The Good Carb Cookbook: Secrets of Eating Low on the Glycemic Index (Paperback)

~ Sandra Woodruff (Author) "If you're confused about carbohydrates, you're not alone..." (more)
Key Phrases: tablespoons fat free egg substitute, moisten the skillet, cup bottled nonfat, Nutritional Facts, Carb Cookbook, The Sood (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

One bad carbohydrate can't spoil the whole batch, but studies show that too many of the "wrong kinds" can lead to a slew of nasty health conditions, including obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Sandra Woodruff, author of several bestsellers (including Secrets of Fat-Free Cooking and Secrets of Cooking for a Long Life) goes far beyond the realm of breads and pastas to offer a comprehensive look at nutrition, followed by a trove of carbo-smart recipes. Healthy eating, Woodruff asserts, requires keen attention to the glycemic index (GI), "a ranking of foods based on their potential to raise blood sugar levels." By choosing foods that rank low on the GI, and balancing higher GI foods with protein, she says, individuals will achieve better overall health. While the first section reads a bit like a college text (heavy with charts, grams, and serving sizes, plus all the numbers associated with the glycemic index), Woodruff gracefully applies this knowledge to real-life scenarios. Her meal-planning and dining-out tips accommodate a wide variety of eating habits and cuisines, with ample hints for hearty eaters, snackers, sweet-tooth sufferers, and those who enjoy international fare. More than 200 recipes include options for vegetarians, meat-and-potato types, adventurous chefs, and keep-it-simple cooks, without calling attention to any such stereotype. Two minor beefs: teaspoon and tablespoon appear in their unabbreviated forms, potentially making for easy errors; also, a fancy typeface makes reading the ingredients somewhat tricky. --Liane Thomas

From Booklist

A host of Americans advocate low-carbohydrate diets. And within that group there are those who distinguish "good" and "bad" carbohydrates based on the impact of those molecules on blood-sugar levels. Sandra Woodruff provides people following this regimen with guidelines both for preparing their own food and for eating soundly in restaurants. The Good Carb Cookbook offers tables rating all manner of foods by their levels of good carbohydrates. Her recipes don't stint on flavor or even richness, as in her Pasta Shells and Crab Carbonara, and her practical advice on how to control one's food intake in restaurants is a boon. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Avery Trade (January 11, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583330844
• ISBN-13: 978-1583330845
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,821 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #35 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Special Diet > Low Fat
  #36 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Diets & Weight Loss > Diets > Low Carb
  #36 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Diets & Weight Loss > Special Conditions > Low Carbohydrate

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

323 of 324 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This has become our Healthy Eating "Bible", April 1, 2003

By A Customer

I cannot say enough good things about this book. I wish I could give a copy to everyone I know. Not only are the recipes the most delicious healthy foods we've ever made, but Sandra Woodruff explains the nutritional and health reasons for eating good carbs in simple, easy-to-understand language. She emphasizes moderation. Her recipes are followed by nutritional information, including whether they are extremely low GI, low GI, or moderate GI.

The first third of the book is all information you need to know about why traditional fat-free eating isn't making people thinner or healthier, but fatter and unhealthier. For the past 20 years, the food industry has been touting fat-free this and fat-free that..."eat pretzels, gummi bears, eat fat-free, and you'll be fat-free". It's nonsense.

Woodruff explains how and why to eat low on the Glycemic Index. She gives you tons of ideas for low GI breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. She includes low GI options for eating out at nearly every possible type of restaurant- Italian, Indian, Thai- you name it. She also gives a few examples of real people, their situations, and how they changed their health by eating low GI. Not only does this book give you sound nutritional advice (the author is a Registered Dietician), but she also includes over 200 phenomenally delicious recipes.

Eat wholesome real foods, watch what kinds of fats you cook with, exercise, and you will lose weight. Most importantly, though- YOUR BODY WILL LOVE YOU. And your doctor will be thrilled! My husband, who was already exercising regularly, has lost 20 lbs in 6 weeks just by changing to eating low on the Glycemic Index- "Good Carbs". I have also lost 20 pounds in 6 weeks by changing my diet and including exercise. Changing our diet has giving us so much more energy. We feel fantastic.

Do yourself a favor and pick up this book! I researched all the low-carb, no-carb, low-sugar, Zone, Busters, etc... books ... and decided after reading all the information and reviews, to purchase this one. I am so glad I did! You will be too. You owe yourself an energetic, long life. BUY THIS BOOK.

176 of 176 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent receipes and nutritional information, September 5, 2003

By	John B. White "jbw98ga" (Martin, GA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

One previous reviewer criticaly wrote that this is not a "low carb" cookbook. It should be noted that it does not pretend to be one. It is about lowering "bad" carbs while allowing "good" carbs. The books subtitle is "Secrets of Eating Low on the Glycemic Index", and it does an outstanding job of explaining the nutritional logic for doing so. I lost 43 pounds and achieved a BMI of 22.4 using this principle as espoused in "The South Beach Diet", but I was becomming bored with the limited recipes in that book. Then, "The Good Carb Cookbook" to the rescue. This book greatly enhanced my understanding of good carbs/bad carbs and provided recipes and wisdom for eating out that will allow me to keep the weight off while enjoying tasty and nutritious food. The recipes that I have tried so far are wonderfull tasting and easy to make. They utilize normal foods along with spices that the average person probably already has in the cupboard. There are many studies out now indicating that few people can stick with true low carb diets for the long term. This book reveals that one can enjoy health and weight benifits by eliminating "bad" carbs without trying to eleminate all carbs. I highly rcomend this book, this approach to weight and nutrition, and these recipes.

110 of 112 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Control Your Carbs Plus Recipes, February 25, 2002

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

"The Good Carb Cookbook" is an excellent guide for enhancing your health through carbohydrate control. It can benefit you if you have diabetes/insulin resistance, or weight or heart disease problems (hypertension, high cholesterol/triglycerides) which have not been resolved from a low fat diet. I personally feel that it's also generally good diet advice for everyone, and have heard that Weight Watchers is now advising their customers about good and bad carbs.

"The Good Carb Cookbook" has two sections. The first explains that the carb kingdom is made of good carbs and bad carbs, and what the bad and good carbs do to your health. Woodruff then identifies which carbs are good vs. bad, then makes specific dietary recommendations which include proteins, carbs, fiber, and fat. Although not a really "diet", there are ranges for how many calories and grams of nutrients you should be getting.

The book is concise yet packed with helpful tips and specific food suggestions for cooking and eating out. There is also a fairly complete glycemic index appendix (Glycemic index is a number which indicates about how much/fast, relative to other foods, that a specific food will affect your blood sugar). I would consider it a good basic to intermediate diet guide. For people who don't want to read more than one nutritional/diet book, this is a good choice.

In the second part of the book are recipes which should help you keep your blood sugar low by controlling your carb intake/reaction to carbs. I haven't made a lot of the recipes yet, but of the few I have made, some (3 out of 5) are excellent. The ones that were not scrumptious tended to be simple ones that anybody could make (sandwiches, omeletes); it just needed to be put in the book as a suggestion of what you can eat without messing up your carbs intake.

Even though this is more of a cookbook than a dietary guideline (recipes are 2/3 of the book), the dietary information in here is worth the cover price alone. Although you do have to count calories and grams at first, I don't think this is beyond the average person's understanding. For $(...) you get information which will improve your health yet not get overcomplicated.