Don't overlook wellness cookbooks for good, nutritious recipes

It's easy to overlook a good cookbook. You are not a diabetic, so why would a diabetic cookbook appeal? Likewise, your interest in tomes written for people with Crohn's disease or the lactose-intolerant or those with allergies to gluten will probably not draw your interest unless you are suffering from any of those conditions.

But cookbooks written for people with special dietary needs can be sources of great recipes for the rest of us. It pays to be open-minded; you will be rewarded by learning even more ways to vary your diet, and you may pick up some nutrition tips to boot.

Case in point: "The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen" (2009 Celestial Arts). This is a book with a serious purpose, written by two seriously qualified writers: Rebecca Katz, a chef and nutrition educator at the Commonweal Cancer Help Program in Bolinas, Calif., and award-winning medical writer Mat Edelson. It contains serious discussions of side effects of chemotherapy, such as dry mouth, nausea, anemia and dehydration - terms not usually found in cookbooks. And yet this book lives up to Katz's directions to her clients: "Have fun."

Filled with delicious and delightful recipes, this book IS fun. It is a valuable resource not only for those battling cancer and for their caregivers but also for those of us blessed with good health. My fit-as-a-fiddle (knock wood!) college-age daughter, for example, has pronounced it her current favorite cookbook. She made the chard recipe, below, for a recent dinner. We ate every bite.

Likewise, "The EatingWell Diabetes Cookbook" by Joyce Hendley (Countryman Press) has had pride of place on the shelf since it was published in 2005. No one in our family (knock wood again) has diabetes, but this book simply outlines a healthy diet for anyone. The food is delicious.

It's wise to take nothing for granted and to be grateful for good health. Eating from "wellness" cookbooks is another way to try to make sure that you keep it.

• Marialisa Calta is the author of "Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the American Family" (Perigee, 2005). More at marialisacalta.com.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>Recipes</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> </div> <div class="recipeLink"> <ul class="moreLinks"> <li><a href="/story/?id=321471" class="mediaItem">Emerald Greens With Oranges</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=321470" class="mediaItem">Southwestern Steak And Pepper</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>