The onion soup was a huge hit. Onion, red wine, melting cheese – what’s not to like? Paired with a salad of mixed greens, it made Sunday supper feel elegant. We lit white taper candles, and felt that for once we were doing our wood-paneled dining room justice.

Any book entitled How to Lower Your Cholesterol with French Gourmet Food poses the instant threat of a double attack of guilt and inferiority. The tub of chocolate chip cookie dough in the fridge is surely transmitting molecules of cholesterol directly into the bloodstream by some mysterious osmosis, and the minute the cookbook is opened, the French chef on the other end will sense the can of Chef Boyardee ravioli in the pantry. However, once he makes it past the immense table of contents (one of my editorial quibbles with the book), the reader is greeted by Chef Alain Braux with a breezy “bonjour” and welcomed to sit down for a chat.

Braux, a classically trained French pastry chef, has taken the seemingly paradoxical step of earning a Bachelor’s degree in holistic nutrition. In How to Lower Your Cholesterol with French Gourmet Food, he marries what would appear to be two contradictory passions. It would seem that you can have your baguette and eat it, too. Braux begins by explaining his credentials and his approaches to nutrition and dining. This section, like much of the first half of the book, does grow a bit long-winded, but is saved from the brink of sententiousness by Braux’s friendly style. He gives a basic primer on cholesterol and the role of food in cholesterol production.

Much of the premise of the book derives from the Mediterranean influence in French cuisine and the results of the Lyon Diet Heart Study which showed an overall benefit in cardiac indicators in post-heart attack patients counseled to eat a Mediterranean diet.

Braux then discusses healthy (and unhealthy) methods of food preparation. Here, he and I part ways temporarily. I am a Californian; I will not give up my grill! Also, I was not able to find credible scientific data to substantiate his concerns regarding microwave cooking.

Exercise and conscious living — okay, now I’m back. Braux takes a pragmatic view of healthy living. He advocates moderate exercise, rest, and an awareness of one’s habits. Considering the American tendency toward a binge/purge lifestyle, any book advocating sensible moderation should be welcomed.

Article Author: Christy Corp-Minamiji

Christy Corp-Minamiji is a livestock veterinarian, writer, and mother living in Northern California. She writes fiction and blogs on the eclectic range of topics that interest her.

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