We are hugely indebted to Steve Siegelman, whose master skills of prose, understanding, optimism, and passion were key to the birth of this book.

Many thanks, also, to Christine Swett, who assisted greatly and cheerfully with many tasks ranging from recipe tests to research and data organization—and sometimes on very short notice.

David Ludwig, M. D., and Meir Stampfer, M. D., Dr. P. H., were gracious enough to read the manuscript and share their expertise and tremendous knowledge.

We are grateful to our very supportive team at Hyperion, which included Mary Ellen O’Neill, Will Schwalbe, Kelly Notaras, Bob Miller, Ellen Archer, Claire McKean, Ruth Curry, Anne Newgarden, Miriam Wenger, and Ruba Abu-Nimah, as well as the entire marketing and publicity departments. We’d also like to thank Cheryl Forberg, R. D., for her excellent nutritional analyses of the recipes.

Various friends, relatives, and colleagues were available to give feedback and personal testimony that greatly informed our approach to this project. We want to thank Jami Snyder, James DeZutter, Doug Wheeler, Felicia Kruger, Eve Shames, Tresa Smith, Stacey Kaufman, Jennie Kaplan, Duncan Cleary, Sarah Goodin, Robert MacKimmie, and Betty and Leon Katzen for their generous, interesting, and helpful comments.

Walter also thanks his wife, Gail, for support and good meals while working on this project and Debbie Flynn for making sure it moved forward along with other ongoing research activities.