The review---

The Mayo Clinic: just the name connotes quality and trust. I wasn’t surprised that I would find the same in The Mayo Clinic Diet book and accompanying Journal. Note I didn’t say cookbook! It’s not filled with recipes but rather with information on eating healthier meals and not sacrificing good food that you can adapt from your favorite cook books to make the recipes fit into your plan. You need a goal and a plan to lose weight, keep it off and maintain body mass.

Normally when reviewing cookbooks, I read through them and try some of the recipes and then give my opinion as to how well they were written, the ease of recipe preparation, taste and if everything is cohesive. Reading this book was a much different experience for me---I really learned a lot! It made me think about myself; as I measured my waist, I said Hmm! And then thought about reducing sugar intake even more, go to more olive oil and less butter and margarine, eat better lunches and then really get serious about walking!

I did try one recipe, Morning Glory Muffins. Whole wheat flour, egg substitute, grated carrots, raisins and pecans with seasonings and very little sugar. They were really good at 170 calories, although not much fiber at 2 g but you could easily add a couple of tablespoons of bran without affecting the quality of the muffins if you want more roughage.

There are two parts to the diet, "Lose It" for 2 weeks and "Live It" forever! There are easy to follow steps on how to do it, leading to your ultimate goal. It’s really all about retraining your mind, refocusing and breaking behavior chains. Gee this seems too easy but it all makes sense at last. I’ve reviewed most of the recent dieting books that have been published, many of which I thought were good. This book is the first, the last and the best! It is a must buy if you want to change your life for the better in an easy to read, sensible and trackable format! Buy it for yourself or someone you care about who needs to lead a healthier life---get with the program!

What the heck, I’m going to do it---lose two pants sizes and I’ll start tomorrow, I’m inspired!!!

One of the cookbooks I reviewed recently is recommended by the Mayo Clinic to mesh with its program. Fix-It and Enjoy-It Healthy Cookbook was written by Phyllis Pellman Good and contains over 400 healthy and delicious recipes.

One of the recipes tested---

Morning Glory Muffins

15 Minutes Preparation Time
35 Minutes Cooking Time

Makes 18 Small Muffins

1 c. all-purpose (plain) flour
1 c. whole-wheat flour
3/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. egg substitute
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. chopped apples, unpeeled
1/2 c. raisins
3/4 c. grated carrots
2 tbsp. chopped pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

3. In a bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Whisk to blend evenly.

4. In a separate bowl, add egg substitute, oil, applesauce and vanilla. Stir in apples, raisins and carrots. Add to the flour mixture and blend just until moistened but still slightly lumpy.

5. Spoon the batter into muffin cups, filling each cup about z/3 full. Sprinkle with chopped pecans and bake until springy to the touch. about 35 minutes.

6. Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer the muffins to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Pyramid Servings: Fruits 1 Carbohydrates 1 Fats

Per Serving (1 Muffin)
Calories 170
Protein 3 g
Carbohydrate 25 g
Total fat 7 g
Monounsaturated fat 2 g
Saturated fat 1 g
Cholesterol trace
Sodium 195 mg
Fiber 2 g

Reprinted from The Mayo Clinic Diet, © 2010 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Good Books (www.GoodBooks.com). Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The accompanying Journal---