeks. You can eat a lot, you shouldn't have the problem of always feeling hungry. The problem that many people have is the loss of certain comfort foods. You can't eat bread, rice, potatoes or other starchy foods. There are no familiar desserts and you have to change your beverages. During the first 3 weeks you will try to keep your carb intake down to 10 carbs a day. That may sound easy but read a few food labels and you soon realize that it will take some planning. A high protein version of a keto diet follows some of the same guidelines for carbs but adds more protein. The usual breakdown is 60% fat, 35% protein and 5 % carbs.

Never Having To Count Calories

Ask any dieter that has had to count calories how that worked for them and you will generally get a negative reply. It can be almost impossible to count calories accurately, size portions always vary and some ingredients don't even have calorie counts listed. Ketogenic diets avoid that pitfall, you can usually eat as much as want of the approved foods. There are some vegetables and fruits that are acceptable to this diet, so you can keep your vitamin intake at comfortable levels. You can also eat meat and eggs often, helping you to add texture and flavor to your menu. You also can avoid that "I'm always hungry" feeling that can attack someone on a diet.

Health Benefits

Besides that obvious benefit of losing weight, the type of weight loss that comes from a keto diet can assist in improving other health conditions. People who are diabetic or pre-diabetic have reports huge drops in insulin sensitivity. No one is going to say that a ketogenic diet cures diabetes but studies have shown that it can help reduce the causes and and lower the needs for some medications. Following a smart keto diet can help to reduce the risk of heart failure and disease. Lowering the blood sugar level, reducing bad cholesterol and lowering blood pressure are all results of a good keto diet. Your heart can benefit greatly from all three results. Many doctors will recommend a keto diet to cancer patients. While it won't stop or cure cancer it does help your body fight off infections and improve heart function. Ask any teenager who has suffered from acne what seems to cause a breakout and they will tell you it's sugar. Anyone suffering from acne can see an improvement with their complexion after a few weeks on a keto diet. No need for creams, the reduction in blood sugar will help reduce acne breakouts.

What Can I Eat On A Keto Diet?

You may be surprised an the wide variety of foods that work with a keto diet. You can eat almost any type of meat, including beef. Bacon and sausage are allowed, as is chicken and turkey. These types of meat add both fat and protein, plus all of them will help you feel full. You can also eat fatty fish such as salmon and tuna. Eggs, cream and cheese are also big parts of a keto diet. The cheese needs to be unprocessed (sorry, no Velveta) but there is no limit to the amount you consume. This lets you have cheese as a snack, a great way to kill some of those urges during the day. Nuts and seeds are used in a lot of keto recipes. Almonds, walnuts and pumpkin seeds are the most popular but other nuts and seeds are fine. Keep in mind that peanuts are not nuts, they are legumes. Avocados and low carb vegetables are approved for this diet. Onions, peppers and tomatoes are great foods to add to your diet. Most fruits are not part of this diet, at least for the first month. While they are considered healthy foods they have high levels of sugar that will raise your blood sugar levels. There are many great cookbooks and other sources for planning and preparing meals for a keto diet. You may want to look at the Atkins diet. While it's not a true keto diet, it is a low carb diet and there have been great results from followers of the plan. We really like The Essential Keto Diet cookbook. It not only has over 125 recipes, it has some meal plans that can be great tools to help you get started. Another good starting place is Simply Keto, another well written and usual guide to help you start your keto diet.

Atkins Cauliflower Risotto Recipe-Delicious!

