Review of Fantastic Food with Splenda: 160 Great Recipes for Meals Low in Sugar, Carbohydrates, Fat, and Calories (Hardcover)

I came on line to order this amazing book for my friend on the South Beach Diet and was so suprised to see someone question it's accuracy because I am a Weight Watcher (points are in the book), and hate labels that lie! First of all in my copy, that I got a couple weeks back, the first recipe - Strawberry Lemonade- has the ingredients and I did not see a lot of typo's - so hers must have been a bad copy. I did find the 0 grams on the "compare" page - but it is clearly just an innocent mistake. The page highlights that Ms. Koch's Cinnamon Pancakes and Apple Butter Syrup have 11 grams of fat and then "compares" them to regular pancakes and syrup with 3 pats of butter. Since it clearly (in a box) says YOU SAVE: 9 grams of fat - along with 56 carbs, 195 calories and 7 points!!! by having hers instead of the "usual" pancakes and syrup you can see the fat grams on the high fat and sugar comparison should have been 20 (not 0). Yet, just to be sure I re-calculated several recipes with my own nutrition calculator, and they were all perfect - no errors - with accurate data and weight watcher points.
More important - this book not only has great food - Chai Tea, Pumpkin Muffins, a bunch of great Coleslaws, Spinach Salad (with hot bacon dressing), Sloppy Joes, ice creams and even Cheesecake for breakfast - every single recipe I have made has been easy and delicious. It is the first book I have found that does such a good job cutting the fat along with the sugar and carbs and that has good recipes for everyday use (and a bunch for the holidays). I am ordering another book, and her dessert book, as soon as I finish this review and recommend you do so too. You will not be disappointed.

Product Description
The first of its kind cookbook expands the uses of Splenda, proving that it is versatile enough to be used in many different recipes for all types of meals.

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Review of Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health (Vintage) (Paperback)

Gary Taubes reviews the medical research of the past 50 years to establish that the connections between fat and cholesterol and heart disease have never been proven and that, on the contrary, the case that unrefined carbohydrates are responsible for obesity and the so-called "diseases of civilization" has been made by the very studies that have been used to defend the "fat" hypothesis.His review of the research is exhaustive. He does not claim that exercise does not improve muscle tone and overall health. Rather, he argues that exercise is not aa "cure" for obesity, and may even make some people fatter, because they eat more of the wrong foods after exercising.

Taubes writes that the rule to follow is the same one that your mother taught you:starch and sweets make you fat.The solution is to center your diet around protein and non-starchy carbs such as green vegetables and berries, and not to worry about fat so much as unrefined flour, rice and other processed foods.(As one reviewer below points out, "bad" calories may include meat, fish and poultry that has been fed a diet of highly-processed grain.Buy grass-fed, and read labels: much of the canned and prepared food that you buy, including some yogurts, contains sugar and food additives made from corn (corn syrup, citric acid, etc.))

Anecdotally, after reading Taubes's 2002 article in the NYT, I realized that I had started gaining weight -- put on twelve pounds, and gone from a size 6 to an 8 or 10 -- precisely when I had changed my diet in the late 1970s to conform to the "new wisdom" regarding fats and carbohydrates.Exercise -- running and yoga -- had helped me to hold the line at 12 pounds, but could not take off the added weight. My husband, for whom I had assiduously prepared low-fat, high-carb meals for years, was 25 pounds overweight, despite daily exercise.Although I had tried The Zone, and lost weight, I was scared to switch permanently to what my doctor warned me was a dangerous diet.So I'd switched back to low fat/high carb, and back came the 12 pounds.

Then, last year, we began cooking with Julia Child's "Art of French Cooking" and, rather than getting fatter, I actually lost -- yes, lost -- weight eating all those butter-sauteed veggies and creamy quiches.When I once again became concerned about eating too much fat, and returned to a low-fat/high carb diet, back came the weight.

Finally, 8 weeks ago -- before reading Taube's book -- I decided that low carb (meaning low starch) had proven itself to me twice over, and that I was going to do what worked. So I ate protein (eggs, fish, chicken, dairy), organic greens and other low-starch veggies, and tossed the rice, bread, potatoes, and sugar.I didn't worry about the fat and cholesterol in eggs, swiss cheese, whole-milk yogurt or almonds; that fat kept me full, and I wasn't eating tons of such foods (who could?), just enough to feel satisfied.

I have lost 8 pounds since July.I feel great.I am not hungry.I no longer have the digestive problems that I used to describe as a "sensitive stomach."Moreover, having recently bullied my husband into giving up sugar, white rice, potatoes and all but multi-grain bread, I am certain that his weight will soon come down as well.

In short, my mother (who was not sick a day in her life until she died -- still trim -- at age ninety, and whose cooking kept my father alive until the same age) was right, and so is Gary.Listen to your stomach, watch your scale -- and read this book.



