Recommended healthy recipe books

The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022)" is the first choice that is universal and can be followed without making mistakes. If you need to control sugar and lose weight, choose "Reducing Sugar Life". Those who are troubled by chronic diseases and food sensitivities choose "Functional Medicine Diet". People who are regular fitness go directly to "Sports Nutrition Practice Guide". Those who just want to make quick and low-calorie home-cooked dishes can go directly to "Teacher Tian Rong's Low-calorie Quick Dishes".

Speaking of which, the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" was given to me by the doctor last year when I accompanied my mother to the community hospital to control my blood pressure. In the past, I followed the recipes of Internet celebrities, sometimes making my mother go vegetarian, and sometimes forcing her to drink celery juice every day. After two months, my blood pressure fluctuated up and down, and my face turned sallow. After reading this book, I realized how many common sense mistakes I had made: I added three handfuls of red beans to the multigrain porridge I cooked for her, which has a higher glycemic index than white rice. The pickled radish she ate every meal contained more sodium than the recommended daily intake in a small dish. Later, she adjusted according to the oriental healthy dietary pattern, ensuring one pound of vegetables and half a pound of fruits every day, milk, eggs and meat, and grains only accounting for one-third of the staple food. After three months, her blood pressure stabilized at around 130/80, and she also lost 4 pounds. Of course, some people complain that this book is too official and does not have specific recipe details. In fact, the official supporting mini program has specific recipes that match different calories and different groups of people, which is enough for ordinary families. After all, 90% of the healthy recipes that can be found online now come from this book. The core principles come from this book. You will definitely not go wrong if you follow the general direction.

If you don’t have chronic diseases, but you just want to adjust your diet and lose those few pounds you gained during the New Year, or you want to improve the problem of getting sleepy in the afternoon, then many girls born in the 90s around me have curled up the pages of "Sugar Reduced Life". I used to think that reducing sugar meant not eating rice or fruit at all. I was so hungry that I felt dizzy and couldn't lose weight. After reading this book, I realized that in fact, as long as I control the daily added sugar below 25g and replace one-third of the grains with refined rice noodles, it doesn't matter even if I eat a small cake occasionally. The recipes in it are also very down-to-earth. Everything from salmon chazuke rice to chicken breast vegetable rolls can be cooked in 15 minutes, and the taste is not bland. I followed the method for a month and lost 3 pounds without being hungry. I no longer need to rely on two cups of coffee in the afternoon. But objectively speaking, many people in the nutrition field are complaining that this book exaggerates the effect of sugar reduction. Statements such as sugar reduction can resist aging and cure acne are indeed suspected of marketing. If you expect to reduce sugar to eliminate all the wrinkles on your face, it is definitely impossible. But for people who usually drink milk tea and eat refined rice and noodles, first follow the method of this book to reduce the sugar intake to a reasonable range, and you will feel the real comfort.

Oh, by the way, if you have special dietary restrictions, don’t join in the fun of reducing sugar and look for more targeted books. For example, my best friend was diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis last year, and the doctor asked her to avoid gluten and dairy products. She looked through Xiaohongshu at that time and couldn't find a few recipes that she could eat for a long time. They were either too complicated or the ingredients were unavailable. Later, she bought the "Functional Medicine Cookbook" to solve the problem. This book is classified according to different health problems. People with Hashimoto's, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and even dust mite allergies and lactose intolerance can find corresponding diet plans. Even commonly used sauces are given homemade recipes without additives. She has followed the plan in it for half a year, and her antibodies have dropped by more than half the last time she went for a review. However, this book also has shortcomings. Many ingredients, such as chickpea flour, chia seeds, gluten-free soy sauce, etc., may not be available in small supermarkets. If you are just an ordinary healthy person, there is no need to buy them, and the price/performance ratio is not high.

For friends who exercise regularly, I suggest you stop eating boiled chicken breasts every day. The "Practical Guide to Sports Nutrition" recommended to me by my former fitness coach really saved my life during the fat loss period. It is not the kind of book that makes you use a food scale to count calories until you have a headache. It will first ask you how many times a week you practice, whether you want to gain muscle or lose fat, and then match you with the approximate ratio of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. During my previous fat loss period, I made the roasted chicken leg multigrain rice according to the recipe in it. It contains meat, vegetables, and carbohydrates. It tastes 10,000 times better than boiled vegetables. I lost 3% of my body fat in two months, but not any muscle mass. I also bought a book full of salad cookbooks before, but I threw it away after flipping through it twice. I really couldn’t bear to eat cold salads in the winter, so this kind of book with many hot dishes is more practical. However, if you only run a few steps occasionally and have no long-term fitness plan, this product is a bit too professional, and it will most likely become dusty when you buy it.

Many people ask me why I don’t recommend those Internet celebrity “lose 10 pounds in 7 days” recipe books? I have bought two books before because I was greedy for freshness. Either the ingredients were very demanding, such as organic quinoa and imported avocados, and the cost was too high to afford them. Or the taste was so bad that I couldn’t continue to eat them for two days. They were completely made to make quick money. Really, healthy eating is a long-term thing. You don’t need to buy a lot of books to pile up on the bookshelf. Choose one that suits your current needs. If you can stick to it, it is better than anything else.