With summer here, and all the beautiful vegetables and fruits, I thought you might like to know about a couple new cookbooks that will help you cook up your favorite foods, in a way that supports your health.

I have two cookbooks to share with you. One is written by Dr. Andrea Purcell, a naturopathic doctor and one of my colleagues, and the other written by Jared Koch, a health coach and nutrition consultant in Manhattan who I’ve known for several years, and who also created a website and app to help you find healthy restaurants: Clean Plates.

Both books are great resources, especially when you are following The Hamptons Cleanse, avoiding common food allergens (gluten, dairy, eggs), and/or wanting to decrease inflammation in your body.

They both focus on eating lots of plant-based foods, no refined sugar or processed foods, and have recipes that are fast and easy to make. They also both promote the value of eating a good breakfast, and include vegetarian and vegan recipes, but they are targeted at slightly different audiences.

Feed Your Cells, by Dr. Purcell, is a perfect book for those who are transitioning to eating gluten-free because it shows you how to make simple meals without using gluten.

The book contains an entire chapter about gluten, celiac disease, and gluten sensitivity. It explains the high prevalence of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity today, and the reactions that gluten provokes in the body. An additional perk is that there is also a chapter with vegetarian gluten free recipes.

The Clean Plates Cookbook, by Jared Koch and Jill Silverman Hough, is a more comprehensive overview of healthy eating, and would be good for people who would like to learn how to choose healthy foods, as well as those who are tired of hearing about fad diets.

It is set up around the premise that there is no universal “right” way to eat, but that each person has individual dietary needs. With that understanding, the first half of the book provides a comprehensive overview of the different food groups and then the second half of the book has recipes, which are labeled with easy-to-read icons that specify whether they are vegan, gluten free, dairy free, etc. The book also contains basic cooking methods, as well as tips on how to have a healthy relationship with food.

I look forward to hearing how you like these books! I’m sharing a couple of my favorite recipes from the books below.

Empowering wellness – always,

Dr. Doni