By Judy Creighton

The is no magic bullet to aging well. It's more a matter of maintaining a healthy weight and to keep fit physically, says the Toronto author of more than 16 cookbooks promoting well-being.

This fall Rose Reisman's ''The Complete Light Kitchen'' (Whitecap) has been launched and this is what she calls her bible.

''Since 1993 when my first book on cooking light was published I looked at all the recipes I developed and loved and worked on improving them,'' she says.

''I wanted them to be easier to prepare and give them a different, more updated flavour.''

So the current book has many of her favourites, but she has also added 25 new recipes.

Reisman, a mother of four who is in her early 50s, says that weight gain in mid-life is a matter to be tackled with sensible portion sizes and regular exercise.

''I look at a lot of women my age who are having joint problems and weight issues and it really does start to hit you in your 40s and 50s,'' she says.

Add to this the epidemics of obesity, stroke and heart disease and Type 2 diabetes sweeping North America and Reisman's contribution to prevention with a book that teaches how to stock and use a healthy kitchen is to be lauded.

To date, she has contributed more than $1 million to breast cancer research, from proceeds of sales of over 750,000 cookbooks. She also won the Schulich School of Business Alumni Recognition Award for Outstanding Public Contribution.

The new book has 265 light and healthy recipes, chapters on the building blocks of nutrition, meal planning, how to read food labels and much more.<

This fish recipe from the book is what Reisman considers ''a real winner for fish lovers.''

Tilapia with Cashew Crust

1/3 cup chopped toasted cashews
4 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp crushed fresh garlic
4 tilapia or sole fillets 4 oz
3 tbsp chopped fresh dill or basil
Lemon wedges