OP: Craig Claiborne's Gourmet Diet

Times Books, 1980. Hardcover. Very Good Plus in Very Good jacket. Twelfth printing.

A book that grew from Claiborne’s recognition that—perhaps because of his long tenure as restaurant critic for The New York Times—he had to make an effort to deal with diet-related health problems. The book contains statements of personal medical history by Claiborne and a strong argument for the necessity of a food regimen to combat high blood pressure and congested arteries. 

Claiborne was well-known enough by the publication of Gourmet Diet that his avid readers followed his health progress with personal investment. Just as he had been enormously influential in exposing the public at large to fine cuisines of the world, he now introduced them to low-fat and low-sodium foods. Pierre Franey helped develop the some 200 health-focused recipes

Claiborne’s experience with fine cuisines lends a notable thoughtfulness to the recipes. Where fat and salt are minimal or absent, we see an emphasis on other flavorful ingredients—herbs, spices, and aromatics—as well as a strong variety of textures and flavor palettes. Though thematically a deviation from his previous books, Gourmet Diet maintains the integrity and curiosity synonymous with Claiborne’s name.