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

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.

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.

I just received The Good Carb Cookbook and started right in with three of the recipes. I made the Country Chicken Salad with canned chicken, apples and toasted pecans... VERY tasty. Also, the Tuna Spread with fat-free cream cheese and sour cream, celery, onions and black olives...VERY good. For supper I made the Citrus-Chicken....the spices and the sauce were THE BEST!! Everything looks so easy to prepare and what I have made so far has been wonderful! I am finding it hard to fit in all the calories I need for my healthy, desired weight since I am not eating the high calorie, BAD foods and sweets I normally eat. I am sure I will like this way of eating. Since I have just started I can't tell you about the weight loss yet.I highly recommend this book for some really TASTY foods! You will not feel like you are on a weight loss diet. Good Luck!

"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.