AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY COOKBOOK: A Menu for Good Health

Consume less fat, alcohol and nitrite-cured food; eat more fiber, vitamins A and C, and cruciferous vegetables. Since well before the American Cancer Society adopted these guidelines, health-conscious cookbooks have been translating them into practice. Lindsay's is a moderate interpretation, evidently designed for those with unreconstructed tastes and no strong commitment: low-fat cottage cheese and yogurt frequently substitute for richer dairy products, but Parmesan cheese, butter, and sour cream turn up here and there; readers are needlessly cautioned to ""cut down on, don't cut out"" red meat; and there is even a recipe for ham (braised in sherry, a typical touch)--a cured product some guidelines would eliminate altogether. The problem, from both taste and health standpoints, is the mild effort to find substitutes for restricted ingredients rather than explore alternative diets and cuisines. (Curry powder is about as exotic as Lindsay gets.) The book's major advantage is probably the American Cancer Society imprimatur, which might encourage those overfed ""standard American eaters"" who are ready to take some of the half-measures that are better than none.