What is a healthy diet? the answer is rarely a simple one. Our individual needs differ greatly for a variety of reasons, including our age, gender, activity level, and the status of our health. As more studies are conducted and the results ara analyzed, the media continue to report about miracle diets and wonder cures, but those don’t necessarily lead to a healthy diet.

by The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) (Author)

Techniques of Healthy Cooking, Professional Edition

Healthy plate: Grilling lean is fast and flavorful

By Jim Romanoff

Grilling generally is a healthy cooking method because little or no fat is needed. But the intense, dry heat can quickly turn food tough and leathery, especially if you start with something lean.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pork and beef tenderloin, as well as most white fish and shellfish, are healthy choices because they are all low in fat. That also means they usually are low in flavor and moisture, too.

For these leaner proteins be sure to season assertively using marinades and rubs, plus keep an eye on the grill to avoid overcooking. And be sure to season with salt only just before grilling, as salt can draw moisture out of the meat.

As for the grilling itself, it’s all about timing.

Boneless, skinless chicken and turkey breasts are best grilled quickly, over medium-high heat. Also, don’t use a fork to turn your poultry or you’ll just end up losing valuable moisture when you pierce the surface.

Grill chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side and turkey breasts for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Grill whole pork tenderloins over medium-high until they reach an internal temperature of 155 degrees. The temperature will rise to the recommended 160 degrees if you let the pork sit for 5 minutes off the grill before slicing.

To keep lean cuts of beef, such as tenderloin and round steak, from drying out, it’s best to grill them over medium-high heat to a doneness of not much more than medium-rare.

Unless you are grilling oily varieties of fish, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel and trout, most lighter-fleshed fish and shellfish should cook for just a few minutes per side over medium-high heat.

This recipe for fennel seed and thyme-crusted grilled shrimp uses an aromatic spice blend to create a flavorful crust. Cook the shrimp until they are just opaque, no more than 2 minutes per side.

To complete the meal, add a spicy arugula salad and some wedges of olive oil-misted grilled flatbread, which can easily be made using store-bought whole-wheat pizza dough.

Fennel seed and thyme-crusted grilled shrimp

1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 teaspoon salt

Lemon wedges, for serving

In a shallow dish, cover eight 10-inch bamboo skewers with water and set aside to soak.

In a small bowl, combine the fennel seeds, thyme, oregano, garlic powder, pepper and oil. Add the shrimp and toss to coat.

Heat a gas grill to medium-high or prepare a charcoal grill.

Divide the shrimp between the skewers, threading them through the sides. Season with salt. Grill until the shrimp are golden brown on both sides and opaque at the center, about 2 minutes per side. Serve with lemon wedges.

Servings » 4

EatingWell Serves Two: 150 Healthy in a Hurry Suppers

One of hardest lessons I ever had to learn, in a lifetime that’s included some pretty tought lessons, was how to cook for “just me”. Not that I couldn’t cook the pans off just about everyone I knew by the time my nest emptied. For almost two decades, I’d cooked volumes for my four girls, two sequential husbands and a hungry host of grateful friends and relatives … (Frances Price)

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Healthy Cooking for Two (or Just You): Low-Fat Recipes with Half the Fuss and Double the Taste

Food Network star Chef Kathleen Daelemans is living proof that great-tasting food and dramatic weight loss can go hand in hand. A decade ago, she was unexpectedly chosen to become head chef of one of the world’s most luxurious spas in Hawaii. One problem: she weighed 205 pounds and was a size 22—not exactly an advertisement for the joys of low-fat eating.

But Kathleen wasn’t about to give up her love of food, and she set out to create a cuisine she could be proud of. Her ground rules were simple. Every dish had to satisfy. Pleasure must rule. No one should have to weigh or measure food. And the “d” word was banned—unless the “d” stood for outrageously delicious.

Spa guests, movie stars, recording artists, sports figures, and supermodels flocked to the restaurant’s tables. Critics from the New York Times, Esquire, Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, and the Los Angeles Times raved. Kathleen herself lost seventy-five pounds.

Now, in this book, Chef Kathleen shares her sassy philosophy and the secrets of her weight-loss success story while giving you the tools to make healthy changes for yourself. Falling in love with her food is easy, with recipes like Split-Roasted Chicken and Potatoes, Buttermilk Baked Onion Rings, Sesame Ginger Shrimp, Green Beans with Lemon and Parmesan, and Dark Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake, and the book is packed with shortcut tips, comments from real people, and suggestions for transforming one meal into a second, equally delicious one. With COOKING THIN the journey to vitality starts now.

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Cooking Thin With Chef Kathleen: 200 Easy Recipes for Healthy Weight Loss