Valerie Bertinelli’s Cookbook “Indulge” Celebrates Her Healthy Relationship with Food — See the Cover (Exclusive)

“I no longer deny myself and instead indulge in the entire experience of cooking,” Bertinelli tells PEOPLE in an exclusive cover reveal

Valerie Bertinelli's new cookbook represents years-long work on her personal growth.

PEOPLE can exclusively reveal the cover of the new project called Indulge: Delicious and Decadent Dishes to Enjoy and Share (out April 2024) that celebrates Bertinelli’s liberation from counting calories and self criticism.

“I have spent more than a decade changing my relationship with food,” the Food Network star tells PEOPLE. “All big leaps require baby steps, patience, forgiveness and a desire to grow and change.”

“I have stopped counting calories, and I stopped thinking of certain foods as good or bad. I quit saying no and began saying yes. And I let myself indulge,” she adds. "I indulge in the pleasures of being alive, and food is one of those pleasures — an essential pleasure."

Related: Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond Praises Valerie Bertinelli's 'Honesty' After Posing in Her 'Fat Clothes'

Bertinelli, who has been open about her struggles and triumphs with body positivity, says that Indulge is a labor of love for herself — and her fans.

“This cookbook marks the journey that I—and so many of us—have taken to get to this place where I no longer deny myself and instead indulge in the entire experience of cooking and, ultimately, my desire to share what I make with those I love,” she says.

The cookbook cover features a smiley Bertinelli assembling a bountiful charcuterie board. Inside is filled with 100 recipes to “nourish the body and the soul,” per an official description from HarperCollins Publishers imprint Harvest. From fancy tea sandwiches and chocolate peanut butter dates to baby kale with crispy garlic, the tasty lineup has crowd pleasers for any palate.

Over the past year, the actress, who finalized her divorce from Tom Vitale in November 2022, has been vocal on social media about her healing and health journey.

Related: Valerie Bertinelli Says She's Going 'Down Another Jean Size' After Prioritizing Nutrition and Mental Health

In October, she posted an Instagram video after finding the outfit she wore in her very first “before photo" as a Jenny Craig spokesperson.

“Health is not a body size. Health is not the number you see on the scale. Your worth as a human being isn’t dictated by your body,” she said while standing in the mirror, wearing a pink button-up shirt and jeans.

“I thought I was fat the last time I wore these clothes,” she said. And yet, "I’ve never felt more beautiful, more at peace, more mentally and emotionally stable than I do today."

Indulge is available for preorder now.

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Read the original article on People.