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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Lebensstil
- Sprache: Englisch
According to USA Weekend, over a quarter of the adults in the U.S. have tried a low-carb diet. Many people have enjoyed lasting success. Others have felt mystified or deprived and given up! Whether you're a first-timer or a "try, try-againer", this book helps you get with the low-carb program and stick with it! Building on the success of Low-Carb Dieting For Dummies, it gives you loads of nutritional information plus more than 100 sumptuous low-carb recipes like Crunchy Brunch Oatmeal Pecan Waffles, Caribbean Chicken, Chile Spiced Broccoli, and Lemon Torte with Raspberries. Low-Carb Cookbook For Dummies includes: * A complete nutritional analysis for each recipe so you can't go wrong * Lots of recipes for dishes with 5 carbs or less * Recipes that de-carb no-nos like Southern fried chicken and Philly cheese steak sandwiches * Recipes for soups, seafood, and meat dishes, including pork chops, lamb and steaks (with a steak chart so you can chart a low-carb course) * Recipes for great desserts, including chocolate specialties and cheesecake * Vegetarian recipes and crock pot specialties * Terrific wrap recipes using lettuce, tortillas, or crepes * Guidelines for eating low-carb when you're dining out or brown-bagging it Author Jan McCracken, a health advocate and low-carber for more than ten years, has written two low-carb cookbooks and is a contributor to numerous low-carb publications. Having fallen off the low-carb wagon several times herself, she alerts you to things that can sabotage your success and clues you in on carb counting and techniques that have worked for her. You'll get started right with: * Mini-courses on low-carb math and on low-carb nutritition and the glycemic index * A shopping list for stocking a low-carb kitchen * The scoop on different kinds of carbs and artificial sweeteners * Tips on using spices creatively for variety and flavor * Advice on incorporating exercise, including taking the first step (and lots more steps) with a pedometer * Tips for reducing stress (a common cause of bingeing) With this information, you won't be mystified. With the fantastic recipes, you won't feel deprived. You will be inspired to stick to a low-carb lifestyle--one that can help you lose weight and feel healthier!
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Seitenzahl: 598
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011
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Healthy Carb Cookbook For Dummies®
by Jan McCracken
Healthy Carb Cookbook For Dummies®
Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2005923783
ISBN-13: 978-0-7645-8476-3
ISBN-10: 0-7645-8476-6
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
1O/SQ/QW/QV/IN
About the Author
Jan McCracken was born and raised in the Midwest, in a small, farming community in Illinois. Adopted by her grandparents, Jan grew up gardening with her grandfather and canning and cooking with her grandmother. She spent most of her early life in Illinois, Iowa, and Kansas.
In the early ’80s, Jan and her faithful friend, Mr. Bear, a fluffy husky-chow mix, relocated to a cabin in the mountains above Santa Barbara, California. Given her love of country living, the mountains, and cooking, Jan later opened a country bed-and-breakfast in the Ozark Mountains of Branson, Missouri. It was during her inn-keeping years in Branson that Jan wrote her first self- published book, the Ozark Mountain Christmas Recipe Collection, First Edition. With the grand success of her first book, her extensive recipe collection, and her love of cooking, Jan continued to write “little books of recipes” that included the Garden Recipe Collection and the Fruit Sampler Collection. Her personal favorite is a gift book collection of eighteen Little Books of Tea.
Jan began living the low-carb lifestyle about ten years ago and is an advocate of preventive medicine through diet, exercise, and lifestyle. As a proponent of healthy lifestyles, her love of research keeps her tuned into the pulse of what’s happening in the low-carb genre as well as in nutrition and wellness. Jan’s works in these areas include Low Carb Christmas Cookin’ and the Carb Countin’ HolidayCookbook with Sassy Stepper.
You can count on Jan’s recipes to always be easy and delicious, and her motto is, “Fresh is always best.”
Jan has two grown children, Katie and Ray. Katie has blessed Gammy Mac with twins, Sara Jane and John Edward, and Ray and Lori have blessed her with Kaylie Elise. Jan’s ever-present smile is especially warm and proud when she talks about her grandchildren.
Jan’s long-term goal for her books, speaking engagements, and teaching is to help people understand that food truly is great medicine; it can prevent and heal disease by making a positive impact on the health of people around the world. As a health advocate for all ages, Jan has set up an international group of Sassy Steppers to combat obesity and disease, stepping out with people all over the world on the road to wellness.
In addition to her other endeavors, Jan continues her freelance writing career and is currently at home in California. She feels very blessed to have been given the opportunity to write Healthy Carb Cookbook For Dummies.
When you see Jan’s name in print you’ll usually see her personal slogan, which comes from her heart:
Change Your Mind . . . Change Your Heart . . . Lose Weight for Life!
Dedication
To all of you with “low-carb” in your vocabulary who never want to diet again and who want to pursue a healthy, low-carb, active lifestyle for life — yes, the very life of you! I wrote this book for each of you!
Author’s Acknowledgments
Sincere, heartfelt thanks to the entire team at Wiley Publishing. They have become like family to me. I have learned so much that I almost feel as if there should be some sort of graduation ceremony for all authors that write For Dummies books.
A very special thank you goes to my agent, Grace Freedson, for so graciously getting me off on the right foot and for her ongoing guidance and warm support.
My heartfelt thanks to Stacy Kennedy, my acquisitions editor, who has been a gem and a delight to work with since Day One. Big thanks to my project editor, Mike Baker, for his patience, his ability to keep me and the project on track, his willingness to go the extra mile, and his great sense of humor. Mike gets stellar points! Sincere appreciation and marvel for what they do goes to my copy editors, Trisha Strietelmeier and Tina Sims. Special thanks to Lesa Grant, my marketing manager and a talented lady whose enthusiasm is contagious. I got the luck of the draw with my recipe tester — very warm thanks to Emily Nolan. Thanks to technical reviewer and nutritional analyst Patty Santelli, who made sure all the net carb math was done precisely.
My dear friend Debra Hartman, who, long distance from Branson, has been so supportive throughout this entire project. A very special thanks to Deb for being such an ongoing source of encouragement and delight in my life! The praise and glory of this book goes to the Lord, with thanks for His blessing me with the authorship of this book. Without Him I could not have written a word.
Publisher’s Acknowledgments
We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/.
Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development
Project Editor: Mike Baker
Acquisitions Editor: Stacy Kennedy
Senior Copy Editor: Tina Sims
Copy Editor: Trisha Strietelmeier
Editorial Program Assistant: Courtney Allen
Technical Reviewer and Nutrition Analyst: Patty Santelli
Recipe Tester: Emily Nolan
Senior Permissions Editor: Carmen Krikorian
Editorial Manager: Christine Meloy Beck
Editorial Assistants: Hanna Scott, Melissa Bennett
Cover Photos: ©Alan Richardson/FoodPix. Meringues with Berry Filling
Cartoons: Rich Tennant, www.the5thwave.com
Composition Services
Project Coordinator: Nancee Reeves
Layout and Graphics: Kelly Emkow, Stephanie D. Jumper, Barry Offringa, Lynsey Osborn, Julie Trippetti
Special Art: Elizabeth Kurtzman
Photos: © T.J. Hine Photography
Food Stylist: Lisa Bishop
Proofreaders: Carl William Pierce, Jessica Kramer, TECHBOOKS Production Services
Indexer: TECHBOOKS Production Services
Special Help:Elizabeth Rea
Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies
Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies
Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies
Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies
Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel
Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel
Publishing for Technology Dummies
Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User
Composition Services
Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services
Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services
Contents
Title
Introduction
About This Book
Conventions Used in This Book
What You’re Not to Read
Foolish Assumptions
How This Book Is Organized
Icons Used in This Book
Where to Go from Here
Part I: Creating a Healthy Lifestyle Counting Carbs
Chapter 1: Taking Control of Carbs In and Out of the Kitchen
Revealing the Low-Carb Revolution
Leaning toward a Lifestyle Approach: The Latest in Low-Carb Living
Assessing Your Situation: Developing a Carb-Patrol Report
Losing Weight for Life
Chapter 2: Raising Your Total Carb Awareness
Introducing the Carbohydrate
Understanding Net Carb Math 101
Weighing Your Carb Choices
Meeting Your Metabolism: Becoming Carb and Calorie Conscious
Surveying Blood-Sugar Levels and Their Role in a Low-Carb Lifestyle
Knowing Thy Fats
Chapter 3: Organizing and Shopping for the Low-Carb Kitchen
Shaping Up Your Low-Carb Kitchen
Creating a List of Low-Carb Staples, Aisle by Aisle
Putting the Low-Carb Aisle on the Map
Reading the Nutrition Facts Panel
Chapter 4: Adopting a Healthy, Carb-Conscious Lifestyle with Ease
Making Your Low-Carb Lifestyle Work
Taking Small Steps toward Success
Cooking at Home to Control Carbs
Fighting Back When You Backslide
Chapter 5: Completing the Wellness-for-Life Puzzle: Putting Your Body in Motion
Moving More — Now
Walking Your Way to Wellness
Stepping It Up: Pedometer Walking
Part II: Low-Carb Cooking Made Easy
Chapter 6: Waking Up to Breakfast
Prioritizing Breakfast in Your Low-Carb Lifestyle
Egging You On
Plain Ol’ Simple Omelet
Puffy Omelet Squares with Tomato-Zucchini Sauce
Sunday Brunch Scramble
Crab Scramble
Ham and Cheese Frittata
Crustless Mushroom Quiche
Crustless Quiche Lorraine
Brunching with Low-Carb Treats
Jan’s Nostalgic Pancakes
Apricot-Cheddar Brunch Toast
Chapter 7: Soothing Your Low-Carb Soul with Soup
Making Your Soup Kettle Sing
Cream of Broccoflower Soup
Mozzarella Cheese Soup with Fresh Mushrooms
Stopping for Soup around the World
German Cabbage Soup
Cold Mexican Shrimp Soup
BLT Soup from the U.S.A.
Caribbean Style Black Soybean Soup
California Fishermen’s Soup
Chillin’ with Soup
Blender Blueberry Soup
Chilled Raspberry Soup
Chapter 8: Building More Than Just a Salad
Building a Better Salad: Balancing Tastes, Textures, and Colors
Arugula, Radicchio, and Goat Cheese Salad
Marinated Fresh Garden Salad
Stir-Fried Lettuce
Berry Peachy Greens and Turkey Salad
Tomato Power
Cherry Tomato and Mozzarella Salad
Calico Tomato Salad
Beefing Up Your Salad
Tomato and Beef Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette
Red Wine Vinaigrette
Dressing Up Low-Carb Salads
Greens with Walnut Dressing
Walnut Dressing
Chapter 9: Living a Low-Carb Life by the Sea
Netting the Healthy Advantages
Calculating Carb Counts of Your Catch
Purchasing and Preparing the Catch of the Day
Cooking Methods to Fit Your Fancy
Lemon-Thyme Halibut en Papillote
Steamed Trout
Firing Up the Barbie and Broiler
Grilled Salmon Steaks
Mustard-Dilled Red Snapper
Sole with Lemon and Garlic Sauce
Swordfish Piccata
Blackened Catfish
Sailing Around with Shellfish
Shrimp Scampi
Shrimp and Scallop Combo
Chapter 10: Stickin’ with Chicken in Your Low-Carb Lifestyle
The Skinny on Chicken
Practicing Safe Chicken
Wholly Chicken!
