The Good Carb Cookbook
Secrets of Eating Low on the Glycemic Index
By Sandra Woodruff, M.S., R.D.
Avery: A Member of the Penguin Group (USA) Inc., (2004)
ISBN: 1-58333-084-4
Reviewed by Rochelle Caviness
The Good Carb Cookbook is more than just a cookbook. This cookbook, which contains more than 200 recipes, was written by registered dietitian, Sandra Woodruff. In addition to the recipes, she explains what the glycemic index is and describes the impact that carbohydrates have on your health, on your weight, and on your blood sugar levels. In brief, The Good Carb Cookbook is a complete guidebook to good carb eating.
This book is divided into two sections. Part one covers the "The Secrets of the Glycemic Index" and part two consists of the recipes. In the first part of the book, Woodruff explains exactly what the glycemic index (GI) is, and includes a list of foods that are ranked by their GI, and she explains why some carbs are better than others. According to Woodruff, foods with a low GI are best, and she provides tips on how to convert almost any traditional recipe to a low GI recipe. Tips on how to transform your diet to a low GI diet are also offered. While this information can be used as part of a weight loss program, Woodruff contends that eating low on the GI is essential for overall health and she examines how it may help alleviate, control, or even prevent health problems associated diabets, heart disease, cancer, hypoglycemia, and polycystic ovary syndrome. As such, Woodruff explains that this diet should be viewed more as a lifestyle, rather than just a weight loss program. In this regard, Woodruff explains how this diet is rich and diverse enough to follow long term. This diversity is illustrated in the recipes contained in this book, includes recipes for breakfast dishes, hors d'oeuvres, soups, salads, sandwiches, side dishes, pasta, entrees, and desserts.
Woodruff's overall thesis is that eating a diet low on the glycemic index will help to alleviate many health problems, while at the same time help you to loss weight. As important, this diet is easy to follow, satisfying, and targeted more toward eating the right types and amounts of carbs rather than totally outlawing carbs. This makes for a diet that you are less likely to grow bored of, or feel deprived, thereby increasing the likelihood that you will be able to follow this diet over the long term.
The text in this book is enhanced by the inclusion of a wealth of tables and charts that help to illustrate the information described. In addition, Woodruff has included numerous real-life case studies that illustrate the beneficial effects of eating good carbs that are low on the GI. For anyone interested in starting a good carb diet, this book offers suggestions on how to change your diet, how to master low-GI cooking, and best of all, it provides a host of recipes that will help get you started on eating right.
Some of the recipes that you will find in this cookbook include:
Zesty Crab Burgers
Apple-Crunch Coleslaw
Ratatouille Pasta
Portabella Pizza
Maple Oatmeal Cookies
Savory Black-Eyed Peas
Shanghai Chicken Salad
Tuscan Lentil Soup
Blueberry Oat-Bran Muffins
Woodruff is also the author of Secrets of Good-Carb Low-Carb Living. A companion volume to The Good Carb Cookbook, Secrets of Good-Carb Low-Carb Living includes additional recipes and information on how to differentiate good and bad carbs.
