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The F-Factor Diet, by Tanya Zuckerbrot, is a weight loss plan built around high-fiber foods paired with lean proteins plus food journaling to track carbohydrate and fiber intake. The book’s so-called magic bullet, fiber, helps one feel full, lose weight, and achieve a lower risk of developing heart disease and certain cancers.

In addition to a detailed diet plan complete with exchange lists, sample menus, and food logging, the F-Factor Diet book contains over 80 recipes to help put the plan in practice. In general, the recipes are basic and, as Ms. Zuckerbrot admits, “extremely simple, require few ingredients, and are easy to follow.”

You won’t find oat bran and wheat germ sprinkled throughout the recipes, although many recipes do make use of typical “diet” ingredients like Splenda artificial sweetener, low-fat and fat-free cheeses, and reduced calorie or reduced carbohydrate foods.

All in all, you will find a nice assortment of simple, healthy recipes for salads, soups, vegetable dishes, meat and fish dishes, breakfast, and a few sweets.

I decided to try the F-Factor Diet recipe - Applesauce Pancakes. I am always looking for healthier breakfast alternatives to add variety to the usual plate or bowl of wheat.

First of all, my three year old liked these pancakes. He asked for seconds, then thirds. While I agree that the taste was nice - fruity and nutty, I had some problems with the preparation and texture. These pancakes didn’t really set during cooking. Because of that, they were difficult to flip and had quite a mushy texture, nothing at all like the traditional pancake. Next time, I’ll use chopped apple pieces and whole eggs to see if that helps.

Applesauce Pancakes

1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup oat bran
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 egg whites
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup nonfat milk
1 cup applesauce, no sugar added
1/4 cup raisins

1. In a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients.

2. In another bowl, beat together egg whites, oil, milk, and applesauce; pour over dry ingredients. Add raisins and stir until just blended.

3. Using a ladle, scoop approximately 1/2 cup of batter onto a hot skillet coated with cooking spray. Cook until set and bubbly, and then turn over for 10 to 15 seconds. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serves 4

Per Serving: 267 calories, 43 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 9 g protein, 4 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 81 mg sodium