In ‘The Dude Diet,’ Serena Wolf Proves She Understands How Men Eat [REVIEW]

Serena Wolf understands how men eat, and she’s determined to show us that eating healthy doesn’t have to mean giving up our favorite foods. (Photo courtesy Serena Wolf, YouTube)

As a dude, particularly as a dude of a certain age, I have become increasingly concerned about what I eat. My physician just had a heart to heart with me today in fact, reminding me to be more conscious of the food I put in my body, the need to minimize carbohydrates, watch my cholesterol intake, and reduce the number of calories I consume daily. But what’s a dude to do when he loves chowing down on pizza, wings, nachos, and all the other eats guys love? That’s where Serena Wolf’s new book, The Dude Diet: Clean(ish) Food for People Who Like to Eat Dirty, comes in to save the day.

Harper Wave

From the moment I first started reading this book, I realized I was in capable hands. I thought, here is a woman who gets it. Serena Wolf knows guys traditionally eat for taste, not for health, and so she has crafted a cookbook jam packed with 125 recipes that cater to both. These are meals we will actually drop our greasy hamburgers and fries for and eat instead. For example, she swaps out our favorite sausage, egg and cheese breakfast for her ultimate breakfast quesadillas which shaves off the fat and adds filling veggies like broccoli and scallions and tops them with hot sauce and cheese. (p.38) That’s a breakfast I can get behind!

She also tackles those old stand by recipes that mom used to make like meat loaf. In The Dude Diet version, however, she tosses out half of the beef and replaces it with ground turkey, mixes in veggies like onion and bell pepper, adds quinoa, and binds it together with Greek yogurt and eggs. Love yours with that tomato topping? She hasn’t forgotten that, but instead combines tomato paste with Worcestershire, apple cider vinegar and honey for a succulent meal that you’ll want to dive into time and again. (p. 71-72)

There are literally so many good eats in this book, I don’t have room to list all of the recipes I know I’ll be trying in the coming months. However, one I did try and which Heather and I both absolutely loved was her fiery pork and pineapple skewers. (p. 161) We did doctor them a bit to suit our own taste, but hey, we’ve always considered recipes more as guidelines than as something to follow by rote. Nevertheless, this was one recipe I know I’ll be grilling up at our next cookout.

Although the recipes alone make The Dude Diet worth the purchase price, Serena’s energy and wit shine on each page too. I honestly laughed out loud while reading several of these recipes because she writes in “guy speak” that all of us can totally understand, which is part of the charm here. She isn’t afraid to roll up her sleeves and get dirty with us men, because she is obviously determined to make sure we’re eating better, living longer, and shedding pounds along the way, all without seemingly even trying.

If you’re a dude, this is a no brainer. Go out and buy The Dude Diet now. Or better yet, use one of the links below and just order it online. You’ll appease your doctor and make your significant other happy that you’re eating better. You’ll watch your waistline shrink, which will make you happy. And most of all, after a few weeks of cooking Serena’s way, you’ll want to sit down with pen and paper and write her a thank you note for making your taste buds sing. Okay, maybe that’s pushing it. We’re guys after all, which means we’re lazy. Maybe you’ll comment on her Facebook page. No? Send her a tweet. Okay, okay, give her a thumbs up emoji. Any way you do it, she’ll get the message.

Serena Wolf

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Serena Wolf graduated from Harvard in 2009, then followed her passion for food to Le Cordon Bleu Paris and received her cuisine diploma in 2011. Since then, she has put her culinary skills to work as a private chef, food writer, recipe developer, and blogger at Domesticate-Me.com.

She is currently a food contributor for Elle.com and a member of Self Magazine‘s SelfMade Collective, an elite group of 25 influencers in the lifestyle space, as well as the former private chef for two players on the New York Giants. She also creates regular video content for her growing YouTube channel.

Serena’s writing, recipes and photography have been featured on popular websites like the Huffington Post, Shape, Self, Better Homes and Gardens, Women’s Health, BuzzFeed and POPSUGAR among others. She has also appeared as a guest on The Dr. Oz Show and Martha Stewart‘s radio show, Mostly Martha. 

She currently lives in New York with her dude, Logan. Visit her home on the Web, like her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, watch her on YouTube, and follow her on Instagram.

THE DUDE DIET: CLEAN(ISH) FOOD FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO EAT DIRTY
By Serena Wolf
352 pgs. Harper Wave. $26.99.

You may purchase this book at one of these fine online retailers: HarperCollins, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.

The Dude Diet is brought to you in association with TLC Book Tours.