Finger Lickin’ Low-Carb Good: New Flavors in Chicken
Grilled Ginger Chicken Strips
Cheese and Spinach–Stuffed Chicken
Fixin’ Chicken: Let Me Count the Ways
Turning Back the Clock with Comfort Food
Southern Fried Chicken
Cheese and Spinach Dumplings
Chicken Spoon Bread
Roast Chicken and Gravy
Introducing a Little Uptown Flair
Orange Chicken Veronique
Chicken and Zucchini in Dijon Sauce
Chapter 11: Visiting the Meat Counter
Bringing Lean Meats to the Table
Steaking Out a Low-Carb Favorite
Steak Diane
Sampling a Wide Range of Recipes and Techniques
Baked Ham and Sauerkraut Rolls
Apricot-Glazed Pork Roast
Herb-Rubbed Pork Chops with Tomato-Arugula Salsa
Tomato-Arugula Salsa
Parmesan-Garlic Lamb Chops with Zucchini Relish
Beef and Asparagus Stir-Fry
Making Ground Beef More Than a Burger
Roma Meat Loaf
Cheese-Stuffed Ground Round Patties
Chapter 12: Serving Up Veggies Galore
Moving Veggies to the Forefront of Your Low-Carb Lifestyle
Oven-Roasted Vegetable Medley
Introducing Variety: A Veggie Buying Handbook
No-Pasta Lasagna
Cooking Them Just Right
Bell Peppers Stuffed with Spinach
Stir-Fried Asian Veggies
Veggies on the Side
Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms with Rosemary
Creamy Whole Cauliflower
Artichoke Heart Casserole
Marinated Veggies in Living Color
Chapter 13: Dazzling Low-Carb Desserts
Satisfying Your Sweet Tooth
Picking the Finest Fruit Desserts
Fruit Kabobs with Pineapple Dip
Old-Fashioned Blueberry Cobbler
Dancing the Meringue in the Kitchen
Raspberry Ribbon Pie with Meringue Crust
Chocolate Cinnamon-Walnut Meringue Cookies
Basic Meringue Shells with Berry Filling
Berry Filling
Meringues with Chocolate- Strawberry Whipped Cream Filling
Puffin’ Pastries Gone Low-Carb
Puffies
Dabbling in Chocolate Decadence
Chocolate Fruit Pizza
Chocolate Bread Pudding
Dirt Cake
Part III: Expanding Everyday Low-Carb Cooking
Chapter 14: Outsmarting Cravings with Low-Carb Snacks and Dips
Snacking Smart
Surviving the Munchies with Low-Carb Treats
Spiced Pecans
Nutty Popcorn
Maple-Cinnamon Almond Snack
Celery Stick Tuna Delight
Veggie Wedgie Crisps
Skinny Dipping
Three-Cheese Roasted Garlic Dip
Broccolomole Dip
Ricotta Dip for Fruits
Chapter 15: Wrapping It Up, Low-Carb Style
Wrapping Your Taste Buds Around a Low-Carb Favorite
Sushi Under (Low-Carb) Wraps
Filling in the Wraps
Peanut Butter and Cream Cheese Wraps
Shaping Up Your Tortillas
Cheesy Hot Steak Wraps
Hot Salami Wraps
Pizza Wraps
Pesto Salmon Wraps
Spicy Black Soybean Wraps
Raising the Wrap Bar with Crepes
Basic Egg Crepes with Veggies
Chapter 16: Coming Home to Slow-Cooked Comfort Foods
A Quick and Simple Guide to Low-Carb Slow Cooking
Hearty Low-Carb Meals
Key West Ribs
Herb-Roasted Lemon Chicken
Corned Beef with Vegetables
Casserole of Chicken, Artichokes, and Mushrooms
Slowing Soups and Stews to a Simmer
Russian Borscht
Kettle of Fish Stew
Black Bean and Veggie Chili
Chapter 17: Even More Delightful Dishes with 5 Net Grams of Carbs or Less
How Low Can You Go? Incredible Entrees
Salmon Steaks in Wine Marinade
Chicken on the Barbie
Spinach and Flounder Pinwheels
Turkey Cheese Pockets
Serving Up Zero to Five in the Sauce and on the Side
Cauliflower and Broccoli with Cheese and Bacon
Homemade Tomato Sauce
Fighting the Snack Attack
Eggplant Sandwiches Extraordinaire
Stuffed Mushrooms
Chinese Chicken Wings
Sweet Indulgence
Lemon Cloud
Part IV: Eating Low-Carb on the Town and on the Run
Chapter 18: Taking the Low-Carb Road to Restaurants
The Art of Placing Your Low-Carb Order
Cruising the Low-Carb World of Ethnic Dining
Weighing the Dessert Decision
Chapter 19: Brown-Bagging It, Low-Carb Style
Bagging the Benefits of Taking Your Lunch
Packing Delightful Low-Carb Lunches
Waldorf Salad to Go
Peeking in the Frozen Food Case
Chapter 20: Cooking Dinner in a Low-Carb Heartbeat
Recognizing the Power of a Plan
Scheduling a Week of Low-Carb Meals
Rosemary Steak
Chicken and Veggie Stir-Fry
Salmon Fillets with Tarragon Cream Sauce
Packet Cooking
Steamed Fish and Veggies
Skillet Suppers
Zucchini Skillet Supper
Tarragon Chicken with Apples
Turkey Brats and Cabbage
30-Minute Chicken
Part V: The Part of Tens
Chapter 21: Ten Easy Ways to Simplify Your Low-Carb Cooking
Keep an Ongoing Shopping List
Plan Meals in Advance
Stock Your Kitchen with Low-Carb Basics
Buy Food Already Prepared for You
Prepare Your Veggies in Steamer Baskets
Have Parchment Paper on Hand
Consider a Slow Cooker
Get Out the Grill
Organize Your Low-Carb Recipes
Eyeball Portion Control
Chapter 22: Ten Foods to Eat More Of
Broccoli
Bell Peppers
Dark, Leafy Greens
Cabbage, Cauliflower, and Other Cruciferous Veggies
Nuts and Seeds
Sliced Turkey Breast
Fish
Blackberries
Tea
Black Soybeans
Chapter 23: Ten Carb-Counting Web Sites
CarbSmart
Fabulous Foods
Low Carb Luxury
Sassy Stepper
Mendosa.com’s Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values
USDA National Nutrient Database
NutritionData
Medline Plus
Food and Nutrition Information Center
Carbs Information
Appendix: Common Abbreviations and Metric Conversion Guide
: Color Insert
Introduction
A re you hankering for some new horizons for cooking low-carb? Well, you’ve come to the right place. This book is fun, and I’ve developed and de-carbed some pretty awesome recipes for you to incorporate into your daily low-carb lifestyle whether you’re cooking for one, two, or an entire family. Low-carb never tasted so good!
Regardless of the meal or food you have in mind, I think you’ll find a recipe that hits the spot here. From breakfast to soup, salads, sides, and main courses, I have you covered with these recipes, which are all about variety, great flavors, and healthy meals that don’t take forever to prepare. But it only gets better from there: I also include recipes for desserts (including some sweet surprises), fresh wraps, and snacks. I give you slow cooker recipes so that your low-carb meal is ready for you when you walk through the door, and I provide ideas for dishes to cook in a hurry (on days when you haven’t used your slow cooker!). And did I mention that there are veggies galore that are great for your health and will please your tummy, too? I hope you enjoy preparing these recipes as much as I have enjoyed putting together this book just for you. A majority of the recipes contain less than 10 grams of net carbs per serving.
