Lose Weight the Smart Low-Carb Way: 200 High-Flavor Recipes and a 7-Step Plan to Stay Slim Forever (Prevention Health Cooking) [Hardcover]

David Joachim (Author), Bettina Newman R.D. (Author)

Book Description

Series: Prevention Health Cooking | Publication Date: April 6, 2002

From Atkins to The Zone, low-carbohydrate diets have taken the country by storm. But despite their popularity, they have a downside.

Many require that you give up virtually all carbohydrates-- not only favorites like bread and pasta, but healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Such low-carb diets are nutritionally unsound, alarmingly low in calories and nutrients, and dangerously high in heart-harming fat.

But breakthrough research into how and why low-carb diets work convinced Bettina Newman, R.D., that limiting the intake of carbohydrates can lead to safe, healthy weight loss-- if it's done right. Teaming up with Prevention magazine, America's premier health magazine, Bettina developed this moderate, nutritionally sound low-carb approach to weight loss.

Packed with delicious recipes, this book doesn't ask you to eliminate carbohydrates completely. Nor does it foolishly recommend feasting on pork rinds and butter, as some low-carb diets do.

What it does is to offer up a simple, seven-step plan for shedding excess pounds the smart, healthy low-carb way-- along with 200 flavorful low-carb recipes for snacks, sandwiches, easy one-dish dinners, even desserts!

In short, there's a low-carbohydrate eating plan that works in the real world. It allows you many of your favorite foods, like pasta, grains, and potatoes. It contains adequate calories, so you don't experience hunger pangs or miss out on important nutrients. And it isn't dangerously high in fat, so you won't increase your risk of developing heart disease.

Nor will you miss out on taste. One look at the recipes-- Chocolate Hazelnut Flourless Cake, Whole Grain Pancakes with Berry Cream Syrup, Pesto Chicken Sandwich with Roasted Peppers-- will convince you of that. And you'll love the inspiring, real-life stories of people who lost weight the smart low-carb way and have kept it off for as long as 15 years!

You'll also find:

* Six weight-loss plans for every need-- choose the calorie and carb levels that are right for you
* Insider tips on mastering a low-carb diet
* A "cheat sheet" for stocking the smart low-carb kitchen
* How to conquer the dreaded weight-loss plateau
* The Smart Low-Carb Food Pyramid
* Time-savers and flavor-boosting tips with recipes
* Smart low-carb food substitutions
* Seven days of slimming menus

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Newman and Joachim explain the science behind a low-carb success and why low-carb does not mean no-carb, but rather the right sort of carbohydrates those with a low glycemic index. Unlike many other low-carb diets, this one promotes not high-fat and refined sugars but unsaturated fat instead of saturated fat, moderate amounts of lean protein, adequate fiber and the key elements of calorie control. The authors provide a low-carb pyramid of suggested eating proportions and begin with a seven-step weight loss program that promotes eating whole grains, controlling portion size and getting exercise. Each recipe (supported by a seven-day eating plan) includes a chart indicating the number of calories, diet values and diet exchanges. These are easy, basic dishes from the Hearty Country Vegetable Soup to the Lamb Chops with Olives. While many recipes are nicely spiced (such as the Turkey Drumstick Curry and Curried Chicken with Coconut), some, such as the Baked Cod with Lemon and Olive Oil, can be bland. These simple recipes are interspersed with time-saving and flavor tip sidebars and include more than 90 full-color photographs.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"This healthy low-carb cookbook/health book is for everyone who loves great-tasting food and wants to look and feel good for life. It's a unique offering that delivers inspiration, motivation, solid science, and sinfully delicious food."--Ann Louise Gittleman, N.D., C.N.S., M.S., author of The Fat Flush Plan and Eat Fat, Lose Weight

"Finally a cookbook that combines all of the good principles of lowering carbohydrates in your diet (and none of the bad ones), without sacrificing a drop of flavor. The recipes are mouthwatering, delicious, and best of all, they take advantage of the best, freshest foods without reliance on prepackaged 'diet' foods or fake foods! Good information about keeping yourself trim and healthy for life!"--Robyn Webb, author of Express Lane Diabetic Cooking and The Diabetes Food and Nutrition Bible

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (April 6, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157954438X
• ISBN-13: 978-1579544386
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #345,888 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At the Diet Forefront, April 14, 2002

By 

Pix_Z (Long Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lose Weight the Smart Low-Carb Way: 200 High-Flavor Recipes and a 7-Step Plan to Stay Slim Forever (Prevention Health Cooking) (Hardcover)

Typical of publications from the Prevention magazine staff, "Lose Weight the Smart Low-Carb Way" takes into consideration the latest medical research to create a diet that helps you lose weight the healthy way. Unlike other low-carb diets like Atkins, it doesn't go to extremes. It doesn't recommend you go into a state of ketosis (the body's alternate way of getting energy when it doesn't have enough carbs), but rather, it advocates somewhat reduced carbs and choosing less harmful types of carbs.

Authors Bettina Newman and David Joachim first explain the whys behind low-carb dieting. I found particularly useful a section which addresses common concerns about low-carb diets such as whether the diet will have a detrimental effect on cholesterol levels. Newman and Joachim don't load you down with a bunch of theory on your body's metabolic response to this or that. In fact, theory and diet plan make up only about 20% of the book, and some of the 20% are personal triumph stories and diet menus for various calorie ranges. The majority of the book is recipes.