 

One of the key aspects of an Atkins diet is giving up starches, such as pasta, potatoes and rice. Many of us are used to having a starch with most meals, whether it is bread or a rice side dish. Luckily there are some excellent recipes that are low carb and can recreate the taste and texture of many of your favorite starches. This cauliflower risotto recipe is one of our favorites. Ricing cauliflower is quite simple and the results are delicious. Use your food processor, set on pulse and add the florets and stems until you have a rice-like mixture. Don't over pulse, there is a lot of water in cauliflower and the end result of over-pulsing can be mush. I like to remove the mixture after each batch is the consistency that I like, then go on to another batch. Onions can be substituted for the shallots but you may want to add another tablespoon to the mixture. This is a perfect recipe to add some wild mushrooms to. Slice the mushrooms thin, saute in olive oil (or butter), salt and pepper lightly and add to the finished risotto. This recipe contains less than 3 grams of carbs.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups Cauliflower
• 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp chopped Shallots
• 1/2 cup Bouillon Vegetable Broth
• 2 tbsps Heavy Cream
• 2 tbsps Parsley
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese (Grated)

If using frozen cauliflower, thaw and drain thoroughly

DIRECTIONS

1. Pulse cauliflower florets in a food processor until they are the size of grains of rice.
2. In a skillet over medium heat cook shallots in the olive oil until tender.
3. Add cauliflower and toss to coat; add vegetable stock and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Add cream, chopped parsley and cheese.
5. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

The result is a dish that is creamy, high in fiber and delicious!  

Some Easy Tips For Effective Weight Loss

 

It can appear that losing weight will take forever. Having motivation when beginning a weight loss routine is easy. However, keeping the motivation high after a few weeks can be very difficult. Is there a reason why that doesn't happen for everybody? Some people lose weight and keep it off. Why is it that they are successful and how can you replicate their results?

It All Starts With A Diet Plan

Setting clearly defined goals is one of the most important steps in weight loss. Are you looking to shed lots of pounds, or do you just want to reclaim clothing that has not been worn for many years? Is it that you want to be healthier and feel fitter? You should set a weight loss goal to give yourself something to achieve. Check and document your progress on a weekly basis. You should only weigh yourself once a week and keep track of your weigh-ins. Keep a food log in the journal of everything you consume each day. When you have a record of what you are eating, you will be more mindful about choosing healthier options for your meals. Keeping track of your meals and activities is necessary for any diet or lifestyle change to work. Food decisions that are last minute are most of the time the result of being overly hungry. Do not wait until you are extremely hungry to eat. Create your menus in advance, and never be without healthy snack foods. Bring a healthy meal from home instead of going out for lunch. In addition to saving money, this will help keep calories to a minimum. You're much more likely to break your diet if you've gone a long time without eating. Eat before you're extremely hungry to avoid the trap of overeating. You should try to keep healthy snacks available and have all of your meals planned out. Instead of eating out, take your lunch with you. This will be easy both on your wallet and on your calorie count.

Weight Loss Requires Changes

The key to losing weight has never been a secret. It may be easier said than done, but all you need to do is eat healthy and begin a fitness plan and the pounds will start coming off. It is important that you exercise three times a week or more. If working out this often is difficult for you to do, then you must ensure you do exercises that you love. Meeting up with friends for a walk is a great way to socialize and get in some exercise. Enjoy your workout in nature if you can. Hiking trails and bike paths offer some great outdoor space for working out by walking, biking, inline skating or even skateboarding. Sign up for a class and learn a new high-energy style if you enjoy dancing. Throw away any unhealthy food that is found in your cupboards. Remove all unhealthy choices and you will not give into temptation. This will make it difficult to have the foods that are bad for you within easy access, which means you will not eat as much of them.  

Learn more about this weight loss waist trimming belt by clicking HERE.   Invite a friend to workout with you. In many cases, if there is nobody to keep us accountable, we tend to slack off and neglect what is best for us. Working out with friends helps keep you motivated to keep going, especially when you start feeling fatigued or discouraged. You and your friend can encourage one other as well as give advice when asked. Dieting can seem lonely and a bit overwhelming. Share your goals and plans with others, they can encourage you and may join you. Lifestyle change sounds daunting but it can be done and the results are worth the effort. Lost weight, better overall health and more energy are long term benefits that all can enjoy.