The Doctor’s Kitchen: Healthy High Protein – by Dr. Rupy Aujla

We previously reviewed another recipe book by the same author, the original “The Doctor’s Kitchen”, and this time it’s more of the same but with a focus on, as the title says, high protein—delivered healthily.

Before the recipes, we get an overview of the science of protein metabolism, how much we need, and how we can get it from various foods. Because of the emphasis on health, meat isn’t high on the list—but the recipes aren’t all vegan, or even all vegetarian, although there is certainly a “plants-forward” focus throughout.

Dr. Aujla not being vegan himself is probably a limiting factor on the diversity of the vegan dishes, as he says “if you don’t like soy products or are allergic, you will certainly struggle to get enough protein”. Which is very simply not remotely true (this vegan reviewer gets most of her protein from beans, lentils, and nuts), but he seems to believe it, and for this reason we see a lot of tofu, tempeh, and so forth in the recipes.

His lack of diversity of experience with vegan cooking notwithstanding, the recipes he does present are very good, so it’s not a problem so much as a limitation, that’s all.

When he says “healthy high protein”, he not only means that the protein sources will be healthy, but also the rest of the meal too. And, a lot of people think of “healthy” as being “not unhealthy”, but Dr. Aujla cares a lot about positive health—adding in ingredients with many vital nutrients, ensuring that each dish is gut-healthy, anti-inflammatory, and so forth. All these things add up to “healthy”. In short, “healthy” is not merely the absence of unhealthy ingredients, but rather is a matter of vibrant inclusion of things that will actively uplift our health and fortify us against disease.

Bottom line: if you’d like to cook with plants more, want to get plenty of protein, and do not dislike soy or have an allergy, then this book will be a fine addition to your kitchen.

Click here to check out The Doctor’s Kitchen: Healthy High Protein, and expand your repertoire!