Customer Reviews

Dr. Atkins' Quick & Easy New Diet Cookbook : Companion to Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Easy-read, simple recipes. Short ingredient lists. A cookbook that's clearly organized into short chapters according to meat type. This is what I should have had when I started the Atkins' Diet last year.

Unlike its predecessor, Dr. Atkins' New Diet Cookbook, this Quick & Easy Diet Cookbook is very handy. It's just the thing after a long day when you don't want to get into an elaborate cooking session. I can pull some meat out of the fridge and look up a recipe; chances are, I will have everything I need stocked in my low-carb pantry and fridge. Most of the main dish recipes take under one half hour to prep and finish, and the ones I've tried are all taste-satisfying winners.

There is a beginning chapter that explains how to trim the carb content down if you're in the early Induction phase of the diet. Mostly, though, the meals are all low-carb enough for the Ongoing Weight Loss and Maintenance phases. I think dieters who are into other low carb diets will find it useful, too. There is no guesswork about how many carbs per serving when you measure your ingredients correctly and consult the carb, calorie, etc. counts at the bottom of the page.

Finally, I want to thank the team that finished this book after the Doctor's tragic accident last year. It's great that his "estate" is carrying on his good work to help this country and many more around the world learn how to get healthy and stay that way. Thank you all, and may God bless.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle

First let me say that I absolutely love the Atkins Diet, I lost 60 pounds in 3 months but I dont think this book is quick in easy. Some of the recipes call for ATKINS products which have been discontinued such as Atkins quick and easy bake mix. I tried to find these products by going th the Atkins website but everything except the bars and shakes have been discontinued. Also a lot of the recipes call for uncommon ingredients so unless you have the money to go out an buy all these ingredients dont by this book. I recommend that South Beach Quck and Easy cookbook because the diets are similar especially the first phase and these recipes are much easier.

I've been following the Atkins diet for a short time and decided to buy this to save time preparing meals. This is just a great help in following the Atkins way of eating. The recipes truly are "quick and easy" and delicious. Another plus is that the book isn't overmelmingly long (not one of those "1,000 mouth watering recipes")! There are several recipes for each section (ie; beef, poultry, appetizers, seafood, desserts, etc.) - just enough to give you varied menu ideas but not overwelm you with decisions.
This is good eating even for those who are not dieting.

I purchased this, thinking that it was "new" (as the title suggested), but was disappointed to find out that it was very old and played-out. Many of the recipes listed have low carb ingredients that are no longer available in stores. In addition to that, the recipes are banal and bland. I am not a chef, and could've thought of most of these myself. Therefore, I do not recommend this product, and I believe it is a true waste of money. You are better off buying George Stella's low carb cookbook.

This book is a rip off. It gives recipes for foods that are already low in carbohydrates, and tells you very little about how to use alternative ingredients to make low carb dishes out of foods that would otherwise be high carb. The worst thing about the book is that the low carb ingredients recommended are all made by the Atkins company. Atkins emerged from bankruptcy in February of '06 with a new product line of 60 shakes and bars, and dropped the other 280 products they sold. Most of the recipes in this book are based on products that are no longer made or sold. It is, of course, possible to find or create other recipes. But to do that, you wouldn't need this book.

Too many recipies call for obscure Atkins products. I love Atkins but have not been helped by this book. I'll keep looking.

I gave it three stars because most of these recipes are fantastic and warrant 5 stars. I only gave it three stars because many of the recipes call for ingredients you cannot get any more. They sell the book as fully revised, but they have not updated the recipes to reflect either the current market or their current product line. The good news is that some of the ingredients have been reproduced and can be found on the web (in recipe form only). The bad news is, they are not exactly the same as the missing ingredients.

If you buy this you will make some mouth watering food and be glad you bought it, but you will also be very frustrated broken recipes.

For the record I have about 5 low carb cookbooks and it is common to find recipes built on ingredients you can no longer buy -- my beef with this book is that it's sold as "fully revised" which does not apply to the content, but rather to the copyright.

The recipes were easy to follow and most of them have ingredients you have in your cupboard. I bought the book a month ago and have lost 15 pounds already. Yahoo!!!

I tried the Atkins' diet once and lost twenty pounds--and promptly gained half of that back. Good for weight loss. Not so sure about maintenance. I saw a lot of friends try it and lose a lot of weight and then some time later, most of them were status quo ante. . . . Still, this volume provides a good set of Atkins' recipes and is a fine resource if one wishes to try the diet. . . .

The Preface to the 2004 edition notes that the Atkins' diet had, in essence, gone "mainstream." It also noted Dr. Robert Atkins' passing in 2003. A central part of this diet is the low carbohydrate dictum. Helpful to any reader will be the listing of acceptable foods at the end of the volume (pages 209-215).

Since this is a cookbook, though, the key question is how good the recipes are. Let's take a look at a sampling of recipes and get a sense of what is at stake here. First, an example of an Atkins' diet soup, French Onion Soup Gratinee (I love a messy French onion soup!). Ingredients: olive oil, onions, reduced sodium chicken broth, dry sherry, Worcestershire sauce, bouillon, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, and Swiss cheese grated. Begin by browning onions in olive oil; stir on chicken broth, sherry, Worcestershire sauce, and bouillon cube. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer. Add parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper and simmer a bit longer. Move to ovenproof serving bowls, put Swiss cheese on top and broil until cheese is brown and melted. This differs from the standard recipe that I use, but it is doable.

One example of a nice easy salad recipe is Greek Salad. Mix together vinegar, salt, and pepper as dressing. Add tomatoes (cut up), cucumbers, feta cheese, onion, olives, and toss well. Top with the dressing and enjoy!

A protein source? Scallops Meuniere. Heat olive oil until hot--but not smoking. Add scallops until they're golden brown. Transfer browned scallops to a dish to be kept warm. Then, add butter to the pan. Stir in lemon juice, dry white wine, parsley and shake the pan. Then, season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over scallops and eat the dish.

And so on. Again, for the most part, the recipes are quite doable. I have tried a handful and found the recipes to produce good tasting food. I have not yet committed to returning to the Atkins' diet--but I will take advantage of this volume as a cookbook, whatever the case!

I have "done Atkins" a number of times and been sidetracked by family, work, living situatations. . . Now that the kids are all out of the nest and I am totally enjoying single life, I am totally enjoying Atkins once again. The Dr. Atkins Quick & Easy New Diet Cookbook is a fantastic addition to the collection of Atkins recipies I have collected over the years. Between the old and the new I have lost 24 lbs in the past 6 weeks and am looking forward to being down to ideal weight by April 1 just in time to move back home to Florida and hit the beaches. I can't say enough positive about Atkins and this is just one more homerun.