If you’re looking for the best healthy cookbook to provide you with a bit of culinary inspiration, then read on!
The internet offers a wealth of information, including a wide range of wonderful, healthy recipe websites. However, there’s something about flicking through the pages of a beautiful cookbook that inspires me.
When I think, “I’d like to cook X,” I search for that recipe online. When I need inspiration on what to cook, I go to a cookbook and leaf through it for ideas. I find it quite enjoyable to sit down with my pile of cookbooks at the end of the week to plan and prepare meals for the following week. (What a geek!)
I’ve compiled a list of my top ideas for the best healthy cookbooks. It’s a list of books that I own or have used in the past. I noticed a few reviews of the ‘best healthy cookbooks’ online, but some of them have descriptions copied and pasted from Amazon.
While I’m sure the Amazon descriptions are accurate in terms of how the book author wants their book described, I wanted to put together more of a personal and authentic ‘tried and tested’ description.
Read on for my top picks of health-centered cookbooks!
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Authentic, healthy cookbook recommendations from a qualified health and fitness professional
All of my book recommendations focus on whole, natural foods. If you have specific needs, such as gluten-free, dairy-free, raw, paleo, or vegan, all these books include options that fit most of these requirements, and I will specifically mention which ones they best cater to.
Your idea of the best healthy cookbook might differ from mine, but I hope my descriptions help you decide whether to explore them further. If you have any of your own recommendations for the best healthy cookbook, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the blog!
1. Dr. Libby’s books
I’m a long-time fan of Dr. Libby and have no hesitation in recommending her three recipe books to my ‘best healthy cookbook’ list. There are so many great Dr. Libby books centered on helping women become happier and healthier.
Her three recipe books are all fantastic (yes, I have tried them all). Especially noteworthy are her raw sweet treats. They’re so nourishing that I even consider them as healthy as her main dishes!
When my older daughter was young, I made one of Dr. Libby’s raw vegan cakes for her birthday each year. The first year was the beetroot chocolate mud cake, and the second was her blueberry-and-white chocolate cake. On her third birthday, I made Dr. Libby’s raw strawberry slice into a pile of cupcakes, which acted as a cake.
They are all delicious and never fail to disappoint. They take more effort than a traditional cake, but are well worth it. The best thing about all the treats is that you store them in the freezer and take them out as needed (not much defrosting required).
Dr. Libby’s cookbooks aren’t totally vegan or vegetarian, but she does include a significant number of vegan recipes. As a vegetarian, I am certainly spoiled for choice when cooking from her books. Check out Amazon for the latest prices.
2. The simplicious book
Sarah Wilson is behind ‘I Quit Sugar’ and Simplicious. I love her recipe book because it encourages using leftovers and minimizing waste, which I am a big fan of.
I like that she shares practical tips on preserving, freezing, and bulk cooking. I highly recommend the simplicious book as the perfect accompaniment to a low-sugar diet and going back to basics with real, delicious food.
Sarah now has four “I Quit Sugar” books. Three of them have over 300 recipes, and her 8-week detox program and cookbook has over 100 recipes.
3. The best healthy cookbook for seasonal dishes
Ripe Recipes is one of my long-time favorite healthy cookbooks. Is it the best healthy cookbook? Well, compared to the others I am listing, I would say the sweet recipes in this book aren’t as healthy, as they are generally made with refined sugar.
I haven’t made any sweet treats in this book, but I am sure they would be delicious. Perhaps you could try substituting some of the sugar for a less refined option.
I haven’t needed to use their sweet recipes because I’ve had all these other great raw baking recipes. However, what I love about the Ripe Recipes cookbook is that it’s seasonal. There are sections for summer, autumn, winter, and spring that reflect the produce that typically grows well during those seasons (well, at least in New Zealand, anyway). I am a huge fan of seasonal cookbooks because they help me on my quest to choose fresh, local produce.
An amazing cookbook for big salads to feed lots of people
The highlight of this seasonal cookbook for me is the salad recipes. Ripe Deli is a cafe in Auckland, New Zealand, and its recipes genuinely reflect those of an upper-end cafe. The flavors are incredible, and the recipes produce huge dishes that impress even the most avid chefs.
Warning: Don’t buy this cookbook unless you love cooking. The recipes are not fast ones; they require plenty of love! I love making one of their salads and taking it to a BBQ because it will nourish a good number of people. They’re not simply leafy green salads but can almost warrant being a meal in their own right. This is definitely a top seasonal cookbook, and the recipes will certainly impress your friends!
4. Nourishing Traditions Cookbook
As a committed vegetarian, I wasn’t sure whether the Nourishing Traditions Cookbook would be a good choice for me. It’s based on Weston A. Price’s philosophy, which can be quite meat-centered. However, I was pleasantly surprised that the book contained a wide range of vegetarian dishes.
Note that if you are entirely vegan, you probably won’t want to buy this book because most of the dishes use butter and other animal products. You could substitute vegan options, but it would probably defeat the nutritional purpose and likely the meal’s taste.
The Nourishing Traditions cookbook is known for challenging politically correct nutrition and diet dictocrats. Is it the best healthy cookbook? Well, that will probably depend on your definition of healthy. If you think high-fat foods such as butter are unhealthy, you probably won’t like this book!
A basic, real food focus for optimal nutrition
Like all my cookbook recommendations, this one emphasizes getting back to the basics of eating real food. I especially like two things about this book. Firstly, I love that it focuses on properly preparing food for optimal nutrition.
The art of food preparation has been somewhat lost in modern society, and this book shares many methods for properly preparing foods such as grains and legumes to ensure they are nourishing and well-digested.
It also shares fermented food recipes, which are fantastic as a central focus for gut health. Secondly, this book is full of food facts and education, so you can learn all about what you’re eating before you cook it!
(By the way, if you want to learn more about gut health, check out this post about the gut-brain connection).
There is also a Nourishing Traditions Cookbook for Children (teaching children to cook with traditional methods).
So there are my top five faves for the best healthy cookbook. What do you think are the best healthy cookbooks? I’d love to know, so please leave a comment below!
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I like a good cookbook! Thanks for sharing your favorites. I have so many new ones to check out.
You’re welcome; I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!