About This Book
So what’s this book all about? It’s a mix of low-carb lessons that I’ve learned the hard way along my low-carb road, plus a ton of recipes that will satisfy your comfort-food cravings and your low-carb sweet tooth — a mix of comfort-food cooking sprinkled with my California-cuisine influences and a heavy serving of low-carb variety and healthy eating. The simple cook in me likes to get things on the table in a very timely manner and you’ll see that influence in the recipes in this book.
I grew up in a small Midwestern farming community on good, old-fashioned comfort food, and that’s what I learned to cook — three squares a day and plenty of desserts. Then, about 20 years ago, I moved to California, and my entire eating lifestyle changed. Even though I’d grown up eating veggies fresh from the garden and canning every year, the word fresh took on a whole new meaning for me when I was introduced to California cooking. Grilling became a year-round sport. Fruits and vegetables became even more prominent. And fish — even though I’d caught and cooked my fair share of freshwater fish in the Midwest, being able to walk down to the dock and buy seafood right off the boats was a treat beyond measure. (And let’s not forget exercise: I became a runner and ran the beach almost every day. I was one healthy California girl.)
But I had a dream of opening a bed and breakfast, and Branson, Missouri, and the Ozark Mountains beckoned me on a journey that became yet another culinary experience. My breakfasts at the Inn at Fall Creek reflected an interesting mix of my Midwest comfort-food cooking and the California cuisine that I had learned to love. I looked at the interior design of my B&B as country — my guests called it California County — and saw that the mix was clear both in the décor and in the food. I tried for comfort food and folded in the healthy with a splash of laughter and grand presentation.
I gained some weight while at the B&B — not from a lack of running around 24/7 but from eating late at night and irregular meals. It was then that my best friend steered me to a low-carb diet. It wasn’t all about weight even back then — it was about my health, which was deteriorating — and my friend was concerned. I literally shrieked when she introduced me to the low-carb diet, “What do you mean I can’t have white bread and sugar?” We laugh about it to this day, and we both support each other on our continuing low-carb lifestyle paths.
I continued the low-carb diet and dropped some major pounds. And I moved back to California. I discovered that if I ate sugar I was out of whack for days. So I decided that it wasn’t on my list of things to eat any more — not just for a few weeks but for a lifetime. I’m not telling you that I won’t have a small slice of birthday cake at my grandchildren’s birthday parties, but I am telling you that sugar is off my grocery list for good. And so low-carb became a lifestyle for me that worked and still does today.
It’s not just about the recipes. I have a sincere desire to help you be successful with your low-carb healthy lifestyle. I’m a health advocate and a low-carber of ten-plus years who has fallen off the low-carb wagon many times; dusted myself off and sheepishly climbed back on; been through my share of stalls, confusion, and boredom; and finally discovered the truth about controlling my carb intake. For me, it means not only looking at my carbs but looking at my calories and taking calories seriously too — as seriously as I take my carbs. I’ve blended my carb and calorie intakes to find what works for my body. The other biggie is moving my body more; I use a pedometer to count my steps every day and try my best to meet my daily goals and keep increasing my daily steps.
I can think of no greater joy than sharing with you what I know works through this book. My goal is to help you become more aware of carb and calorie counts, find out more about nutrition, become motivated to move your body more, and cook up a storm with mouthwatering low-carb recipes. Applying the ideas in this book to your healthy low-carb lifestyle will help you lose weight and keep off those pounds for the rest of your life and encourage you on the road to health, longevity, and wellness.
Conventions Used in This Book
I present the recipes in this book in a conventional style, listing the ingredients, the preparation time, the time it takes to cook the recipe, the amount of time the dish needs to be refrigerated before serving, and the number of servings to divide the finished product into. Some of these recipes are so good that you’re going to want to eat the whole thing. (But remember, although the phrase low-carb means that you can eat until you’re satisfied, you still have to keep track of those carb counts.)
A nutritional analysis at the end of each recipe gives you the total carbohydrates, the amount of fiber, and the net carb counts per serving, along with other important nutrition information to apply to your low-carb healthy lifestyle.
I’ve tried to keep things simple in the ingredient lists for these recipes. So, unless otherwise stated, you can assume the following:
Butter is unsalted.
Eggs are large.
Salt is regular ol’ table salt.
Pepper is freshly ground black pepper (believe me, the fabulous flavor more than makes up for the extra ten seconds it takes to grind it yourself).
Vegetables and fruits are washed under running water.
And here are some other recipe-related issues to keep in mind as you dive into the fabulous low-carb foods in this book:
If you’re looking for vegetarian recipes, look for this tiny little tomato — — in front of the recipe name in the Recipes at a Glance section toward the front of this book, in the list of Recipes in This Chapter on the first page of each chapter in Part II and Part III, and next to the recipe name on the little recipe-card tab that begins each recipe.
Some of the sidebars I include (those little gray boxes) contain starter ideas and variations of other recipes found in the chapter. In those cases, I provide you with some basic ingredients and preparations and let you take it from there. I promise that none of them are rocket science, but they’re pretty tasty, so have a look-see. What I think you’ll find is the amazing dietary variety and opportunity for improvisation that healthy low-carb lifestyles can provide.
And now for a few non–recipe-related issues:
Italic is used for emphasis and to highlight new words or terms that are defined in the text.
Boldfaced text is used to indicate keywords in bulleted lists or the action parts of numbered steps.
Monofont is used for Web addresses. When this book was printed, some Web addresses may have needed to break across two lines of text. If that occurs, just know that no extra hyphens have been added. So, when using one of these Web addresses, just type in exactly what you see in this book, pretending as though the line break doesn’t exist.
Sidebars are shaded gray boxes that contain text that’s interesting to know but not necessarily critical to your understanding of the chapter or section topic.
In Chapter 4, I cover all the low-carb conventions I use in the recipes.
What You’re Not to Read
I give you extra added attractions to the subject at hand in the sidebars in this book. It won’t ruin my day (or yours) if you don’t read them.
Foolish Assumptions
All authors have to make a few assumptions about their audiences, and this low-carb lady is no different. If any of these descriptions hit the mark, you have the right book in your hands:
You’re a low-carb fan with some basic knowledge of the low-carb world, and you’re looking for a ton of fabulous recipes that fit your lifestyle.
You’re considering lowering the carbohydrates that you consume on a daily basis, you’ve heard a little about low-carb dietary plans, and you want to know a little more about how they work and get an idea of all the great foods you can eat and the easy recipes you can prepare.
You’re looking for quick snacks and munchies that make the adjective easy seem like an understatement.
