Be it resolved...

It is that time of year again - my pants are tight from too much turkey, beef and tarts and someone is going to ask me again if I have made any New Year resolutions... sigh.

Yes, this year, I resolve to lose weight. I would love to look cute in my clothes. I would love to look younger. I would love to be able to keep up better with my kids. But, mostly, I would love to not die. :-) Can I get an amen?

So after a bunch of reading, researching and ruminating, I have chosen The Pink Ribbon Diet as my guide book in this new endeavour. The Pink Ribbon Diet is the product of the work of research dietitian, Mary Flynn, PhD, RD, LDN, who set about exploring the link between diet and breast cancer. Turns out, she found that low-fat diets can increase the risk of cancer, but a plant-based one, similar to the Mediterranean diet, helps you shed pounds while gaining important nutrients beneficial to the fight against cancer.

To prepare this book, Flynn teamed with Nancy Verde Barr, a former culinary associate of Julia Child's.You can tell - there is a lot of passion in the recipe introductions and lots of sensible food wisdom. The book begins with a thorough explanation of the diet, the science behind it and stories from women who have tried it. The rest of the book is devoted to recipes, 150 of them, covering everything from breakfast foods, soups, sandwiches and salads through a range of main dishes, sides and desserts. The emphasis is on vegetables and healthy doses of olive oil for fat, with small portions of meats allowed. There are lots of notes on ways to customize or adapt recipes and they all look really, really doable.

As a bit of a foodie, I am often sceptical of diet books. The recipes often look boring and, well, uninspired. These ones are different. I actually want to try them. There are lots of fresh herbs used, you can use store-bought sauces for convenience and speed, and I can even see the occasional mention of cheese! Woo hoo! There are also a range of global influences and cooking methods, so you should find recipes that fit your own personal cooking styles.

The rumour has it, this is a diet you can live with, like, forever. I'm going to take it one day at a time. But I will report back here and in my recipe blog to share my results.

Good luck with your own resolutions! And now one last glass of eggnog before a workout session with our new Wii Just Dance game. Cheers!