The Self-Care Cookbook: A Holistic Approach to Cooking, Eating, and Living Well

"A gem! In an insightful and meaningful way, Dr. Ardito perfectly combines cooking healthy, easy-to-prepare recipes with eating and wellness. Love it!" —Dr. Kim Rostello, exercise physiologist, Chicago Blackhawks

The Self-Care Cookbook, written by health and wellness expert Dr. Frank Ardito, explores the intersection of cooking, eating, health, and wellness by offering 130 recipes designed to help you improve every aspect of your life. Ardito doesn't believe in bad food, restrictions, or denial. True wellness—complete wellness—addresses both ends of the spectrum: fresh, light dishes that strengthen our bodies and wonderful indulgences that feed our souls.

The first of its kind, The Self-Care Cookbook is divided into ten chapters, each of which focuses on one dimension of personal wellness: physical, spiritual, emotional, environmental, intellectual, nutritional, protectoral, social, occupational, and financial. Each chapter includes thirteen recipes—from starters to mains to desserts—that support well-being through carefully selected ingredients and cooking methods. For example, the intellectual wellness chapter includes foods that improve cognition and kitchen techniques that challenge the brain.

This book encourages you to prepare these recipes by yourself, for yourself, as a way to create a true sense of wholeness and satisfaction. A balanced life includes both celebratory and health-supportive foods, and this book helps you decide which you most want or need at any given moment.

"Dr. Ardito's book reminds us that cooking and nutrition is a fun and important part of total health, and it provides an easy to follow road map to help us feed and maintain all aspects wellness." —Mike Gattone, MS, CSCS, senior international coach, USA Weightlifting