You have basic cooking skills — you know what “preheat the oven” means, you can measure ingredients, and you can keep your fingers out of the beaters on your mixer.
How This Book Is Organized
I start this book out by talking to you about diets in general, suggesting that you throw away your diet yo-yo, and basically explaining what’s involved in adopting a healthy low-carb active lifestyle — everything from grocery shopping to table presentation. I cover topics ranging from fiber to phytochemicals to pedometer walking. But I focus on the food and the recipes — bunches of great low-carb recipes with variations.
This book is divided into five parts for basic organization, with chapters by subject in each part for easy access for you. Here’s an overview of what you find in each part.
Part I: Creating a Healthy Lifestyle Counting Carbs
A lot of smart people are confused about counting and controlling carbs — bad carbs, good carbs, and no carbs. In this part, I clear this matter up for you, setting you on the straight and narrow of your choice of a great healthy low-carb lifestyle. You’ll decide to throw your diet yo-yo in the ocean forever and aim directly for a lifestyle of health, wellness, and longevity. Along the way in this part, I accompany you to the grocery store with a prepared list of basic low-carb staples. While cruising the aisles, you’ll become an expert at label reading and looking for hidden sugars and carbs. I teach a couple of short classes — one on net carb math and another on low-carb nutrition and the glycemic index. But don’t worry: You don’t have to take any written tests. I also show you how to become an amazing grazer, grazing your way to weight loss along with moving more with the help a new friend, a pedometer, to count your steps for you everyday. In between all of this serious stuff, I expect you to at least grin a few times because I wrote this book so you can have fun leafing through its pages.
Part II: Low-Carb Cooking Made Easy
This part will whet your appetite, and I have a feeling that you just won’t know which recipe to try first. I separate the recipes into chapters by categories, making it easy to choose an entree in one chapter, go to another chapter for a side of veggies, and then hop over to the desserts chapter for a perfect sweet ending to your low-carb meal.
Part III: Expanding Everyday Low-Carb Cooking
In this part, I give you some easy options for whipping up great low-carb snacks and dips, rolling up recipes for fun and tasty low-carb wraps, getting your low-carb meals on the table almost effortlessly with a slow cooker, and preparing quick recipes with 5 carbs or less.
Part IV: Eating Low-Carb on the Town and on the Run
I know that you won’t cook all your own meals, so in this part I offer you ideas on how to dine out and still stick to your low-carb lifestyle. I also provide suggestions on packing a low-carb lunch and include a special recipe to tote with you. Finally, I give you ideas about cooking low-carb in hurry with recipes for quick, tasty meals.
Part V: The Part of Tens
This part starts with a chapter on strategies to simplify your carb-counting cooking. Next, I list 10 foods that you can eat more of and lose weight at the same time. Finally, I give you ten great Web sites to visit online for free low-carb information, e-zines, and great nutritional information.
Icons Used in This Book
I want to give you a heads up about the icons that I use throughout the book, or you may just miss something important. Here’s a list of all the icons I use:
You’ll see a lot of these as you flip through the pages of this book. I give you tips galore on everything. The tips are little extras and embellishments to help you on your low-carb lifestyle path.
Think of the remember icon as just a little help from your friends about some things that are important to your low-carb lifestyle. I wouldn’t want you to forget them.
The warning icon is meant to raise a red flag to you about something important in your low-carb lifestyle or the recipe you’re about to prepare, so please take heed when you see it.
Sometimes I lapse into the technical realm about nutrition and other techie elements of your low-carb lifestyle. I use this icon to alert you where this information is. If it’s not your thing, skip it.
When you see this icon, you’ll know that I’m suggesting ways to take the information I provide and head off down your own culinary path. Try some of these lip-smacking good suggestions marked with this icon.
Time in a bottle? Unfortunately not — you can’t buy it in a bottle. So I use this icon throughout the book to flag some areas in your low-carb healthy cooking where you can save some time.
This icon accompanies all recipes that have less than 5 grams of net carbs per serving — and there are a bunch of them.
This icon helps you immediately find the recipes that have less than 10 grams of net carbs per serving — and there are a bunch of these too.
Where to Go from Here
The recipes and other info in this book are all so good that you may just want to close your eyes and start reading from wherever you happen to open the book. And if you want dessert, go immediately to the dessert chapter and get cookin’. For Dummies books usually tell you that you don’t have to remember anything you read, and this book is no different — it’s designed so you can easily find what you need if you forget something that you read earlier. I do have one favor to ask of you: Remember when you cook something great from this book, will you?
If you ask me (you didn’t, I know), I suggest reading all of Part I first and then jumping to whatever recipe chapters interest you the most. Wherever you start, please have some fun browsing through these pages while preparing and eating some great low-carb food!
Part I
Creating a Healthy Lifestyle Counting Carbs
In this part . . .
I n this part, I help you take control of your low-carb dietary choices as part of an overall healthy and active lifestyle. You’ll be jumping off the diet merry-go-round forever, aiming directly for a lifestyle of health, wellness, and longevity. Knowledge is wonderful stuff, so I clear up confusion about counting carbs, bad carbs, good carbs, no carbs, and controlling carbs. I speak “low-carb nutrition,” which may be somewhat of a foreign language to you, but you’ll pick it up quickly and begin fitting all the pieces of the wellness puzzle together in your lifestyle. I show you how to do the calculations for net carb math. I explain the glycemic index and the glycemic load of foods, and I tell you how to become an amazing grazer so that you can keep your blood sugars on an even keel.
I help you make some changes in your low-carb kitchen and discuss good low-carb staples to keep on hand. I provide you with tons of tips on how to make the transition to the low-carb lifestyle and how to stay on track after you’re up to speed, like planning your meals in advance by taking advantage of your carb awareness and cooking skills. Finally, I encourage you to get moving, preferably by walking. To help motivate you, I discuss the benefits of using a pedometer — a dandy little device to keep track of your daily steps.
Chapter 1
Taking Control of Carbs In and Out of the Kitchen
In This Chapter
Discovering what low-carb is all about
Committing to an all-around healthier lifestyle
Keeping a record of your eating
Making changes for a lifetime
L iving an active low-carb lifestyle is a great way to lose those extra pounds, maintain a healthy weight, and ensure top-notch overall health. And there’s no better way to implement and maintain a low-carb plan than to cook many of your meals at home. Doing so allows you to know exactly what’s in the majority of the food you eat on a daily basis, which is a key piece of information to have when you’re controlling or counting carbs.
