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!

There are many competing diets out there, for dealing with diabetes. Most focus on different strategies for keeping blood sugar levels even, but that’s only part of the story, and that approach will run into problems if undertaken in isolation, because insulin sensitivity—or as the case may be, insulin resistance—is ultimately the more important factor, and contrary to popular belief, the two things (insulin sensitivity and blood sugar levels) are not so perfectly linked as many might think.

For this reason, this book focuses on reducing insulin resistance, by minimizing how much insulin-triggering food we consume in favor of foods that help rather than harm. Based on extensive research (discussed in detail in the book), this doesn’t mean “low-carb at all costs”, but rather, sensible carbs (a lot of whole fruits and vegetables) while avoiding insulin triggers (refined carbs, animal products, especially fatty ones, because yes, that triggers insulin too).

However, this is a lot more than 400 pages to say “eat some fruit”.

Rather, the authors (Type 1 Diabetics themselves) discuss the different tiers of foods with respect to insulin response, various tests that can and should be done (this is not a “just trust us” approach), and flowcharts to personalize one’s own ideal diet.

The style is a good balance of being to-the-point and yet comprehensive, with a very heavy weight of evidence and many studies to back every claim. It’s also very easy to read as a reference guide, with many tables of information, callout boxes of key points, and the like.

Bottom line: if you have any kind of diabetes, or just want to take care of your metabolic health, this book provides not only a blueprint for doing so, but also for personalizing it to your own physiology as you go, so that you can be sure of the results and ongoing beneficial effects, without guesswork.

Click here to check out Mastering Diabetes, and take control of your insulin sensitivity!