Any cook will tell you: you can never have too many cookbooks. This is one reason why cookbooks make such great gifts. Personally I’m a vegetarian but for this review I overlooked that and simply found you the best selling cookbooks available.
Choosing Good Cookbooks for Health
What are the best selling cookbooks in today’s market? It might be helpful to look at the ones that others are choosing and recommending to other people because as we both know, the cookbook aisle in the book store can just be overwhelming. There is no section in the book store to tell us which cookbook is being purchased by other cooks because it has good recipes and easy to follow instructions. Having a list of the best selling cookbooks will be most helpful for you to choose your first cookbook or your next cookbook.
This compilation is also useful if you plan to give a cookbook as a gift to someone. It might be for a Christmas present or it could be for a new bride as a shower gift.
It turns out the most popular cookbooks today help you maintain a healthy lifestyle without costing you too much time in the kitchen.
I’ve included links to cookbook selections that are aimed at specific cooking topics: vegetarian cooking, baking desserts, cooking for kids etc.
- Best Baking Cookbooks
- Top Desserts Cookbooks
- Best Pastry Cookbooks
- Best Kids Cookbooks for children
- Best Vegetarian Cookbooks
- Best Vegan Cookbooks
So here are the general best selling cookbooks this Christmas:
Best Healthy Cookbooks
Top Recipe Books For Healthy Living
Are you looking for recipes to make from healthy cookbooks? Have you decided to be proactive and start to eat healthy to prevent having illness take over your life later on? Perhaps you have discovered that you are having a heart problem and your doctor has suggested that you start eating a healthier diet. Not to worry, there are many cookbooks on the market that give recipes to cook with ingredients that are better for us to eat than the old recipes that our parents cooked.
Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats–A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners (A 30-Minute Meal Cookbook)
This is Rachael’s best and most diverse collection of recipes to date. Famous from TV her cookbooks are well worth the purchase as well: easy to make, easy to follow, and delicious of course.
What does a college student need in a cookbook? Well, they want the meals to be quick, they want the ingredients to be cheap and they want the recipes to be easy to fix. This cookbook wins on all three wishes. How can they be sure that it fits the bill? It was written by students who understand the needs of a college student, that is why. Great tasting meals that are healthy to eat.
200 recipes on 293 pages.
Health And Weight Loss Cookbook – This cookbook is aimed mostly at helping you keep your blood sugar levels at healthy levels
Dr. Mark Hyman shares 175 different recipes that promotes better blood sugar levels in our bodies helping to better control the insulin imbalance that often occurs in us. This imbalance is the major cause of diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Dr. Hyman gives recipes that also are allergen free and do not include harmful inflammatory ingredients. Following the scientific guidelines of the author will help you or the person who uses the cookbook to enjoy nutritious meals that are no longer toxic to their health.
In A Hurry Suppers – Cookbook for couples
EatingWell Serves Two: 150 Healthy recipes
It is just the two of you or maybe just you and you want a recipe that does not feed an army. This cookbook features 150 meals that are healthy for you to eat and only fixes enough for two people. The added bonus is that the meals can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
Written by the recipe developer of Eating Well magazine.
The thing that sets this book apart from others I have tried is the sheer variety of interesting recipes. Sure most books cover the basics, but this also includes some very inventive combinations. My personal favorite is the author’s take on spanakopita in soup form. It’s rich and delicious and quite unlike any soup I’ve ever had. The eggplant parm soup is also unbelievable. I first tried it in the restaurant and the cookbook version is identical. I also quite enjoyed the Roasted Beet and Pear Soup with Blue Cheese. I’m not normally a huge beet fan but this soup won me over. Overall, you get a breadth of recipes that not only sound good on paper, but work out perfectly when you cook them at home.
What makes food healthy?
- Enough fiber
Fiber in your foods means you feel like you’ve had enough sooner and it keeps your intestines busy.
- Only as many calories as you’ll burn
Unfortunately studies show that people who eat diet products aren’t healthier than those who don’t, so you can’t take the easy way out on this one. Find products without added sugar and syrup.
- Not too much meat
You do not need to eat meat daily. A few times a week is fine. Too much meat will contribute towards heart problems.
- Vegetables and Fruit
I think this is the one most of us forget most easily. Add a salad to your meal, and snack on fruit instead of candy. Do remember to mix your colors: fruit with different colors has different anti-oxidants.
- Not too much salt
Do you snack a lot? I take care to only snack on unsalted nuts, to minimize salt intake.
- Not too much food
Sounds like a no brainer, doesn’t it? I mean it seriously though: portion size is a major part of over eating in the US. While people have become far less physically active, plate sizes have gone up. Psychologically this makes what we eat look less, and the result is that we eat more. So – treat yourself to smaller plates to eat less without having to suffer for it!
This cookbook covers any kind of recipe we might want to make during any given day. Features 800 healthy ideas to cook in our kitchen to eat better and enjoy the flavors, too. America’s Test Kitchen uses cooks, cooking editors and cookware specialists to prepare and taste meals for a living. They not only check out the recipe they also test kitchen equipment to see which ones best perform while making our meals.
Betty Crocker Counts Calories
I don’t know about you but I grew up learning to cook from a Betty Crocker cookbook. Those recipes could be pretty high in calorie content but that was the way we ate back then. This cookbook offers recipes that are 300 calories or less for us to enjoy preparing and serving to our family for a way to get on that road to eating with better choices.
Mediterranean Cookbook
Did you know that island of Sicily has one of the healthiest diets on the planet? Having Mediterranean style meals in your diet can help you reduce weight and have a healthier life, too.
Studies indicate that this type of cooking may reduce the risk of developing disease like Alzheimers, diabetes, Parkinson’s and depression. Making the recipes and following the guidelines will give you flavors that will please your taste buds and give you an infinite amount of health benefits.
Chicken and Beef Cookbook – Almost Like Having Two Cookbooks In One
Our Favorite Slow-Cooker Chicken & Beef Recipes (Our Favorite Recipes Collection)
First of all this cookbook is small enough to carry in your purse so that when you are shopping for groceries you can take it with you to make sure you get all of the ingredients you need. Half of the book contains recipes for beef meals to be cooked in a slow cooker. The other half of the book features chicken recipes. Wow, that makes it easier to find the recipe for the meat you want to prepare!
Sixty recipes and tips to save you time.
Plant Based Meals
Forks Over Knives – The Cookbook: Over 300 Recipes for Plant-Based Eating All Through the Year
Over 300 healthy recipes that do not involve meat that has to be cut with a fork. Meals that can help you regain better cholesterol numbers, start to reverse heart disease and lower your weight. It is all about healthier choices for our dining. Recipes for every meal of the day are provided for you to cook.
More vegetarian and vegan cookbooks
Southern Cooking without the Calories
From Mama’s Table to Mine: Everybody’s Favorite Comfort Foods at 350 Calories or Less
Son of the popular cook Paula Deen, Bobby Deen offers Southern cooking that is as good as what his mother makes except that they are lower in calories and healthier choices. We all love comfort foods but they do not have to be prepared with all of those ingredients that end up making us less healthy.
Offers 120 recipes
Cookbooks Make Great Gifts
Giving a cookbook as a gift is a splendid idea! They are wonderful to give to Mom if she loves to cook and for any woman or man who loves to spend time in the kitchen preparing meals for the family and friends to enjoy.
When a child moves out on their own, a cookbook as a little house warming gift is very thoughtful. Cookbooks are also excellent bridal shower gifts.
Does Dad like to cook? He would most probably love a cookbook instead of a pair of socks or a tie for Father’s Day.