In this chapter, I welcome you to the world of low-carb living. I introduce the basics behind low-carb dietary plans. I present some advice for taking a low-carb diet to the next level by incorporating it into a healthy, active low-carb lifestyle, in which the recipes in this book can play a tremendous role in offering fabulous flavors and variety, variety, variety. Did I mention variety? I help you take stock of your current eating habits to help identify areas for improvement, and I provide a bit of perspective on making weight management and healthy nutrition a life-long commitment.
Revealing the Low-Carb Revolution
The first two words in the title of this book are low and carb. So I guess it only makes sense to start at the beginning. If you’re new to the world of low-carb cooking, don’t worry. I take you on a quick tour of the low-carb basics before you delve into all things cooking. In short, a carbohydrate is a nutrient found in foods that your body can readily turn into energy (for a more complex definition of a carbohydrate, see Chapter 2). But carbs also have the ability to be stored as fat if they’re not used for energy. Sounds pretty straightforward, right? However, if ever there was a controversial subject, it has to be low-carb dieting. But remember that things that aren’t worth talking about are rarely controversial and certainly don’t make headlines.
Low-carb diet programs were originally promoted as high-protein diets. The initial low-carb diets claimed that you could eat as much fat as you wanted to and still lose weight. Nutritional research showed that consuming all of that fat wasn’t the healthiest approach in creating a long-term healthy lifestyle, even though some fats are necessary and healthy (cruise over to Chapter 2 and read about knowing your fats). As competitive diets surfaced and different low-carb plans emerged, the ratio of protein, carbs, and fats that low-carb diets called for changed, too. And that ratio is still at the root of the low-carb controversy today. But despite the differences in the approach of various low-carb dietary plans, all of them basically agree on the fundamental principle that too many carbs in your diet will cause weight gain and prevent weight loss.
The number of carbs that work for you on a daily basis is up to you, the individual. Some people can get away with simply controlling their carbs and eating over 100 grams of carbs a day, and some folks need to count closely because they gain weight if they even approach 50 for the day. The “acceptable” carb range that all the different dietary plans out there call for varies from the very restrictive, which limits the consumption of some food groups such as fruit and grains, to a more balanced, less restrictive approach that focuses on carb control. Here’s a snapshot of the low-carb spectrum:
Most restrictive: Some plans limit you to only 5 percent of your daily calorie intake from carbohydrates. This works out to be around 20 grams of carbs a day.
Moderate: These moremoderate low-carb plans allow 40 percent of your daily calorie intake to come from carbohydrates.
Least restrictive: On a lesser restrictive low-carb plan, you’re not required to count carbs, but instead you make choices about the type of carbs you eat.
The good news, at least in terms of how useful you’ll find this book, is that regardless of the low-carb dietary approach you currently subscribe to or are considering, you can find tons of fabulous recipes here that will fit squarely into your plans. With all the recipes I include that are super skinny on carbs, you can inject even the most restrictive plans with a huge jolt of variety.
A low-carb lifestyle shouldn’t eliminate attention paid to calorie counts. Calorie intake versus calorie output is the real bottom line to weight loss and maintenance. Combine the work of tracking your daily carb intake with balancing calories, and you create a healthy low-carb lifestyle that you can live with for life — a healthy and rewarding life. (Check out Chapter 2 for more on calories.)
Always check with your personal healthcare practitioner before beginning any major change in your dietary lifestyle or starting a new exercise program.
Keeping your eye on the carb
Most low-carb dietary plans ask you to walk away from carbs that have little nutritional value, make your blood-sugar levels spike, and pack on the pounds (see Chapter 2 for more information on your blood-sugar levels). Even though low-carb dietary plans definitely differ on the details, these are the basics. Learning what’s really in foods and products is vital to make sure that you’re not consuming a bunch of hidden sugars, hidden carbs, and excessive calories (find out more about reading labels in Chapter 3). So put yourself on carb patrol and avoid these foods for no one’s sake but your own:
Candy
Cookies, cakes, pies, and other baked goods (I’m not talking sugar-free here — see more about artificial sweeteners in Chapter 2)
Most pastas
Processed snack foods such as chips, pretzels, and crackers
Refined sugars
Sodas and fruit juices that are loaded with sugar
White flour and white breads
White rice
Counting on friendly low-carb foods in the kitchen
Low-carb diets can get some unfavorable press, as can low-fat diets, low- calorie diets, fad diets, and practically any other diet in the universe. But if you make your decisions from the perspective of living an overall healthy lifestyle, the word diet can be stricken from your vocabulary.
A healthy low-carb lifestyle allows you to keep all of the nutritious carbs from all five of the food groups. Each food group is important because no one group can supply your body with all of the necessary nutrients. Variety is still the spice of life. Here’s a bird’s-eye view of some of the more low-carb friendly foods, along with some recipe suggestions if you’re itchin’ to get in the kitchen:
Vegetables: The more colors the better. Leafy greens and lettuces — the darker green, the better — are a great place to start (see Chapter 8 for more information on greens and lettuces, plus great salad recipes), but it’s only a start. Low-carb vegetable options are plentiful (see Chapter 12 for a bunch of great recipes and a handy vegetable buying guide).
Fish and seafood: Many fish have close to 0 carbs, and the health benefits in eating fish are huge (for recipes, turn to Chapter 9).
Poultry: Chicken and turkey are very healthy sources of protein (Chapter 10 has all kinds of great recipes).
Lean meats: Read both words here — leanmeatsare the best when you’re looking for protein sources(check out Chapter 11 for recipes).
Some fruits: Yes, fruits that are relatively low in carbs do exist (check out the shopping list in Chapter 3).
Nuts: They’re full of good nutrients and are a great source of protein. Nuts are great to graze on to keep your metabolism fires burning (see Chapter 2), and they can help curb cravings(for more on nuts and other great snack suggestions and recipes, see Chapter 14).
Whole grains: Even though whole grains are mainly carbohydrates, refined grains are the guys to watch out for. Whole grains, in moderation, are a great source of fiber, with as much as seven times more fiber than refined grains.
Legumes: Soybeans are very high in protein, contain no cholesterol (like all legumes), and are low in saturated fats and sodium, plus they’re packed with dietary fiber and are rich in iron, calcium, zinc, potassium, magnesium, and B vitamins. Pretty impressive for a little bean, eh? The best-kept secret in the low-carb lifestyle is black soybeans, and they taste great. (See Chapter 7 for information about black soybeans and a recipe using black soybeans.)