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Review of The Glucose Revolution Pocket Guide to the Top 100 Low Glycemic Foods (Mass Market Paperback)

I have been researching the Glycemic Index concept for several months.The data is fascinating, but often conflicting.This small resource provides powerful guidelines for adhering to a low GI diet. Unlike otherresources, this book addresses portion size and eating low and high GIfoods to produce a moderate GI meal.This book is a must for anyoneinterested in low GI eating.

Product Description
The slow digestion and gradual change in blood sugar levels after eating food with a low glycemic index has health benefits for many people. The glycemic index of hundreds of different foods, which have been tested following a standardized method, is now known. This book makes it easy to enjoy slowly digested carbohydrates every day for better blood sugar control, weight loss, a healthy heart, and peak athletic performance.

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Review of Carbohydrates Can Kill (Paperback)

One of the things that is most frustrating for people dealing with weight and health issues is that they don't feel like their primary care physician truly understands their problem.If only doctors and other medical professionals could go through all the experiences of trying to lose weight, deal with declining health, and attempt to eat as healthy as they want us to, then maybe people would feel more confident and inspired to do those things for themselves.That's exactly what Dr. Robert K. Su has done.

After years of toiling with high-carb, low-fat diets and struggling to figure out why his patients weren't losing weight and getting healthier eating that way, Dr. Su went on his own personal low-carb journey that led him to shed the pounds, greatly improve his health, and have an epiphany about why so many of his patients had such a difficult time with these issues over the years.His research showed him it was the carbohydrates they were eating that were quite literally KILLING them.

While most people erroneously think that your body somehow needs carbs to function, Dr. Su outlines brilliantly in his book that this is a bald face lie.The body actually needs fat and some protein, but there is absolutely no dietary requirement for the body to consume carbs.CARBOHYDRATES CAN KILL is an eye-opening book for anyone who is still caught up in decades-old thinking that fat is the enemy and carbs are your friend.Flip those two around and you'll see what Dr. Su sees--low-carb will work for you, too!

Product Description
Go ahead, have another slice -- it s not going to kill you ... or is it? That's what we ve been taught to believe. Luckily for us, Dr. Robert Su has taken it upon himself to discover the real truth behind one of the most widely-ingested and dangerously insidious substances around: carbohydrates.
Dr. Su is an experienced physician - certainly not a wide-eyed advocate of every new dietary fad that comes around - as well as living proof that carbohydrates are one of the most underrated and misunderstood threats to consumers today. With Carbohydrates Can Kill, you can learn how to:
-Find your own carbohydrate-restricted diet (one that you can stick to)
-Recognize your body's reactions to your lifestyle, and alter that lifestyle as necessary
-Purposefully strengthen your immune system
-Improve your well-being and extend your lifespan
-Treat your body as one unit, understanding that each part affects all other parts
-Find support from your family and friends
In language both passionate and accessible, Dr. Su uses his own life as an example of what not to do - as well as showing us how to recover from a life doing just that. He has a clear desire to see a healthier and happier tomorrow for all of us, and has spent years devoted to his quest to find the truth about carbohydrates so that the rest of us don't have to. Armed with this book and the vast number of outside references he has collected for all of us, we are supplied with all the tools we need to successfully find and stick to a carbohydrate-restricted diet.
It's never too late to become healthy!

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Review of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss (Paperback)

My Boss bought me this book when I was diagnosed with Adult II Diabetes.This book is more precious to me than a raise!I love the way the author composed the book...humor, honesty, great recipes and tips.Highly recommended for any person who wants to live a healthy life style.I have lost 15 lbs and my husband has lost 20.We both want to lose 30 lbs each.If you follow the suggestions in the book you will lose the weight.No matter if it is 30, 50 or 100 lbs...the glycemic works.The book encouraged me to find a good cookbook for glycemic recipes and I found a great one here at Amazon.com.

You will feel better, sleep better and have more energy.The recommendation for "Emergen-C" found in the book is great.I found a box at Rite Aide and this is a great vitamin drink.It can also be found online.Talk about a pure energy boost! Wow...great stuff and pure vitamins.

LOVE this book.Buy it.You will not be sorry.My friends and coworkers are now reading the book and following the very simple suggestions.It is so easy! Not a drastic restrictive diet at all.Very simple.Highly recommend.

Product Description
The skinny on the glycemic index.
Research has proven that the best way to lose weight is to watch the glycemic load, which is measured by the glycemic index rating of each food. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss provides readers a solid foundation for understanding how and why a glycemic index diet works and controlling counts, along with activity and stress levels. Also includes recipes and a glycemic index.
- The perfect solution for anyone at risk for Type II diabetes or anyone ready for a change from the low-carb diet
- 64% of adults over the age of 20 in the US are overweight or obese
- Offers information on supplements, basic easy recipes, food lists, and sample meal plans
- A full appendix with glycemic index counts and loads for all sorts of foods

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