They then outline the diet plan. Although they start out with the basic principles which can be used alone, for those who do better watching grams and calories, more specific diet recommendations involving calorie counts and grams are provided. A simple calculation based on how active you are tells you how many calories you should aim for. For those who can't make the switch the book encourages a slow weaning from our previous eating habits, as even making one little change like not eating sugar can cause weight loss. Sprinkled throughout the book (including in the recipes section, so make sure you go through every page) there are valuable tips such as how to recognize alternate names for sugar ("hidden" sugar).

The recipes so far range from good to very good. I've made about 4 or 5, and I plan to make all the ones I've tried so far again. They are very easy to make, so they fit into a busy lifestyle. One I prepared took much less time than I thought, so I had to take a break and play computer games with the extra time I had allotted for cooking dinner! Most use very common ingredients or have substitutions suggested for more exotic ingredients.

Since I already ate largely the way it says to when I got the book, I can't attest to losing so many pounds which were a direct effect of this book's diet. When I did switch to eating this way, however, a small amount of weight mysteriously disappeared without any effort (I'm about average weightwise, so I wouldn't expect much more), even though I was eating more oils. I also stopped snacking constantly, and my blood profile improved immensely.

Those of you who get this book as their first diet book will be lucky. I had to read several diet and health books, consider the information, and combine the best pointers from each to come up with essentially what "Lose Weight the Smart Low-Carb Way" advocates. If you want to lose weight or ever just eat healthier and are feel fad dieting is not for you, give this book a try. It is a reasonable diet plan which people can stick to, based on the latest medical research.

54 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Low Carbohydrate Diets Are Boring......Not Anymore!!!!!, August 31, 2002

By 

Daniel F. Moore (Yarmouth, Maine USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lose Weight the Smart Low-Carb Way: 200 High-Flavor Recipes and a 7-Step Plan to Stay Slim Forever (Prevention Health Cooking) (Hardcover)

While still villified by some in the medical community and particularly by the low fat gurus, low carbohydrate diets are proving to be successful and healthy. The problem for me, as one who has used the Atkins' guidelines is that low carbohydrate diets are BORING!! To maintain a state of ketosis requires a daily carbohydrate intake of between 20-30 grams. The list of Atkins' approved foods is limited at best. Certainly, it is great to be able to eat all of the meat and eggs that you want, but let's face it, bacon and eggs for breakfast gets old very quickly. Green veggies are great and low in carbohydrates, but I love carrots and it is a real sacrifice to give up all root vegetables. Fruit too, is pretty much disdained by Atkins and this too, adds to the tedium of the dietary repertoire.

So along comes 'Lose Weight the Smart Low-Carb Way', which articulates a seven step approach to losing weight. To my absolute delight, the first two steps say to eat more grains and eat more veggies and fruit. To be sure, the remaining steps focus on sensible choices (lean meats, smaller portions, avoiding 'trigger' foods)and all of a sudden, what for me has been a short-term diet is now a reasonable and easy-to-maintain lifestyle. By the time you have reached page 79,(and you might want to re-read pp. 1-79), you will have a thorough understanding of why a low-carb diet works, how to get started, and how to make the program work for your lifestyle and tastes. The authors will give you lots of tips for food selection and substitution.

The bulk of this book is dedicated to cooking low carbohydrate meals. You may note that the recipes employ a liberal use of spices and herbs to enhance the flavor. This of course allows you to tailor the dish to suit your tastes. Most of the ingredients are readily available and preparation time is minimal. Nutritional information is provided with each recipe and for diabetics, diet exchanges are also itemized. Many beautiful photos of recipes are included and there are success stories printed throughout. The index is very well laid out and you will find it easy to use.

Overall, I like this book. There are some recipes that are high in carbohydrates and should be used sparingly, but for the most part, this is a book that will help you to shift your current eating habits to a healthy low-carbohydrate lifestyle. I don't think of this as a 'diet' anymore....it tastes too good!!!

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A low-carb book with normal ingredients!!!, July 31, 2003

By 

H. Faltas (Hoffman Estates, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lose Weight the Smart Low-Carb Way: 200 High-Flavor Recipes and a 7-Step Plan to Stay Slim Forever (Prevention Health Cooking) (Hardcover)

I've been looking for a low-carb diet that I can actually stick with past 90 days. One that doesn't require me to run to Whole Foods or a specialty grocer every other day to get some arcane ingredient. I've investigated Atkins, both pro and con, it's ok but I have serious questions about sustainability. I can't figure out the new age mumbo-jumbo on The Zone's website. I just want a lower carb, not fanatically low but lower, diet that I can stick with using "normal", easy-to-find and cheap ingredients. THIS IS IT!

I've read all the reviews, I guess you either love it or hate it. It seems from my research and experience with Atkins followers that Atkins is quicker, and better for flash weight loss. But if you're willing to take the slow road and are in this for the long haul, I highly recommend this book. Contrary to the more militant Atkins Addicts, there is a middle road between Induction and Binging.

Common sense, sustainable, real-world, few special ingredients. That's what I was looking for. And I found it with this book.