Amazon.com Review
Low-carbohydrate cookbooks are everywhere. Among the favorites is
Lauri's Low-Carb Cookbook, a self-published effort that provides almost 200 recipes for a wide range of foods with fewer than 10 grams of carbohydrates per serving. The book's popularity may have to do with its pitch-perfect appeal; it offers everyday recipes for the dishes many Americans love to eat--barbecued ribs, jerk chicken, and chocolate mousse among them. If these recipes adapt food traditions with a very free hand (Lauri's béarnaise sauce calls for sour cream), and require chemical food substitutes (artificial sweeteners, which can appear in recipes that are usually sugar-free), they are also easy to do and fully satisfying. The recipes range from breakfast, snack, and salad items to the usual entrees, sauces, and desserts; winners include the recipes for crab chowder and salmon poached with ginger. Readers should be aware, however, that the recipes have not received editorial scrutiny. As a result, there are errors that range from the embarrassing but not dire (Lauri neglects to tell readers to cook the bacon before using it in her eggs benedict) to the frustrating (Baked Artichoke Savories neglects to mention to bake the savories and for how long). Still, all but novice cooks should be able to fill in the blanks where necessary, and everyone should be pleased with the book's easy low-carbohydrate dishes.
--Arthur Boehm
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
From the Author
I've had great success on the Dr. Atkin's diet! Many friends have also tried a low-carb diet with success too. This just might be the best diet for you.
A low-carb diet is not for everyone, however. Some will do better on a low fat diet. Which to choose depends primarily on what types of food you prefer to eat, because if you are not satisfied with your meals then you will not be motivated to stay on any type of diet.
Contrary to popular belief, eating fatty foods does not make you gain weight. Also eating high carbohydrate foods does not make you fat. It's the combination of eating fatty foods with lots of carbohydrates that makes you gain weight.
On a low-carb diet you really don't have to worry about your fat in-take. I know that this seems to go against current thinking and advertising, but it is true. A low-carb diet may be best for you if you prefer to eat meats, fish, creamy sauces, fried eggs with bacon and butter on your vegetables. You can eat as much as you like of the zero carb foods, so you never feel hungry. Just keep your carbohydrate in-take as low as you can.
However, a low fat diet would be better for you if you prefer to eat breads, pasta, potatoes and lots and lots of vegetables. Eat as much as you want of these but you must stay away from the butter, most sauces, meats and any other sources of fat. There are a lot of low fat cookbooks available to help you out, if you choose a low fat diet.
If you choose a low-carb diet, one trick is keeping variety in your diet so you don't get bored with your meals. Unfortunately, there are only a few low-carb cookbooks available on the market today. I suggest getting them all and find as many recipes that you can that will satisfy your tastes and cooking style. Lauri's Low-Carb Cookbook has both easy recipes and those that cater to a gourmet.
Good luck on your diet.