Yogurts that are low in sugar and carbs: If you look, you can find some great ones, especially Greek yogurt.
Cheeses of many varieties: Cheeses are a great source of protein, but watch for the saturated fats. Keyword — balance. (Among many others, there’s a great recipe for No-Pasta Lasagna in Chapter 12 with great cheesy stuff in it.)
Leaning toward a Lifestyle Approach: The Latest in Low-Carb Living
Low-carb dietary guidelines are a good thing. But I sometimes compare them to a pattern for a dress. The basics of the dress pattern and the dietary guidelines are both just guidelines. After the basic dress is sewn or the basic guidelines are laid down, it’s necessary to perform alterations and embellishments to fit each individual’s particular taste, style, and needs. In other words, one dietary lifestyle does not fit all! Use these low-carb dietary plans as guides for you to draw your own blueprint!
Empowering yourself to make a commitment to a healthy lifestyle is the only answer to maintaining your weight with the awesome rewards of wellness and longevity. Did you wake up one morning overweight? Did you pack on those pounds overnight? I didn’t think so. So what’s your hurry now? It all has to come off in two weeks?
Jump off that diet merry-go-round. Make a decision to lose weight for life! Be willing to look at the big picture (soon to be a picture of less of you)! Make the steps you’re taking to lose pounds take you along a road that you’ll continue traveling as you maintain and lose weight for life. You’ll never go on a “diet” again. The word “diet” derives from the Greek diaita, of which the literal meaning is “way of life.” For you, this translates into a constant way of living or lifestyle. Think of yourself as following a healthy, active low-carb lifestyle — not a diet!
Considering the components
All low-carb lifestyles are not created equal, and only you know what really works for you. You may be a real carb counter, or you may be a carb controller. This book isn’t intended to tell you which healthy low-carb lifestyle that you should choose — it’s a cookbook! You more than likely had already chosen your low-carb lifestyle before you bought this book, and you can adapt the recipes in this book to whatever low-carb lifestyle you choose. Roll the dice so that you come up with the healthy and active low-carb lifestyle that fits what you so deserve, including not only good food but also health and longevity.
You may want to find a lifestyle combination of all the low-carb “diets” out there that fits your specific needs. Find not just another diet that’s going to keep you on the diet roller coaster, but a low-carb dietary plan that you can adapt for life as a personal healthy low-carb lifestyle. This entails some trial and error. I can’t tell you what will and won’t work for your body. But I can tell you that a low-carb lifestyle will not only help you lose and maintain your weight but also provide other perks. You’ll have more energy, you’ll feel better, chronic aches and pains may disappear, your health will likely improve, your risk of chronic diseases can lessen, and you’ll look better. You’ll probably buy a new mirror because you’ll like the way you look, and your self-esteem will be higher than ever!
By living a healthy low-carb lifestyle, you can lose and maintain your weight with a vast array of foods that line up with the caloric needs of your body while eliminating refined carbs, unhealthy fats, white flour, and white sugar. If you want to adopt a basic low-carb lifestyle, these general guidelines may prove helpful:
Choose carbs that are nutritious and not full of empty calories.
Eat more foods high in fiber content, such as vegetables, whole grains, and fruits.
Eat more fish.
Eat more nuts.
Move more every day.
Watch for added sugar in fruits and minimize caloric artificial sweeteners.
Avoid processed foods and others containing partially hydrogenated oils and trans fats (see Chapter 2 for more information on all fats).
Be selective about the fats you eat, because all fats are not bad.
Select foods based on your individual calorie needs according to your body. Remember that calories do count and that balancing calories is important in losing and maintaining weight.
You’re not supposed to cut carbs totally out of your healthy lifestyle. It’s not about elimination; it’s about carb control and the types of carbs consumed. Your body processes and breaks down foods differently than any other processor on the planet. You have to find your own sweet spot of balance. Every book tells you something a little different, and almost every person has a different answer. It’s about the basic equipment — your body. So listen to it. Drop those initial pounds and then begin enjoying your new healthy lifestyle of choice — low-carb.
Valuing variety
You may hear people talk about all the foods that they can’t have on a low-carb diet. But the list of foods you can have when you’re controlling your daily carb intake is so long that it really dwarfs the list of foods you should shy away from. So try switching gears in your head. Don’t think deprivation — think choices, choices, choices. (Check out Chapter 3 for all the great items you get to add to your low-carb shopping list.)
Some people say that eating the low-carb way is a juggling act. I say, “Great. Look at all I have to juggle!” The possibilities and combinations are endless. If you choose to be bored with this lifestyle, you have no one to blame but, well, yourself. One of my objectives in this book is to demystify the belief that low-carb is boring. I do this by bringing you choices, choices, choices with great low-carb recipes and suggestions for low-carb snack foods. I guarantee that if you prepare some of the low-carb recipes in this book for your guests, they won’t have a clue that they’re low-carb because they are so good! Stop thinking that something can’t be good for you unless it hurts or tastes bad. A healthy lifestyle doesn’t hurt, the food can be great, and you don’t suffer from pangs of hunger and deprivation. You’re in the driver’s seat, and you can have a joyous and very healthy ride. So come on along!
Healthy nutritional eating doesn’t have to be ho-hum. Eating what’s good for you and available to you on your low-carb eating plan is easy when it tastes great (see the recipes later in this book, many with less than 5 grams of carbs). The problem with falling off the wagon of any healthy lifestyle usually comes down to boredom. But there’s no reason to be bored with the food in your low-carb lifestyle. The boredom comes only when you prepare broccoli the same way for the 98th time!
After you discover the grand flexibility of all the whole fresh foods that are there for your enjoyment, you’ll stop mourning the absence of the foods you can’t have and start thinking, “Wow! Look at all the awesome foods that I can have — foods that will not only satisfy my appetite but also taste delicious and have the added benefit of enhancing my health every day.”
Variety is truly the spice of the low-carb lifestyle. By adding new foods with low carb counts, you’ll not only avoid boredom and stay with your low-carb lifestyle, but I’ll bet you’ll smile more because of how you look and feel. Try two new recipes a week to expand your low-carb cuisine horizon. You won’t be sorry.
Becoming an active low-carb consumer: Get the nutrition facts
Become nutrition minded — not food minded. I think you’ll be amazed at how good nutritional foods can taste! Taking charge of your health and your lifestyle is very empowering. These days, knowing what to eat and where to get reliable information can be challenging. Take a little time to learn just a little about nutrition. I’m not asking you to get a degree. Just commit to reading one short nutrition article a week, whether it’s online, in a magazine, or in a newspaper.
