Naturally Thin by Bethenny Frankel – Advice from a NY Housewife (and chef!)

Living in New Jersey, and working in New York City for years, I started watching “The Housewives of New York,” when it premiered on the Bravo Network last year -- it’s always fun to spot locations you know and visit on television, and see things you can relate to. Since then, I’ve become a fan. I’m also a big fan of eating all-natural and organic food, so when I discovered gourmet natural foods chef, and one of the stars of the show, Bethenny Frankel, wrote a book called “Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting,” AND that it included healthy recipes, I had to pick up a copy! My main goal was to get some new recipes, and the book delivers with instructions for foods like Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Faux Cheesecake, Ultra-Healthy Mexican Chili and Roasted Spicy Broccoli (we can’t wait for her new cookbook to come out at the end of the year). But for someone who has struggled with weight and is looking to give up the fad diets and deprivation, this book shows you there is another way – and a healthy way! What I really loved about the book was the self-help, no-diet approach Frankel takes. I am not a fan of traditional diets because I always think depriving yourself of anything is never the answer, and any fad diet restricting an entire food group is just a way of asking to pile the weight back on once you start to join the normal world of food again! In “Naturally Thin,” published by Fireside, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc., Frankel explains how to eat healthy and make good choices without obsessing over every morsel, and without restricting yourself to certain food groups, giving up sugar or eating the no-taste, low-fat or fat-free offerings available today. She gives tips and tricks to make your food taste good, look good and, most importantly, to make you feel good about eating it. And she uses all-natural, healthy ingredients. The book starts with an introduction by Frankel explaining why she created it, and then goes into what she calls her “10 Rules,” which include “You Can Have It All, Just Not All At Once,” and “Know Thyself.” It is a mindful approach to eating, especially the chapter and rule called “Pay Attention.” If you are tired of diets, deprivation and food tasting like flavored cardboard, then I recommend this book! And even if you are already a “skinnygirl” (or boy!) the tips and recipes will spice up your cooking, kitchen and taste buds! And Frankel will make you laugh while you do it. And if you can’t wait, you can get some recipes right now at her Web site, www.bethennybakes.com.