Eating Well, Living Better

July 16, 2012
Fenster, a cardiologist and trained chef, puts his profession and passion to work in this practical, if somewhat overblown, eating guide. He can be cloying (e.g., "Dear reader" this, "Dear reader" that) and his reliance on medical studies and statistics might alienate a general audience, but Fenster pulls no punches and goes for the goal: a sustainable, healthy, and delicious "food program." If his intentions were murky, his appellation for junk food ("weapons of mass consumption") should make his stance clearâFenster is a vocal proponent of fresh food, reasonable proportions, and sensible eating decisions. The author holds forth often and at great length about the attitudes, behaviors, and misconceptions that lead to bad eating habits, and he also provides plenty of cooking tips, like how to select the best proteins and seafood, as well as over 100 pages of recipes, each of which includes nutritional information. He relies on natural spices to wake up the palate, incorporating garlic, ginger, and thyme, for example, in a Caribbean-inspired broccoli and cauliflower dish simmered in coconut milk; cayenne and black pepper in pumpkin cornbread; and a lemon-curry hollandaise in a smoked salmon pizza. For those willing to look past Fenster's verbosity and philosophizing, this volume is full of delicious dishes and tried and tested advice.

June 1, 2012
Unarguably an overachiever, Fenster has earned a medical degree, a culinary degree, and an MBA, and he is a martial-arts adept. He deplores the way too many Americans have fallen victim to fast food's siren song, which offers mere satiety without sound nutritional values. The cardiologist in Fenster hates fast food's bodily damage, the chef loathes the mediocre flavors and textures, the businessman frets over worker exploitation, and the martial artist laments the lack of exercise that often accompanies the fast-food approach to human sustenance. He presents a wide-ranging survey of contemporary nutritional and physiological research to support his program of Buddhist-inspired moderation, cautioning about dangerous excess in either extreme. Inventorying both ingredients and kitchen equipment, Fenster advises consuming freshly prepared foods and reasonable alcohol consumption, suggesting how to achieve balance without undue stress. Recipes, complete with nutrition analyses, cover a host of basic dishes and reflect sundry ethnic origins.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)