Food satisfies hunger, but food is also about giving your body energy. The right kind of energy is about nutrition. When you begin to get a glimmer of the connection between nutrition and wellness, you’ll be even more excited about the smart choice you’re making in controlling your carbs with your healthy low-carb lifestyle. You’re on the road to losing weight for life! (See more about low-carb nutrition in Chapter 2 and a discussion of reading those Nutrition Facts panels in Chapter 3.)
Reducing your reliance on diet products
The diet industry is a billion-dollar industry, but for many people, the only thing that gets skinnier are their wallets. Ante up for the pleasures of your healthy low-carb lifestyle, not for diet hype full of empty promises. Put your money where your mouth is (sorry, I just couldn’t resist). Spend your money on foods that you really enjoy and learn how to cook different ways. For example, try some ethnic dishes and get familiar with fresh herbs and spices. Discover new and easy ways to prepare great food (see Chapter 20 for quick and easy recipes). Treat yourself to a low-carb cooking class, which you can find offered at lots of places these days!
Very simply, if manufacturers of diet products and packaged foods are selling extreme promises, beware. What they’re really selling is hope — simple and empty hope along with hidden ingredients and preservatives. There is no magic bullet to weight control. Stop the extremes. Check out Chapter 3, where I provide all kinds of shopping lists with all kinds of foods that are naturally low in carbs, many of which are better alternatives to dietary products.
Assessing Your Situation: Developing a Carb-Patrol Report
Food journaling has been proven to work, so I want you to try this exercise. For one week, you’re going to eat as you normally do, whether you usually pay little attention to what you put in your mouth or you’re a pretty active carb counter already. During this week, write down everything you eat and drink — and I mean everything. Don’t worry about writing down carb counts or calorie counts (unless you usually do) or getting fancy and trying to construct some sort of spreadsheet. Just get a little notebook and take it everywhere with you and scribble down everything you put in your mouth. After a couple days, you’ll begin to think of it as a little game you’re having with yourself. This is a very personal exercise, so you don’t have to share it with anyone unless you want to.
At the end of the week, assess what you’ve eaten. A couple of things could happen here. You could give yourself a big pat on the back or yell “Yikes!” That’s why food journaling works — you just don’t realize what you really eat in a day. Writing down all the foods that you eat every day will help you begin to make small changes, setting you up for success in adopting a low-carb lifestyle.
Losing Weight for Life
You’ve heard many times that life isn’t about the destination; it’s about the journey. As you embark upon life’s journey, you encounter change and challenge, just as you do in your low-carb lifestyle. And much like life, if you stick to the basics and throw out the extremes, things flow much more smoothly. You also know that some goals in life are more quickly realized than others. Some take more time and patience. So why does the world not apply these theories to quick-loss fad diets? Because there is always a better mousetrap, and most people are guilty of wanting a quick fix, especially when it comes to weight loss. You have the power — it’s the power within you. You have the desire to lose and maintain your weight for life, or you wouldn’t have this book in your hand right now.
Reality check: There is no quick fix to losing weight and keeping it off. Following a healthy, active low-carb lifestyle is your ticket to losing weight for life. Slow and steady wins the race forever. The rewards can be huge! You may be able to eliminate chronic disease and illness and enjoy wellness and longevity. What better pot of gold at the end of the rainbow could you possibly ask for? Health is wealth, and there isn’t enough money in the world to buy health.
Focusing on today
Don’t always be living in the future (looking forward to “when I do this” or “when this happens”) and certainly don’t dwell in the past, with all its would haves, could haves, and should haves. Today is all you have, so make the most of it. Appreciate today and live today. Expand your horizons today. Expand your low-carb lifestyle and stretch yourself. Get excited about a new recipe or treat yourself because you deserve it. You’ll love yourself even more tomorrow because of what you do today.
And you’ll find that low-carb is your yellow-brick road to losing weight for life and that it just gets easier to maintain your healthy low-carb lifestyle. Start liking yourself and accepting yourself today.
Ditching your bathroom scales
Begin moving in a different direction now. I’m not telling you to never weigh yourself, but I am suggesting that you not be a slave to your bathroom scale. Shift your focus from dieting to leading a healthy low-carb lifestyle. Notice that your clothes are suddenly looser? I recall a time not too long ago that I had fallen off the proverbial low-carb wagon and climbed sheepishly back on. I had an important meeting to attend and wanted so badly to get into a brand-new pair of great dress pants in my closet. I hesitated as I slid one leg into the chic, new pants and then began to zip them up. Wow — they were actually a little loose around the waistband. Did I feel good about myself or what? The scale, however, didn’t reflect any great weight loss. Expectation is killer stuff, so don’t ruin your progress and your glory by stepping on the scale, because with the low-carb lifestyle, you’ll find that you sometimes lose inches before you lose pounds. It’ll all eventually mesh, and the pounds will disappear with the inches as you continue your active, healthy low-carb lifestyle. Just take it one step at a time.
Chapter 2
Raising Your Total Carb Awareness
In This Chapter
Sorting through carbs
Surveying the world of sweeteners
Understanding net-carb math
Considering calories
Getting the background on blood-sugar levels
Coming to terms with fats
N o one diet or lifestyle works for everyone. You probably already selected the low-carb lifestyle that works best for you before you opened this book. You may count every carb that you put into your mouth; you may take a more relaxed, yet still focused approach by carefully monitoring the carbs that you choose to eat every day; or you may have found that eliminating refined sugar, white flour products, and processed foods is adequate to maintain your carb-conscious lifestyle. I say whatever works for you is great.
Or maybe you’re just beginning to explore what this low-carb thing is all about. If that’s the case, welcome to the low-carb world (and you may want to consider Low-Carb Dieting For Dummies, written by Katherine B. Chauncey and published by Wiley,as you try to find a dietary and lifestyle approach that works for you).
But no matter where you fall on the low-carb spectrum, information is key. And that’s where this chapter comes in. In this chapter, I present some of the nuts and bolts of low-carb living. If you’re new to the lifestyle, you’ll find this information very useful as a primer of sorts. But like any good low-carb lifestyle, I’m flexible. So I’ve been sure to pack this chapter with enough tips and information to pique your interest even if you’re an old pro at this stuff.
