The Ochsner Eat Fit Cookbook Brings Healthy Gourmet Options Straight to Your Kitchen

Molly Kimball’s debut cookbook features 125+ recipes from renowned southern chefs

NEW ORLEANS – Ochsner Eat Fit and River Road Presstogether announce the release of The Eat Fit Cookbook; it will be available for purchase on October 22. Author Molly Kimball, registered dietitian and nutrition journalist, collaborated with award-winning chefs and restaurateurs to create crowd-pleasing, good-for-you recipes you can make at home. The Eat Fit Cookbook features more than 125 recipes, along with wellness tips and stories from chefs and foodies.

Inside The Eat Fit Cookbook

• 125+ recipes for appetizers, entrees, desserts, snacks, sides, sauces and beverages
• 224 pages featuring an inside look at the kitchens of New Orleans’ most iconic restaurants
• Educational features including salt swaps, stock the perfect pantry, kitchen tools essentials, and how to choose the best oil.
• Essential ingredients and cooking tools to set your kitchen adventures up for success
• Featured recipes and content from dozens of restaurants, including Commander’s Palace, as well as local brands like Swerve Sweetener and Big Easy Bucha

“The Eat Fit Cookbook is the culmination of years of collaboration, research and passion for creating a smarter way to indulge,” said Kimball. “Just as our team has worked to bring a healthier lifestyle into restaurants and local destinations, we want to make nutritious cooking and entertaining approachable in your own home. Our book features tricks and tools to stay healthy, and beautiful images and stories from local culinary icons.”

Ochsner Eat Fit was founded in 2013 to make nourishing, balanced meals more readily available in New Orleans restaurants. Kimball, nutrition manager for Ochsner Fitness Center, had already worked with the chefs at Commander’s Palace to incorporate healthier menu options there, and believed that other local restaurants would be interested, too. She worked with leaders at Ochsner Health to create Ochsner Eat Fit, a nonprofit that would delight diners and improve health throughout the community.

“At Ochsner, we believe in empowering the community to make well-informed decisions about their health. Our goal is to partner with patients though out their entire wellness journey, providing access to the educational resources, products and services to keep them living healthy and fulfilling lives,” said Diedra Dias, Vice President, Ochsner Health and Wellness Solutions. “Nutrition is a key component of that journey and the Eat Fit Cookbook is a fun way to indulge in your favorite foods, without the guilt!”

Approximately half of American adults live with at least one chronic health condition like diabetes, high blood pressure or obesity; and lifestyle plays a significant role in each of these ailments. In the city of decadence, po’boys and fried everything, Kimball saw an opportunity to partner with beloved eateries to create wholesome options, without sacrificing taste. Today Ochsner Eat Fit partners with more than 300 restaurants across the state and can be found in some of Louisiana’s most iconic spots including the Mercedes Benz Superdome, Audubon Zoo and the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. Even local students benefit—Ochsner Eat Fit is available in schools through Pigeon Catering & Events in New Orleans.

“Ochsner Eat Fit is just as much a part of New Orleans as fried catfish on Fridays during Lent,” said Ti Martin, Co-Proprietor, Commander’s Palace. “It will be with us forever and New Orleans loves it. To change the eating culture of New Orleans – just a little – is one heck of an accomplishment.”

The Eat Fit Cookbook will be available for sale online at www.EatFitCookbook.com and various retailers across the state. Visit the website to find a store near you.

Interviews and photos are available upon request. Please contact Katie Fauquier at katharine.fauquier@ochsner.org or 504-703-0204 for more information.

For more information about Ochsner Eat Fit, please visit www.EatFitNOLA.com.

Photo Credit: Emily Eickhoff

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About Ochsner Health System

Ochsner Health is Louisiana’s largest non-profit, academic, healthcare system. Driven by a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate, coordinated clinical and hospital patient care is provided across the region by Ochsner's 40 owned, managed and affiliated hospitals and specialty hospitals, and more than 100 health centers and urgent care centers. Ochsner is the #1 ranked hospital in Louisiana by U.S. News & World Report and is recognized as a “Best Hospital” across two specialty categories caring for patients from all 50 states and more than 70 countries worldwide each year. Ochsner Hospital for Children is the only facility in Louisiana to be recognized as a top 50 children’s hospital by U.S. News & World Report for three consecutive years. Ochsner employs nearly 25,000 employees and over 4,500 employed and affiliated physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties and conducts more than 700 clinical research studies. Ochsner Health is proud to be a tobacco-free environment. For more information, please visit ochsner.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

About Ochsner Eat Fit

Molly Kimball, registered dietitian with Ochsner Fitness Center, set out to take the guesswork out of dining out healthfully, to make the healthy choice the easy choice. In 2013, she collaborated with some of the most iconic restaurants in the New Orleans region to create Ochsner Eat Fit, a program that encourages chefs to offer nutritious, delicious meals for those who want to eat clean, watch their weight, and manage diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol. Look for the Eat Fit seal on menus at your favorite restaurants. Ochsner Eat Fit has expanded thanks to the support of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation, Eat Fit has expanded statewide. Look for Eat Fit in regions near you, including Eat Fit BR, Eat Fit Acadiana, Eat Fit SWLAand Eat Fit Shreveport.