Monday Book Review: Easy Everyday Low Carb Cookbook

Easy Everyday Low Carb Cookbook  by Better Homes and Gardens (Author), Kristi Thomas (Editor)

From the Back Cover:

Carb Counters Rejoice!

Finally a cookbook for tasty, hassle-free low-carb recipes that simplifies meal planning! Choose from full-day meal plans–for every day of the month!

Each daily menu provides carbohydrate levels for 45, 60, 80 and 100 grams.

Best of all, Easy Everyday Low Carb Cookbook provides you with 200 recipes, allowing you to create your own menus easily.  Look inside for these additional features:

• tips for eating a healthful, low-carb diet
• at-a-glance carb counts for every recipes
• reference list of carb counts for fruits and vegetables
• recipes for appetizers, snacks, salads, main dishes, side dishes and desserts
• 360 total meal plans!

My Take:

I bought this cookbook in a $1 sale the local library had in one of the city parks from one of their carts.  Since I eat and cook low-carb due to diabetes, transplant and heart disease, I was hoping this would be a great resource. This cookbook is deceiving in so may ways.  The carb counts may be low on the recipes serving suggestion, but the recipes themselves are in no way healthy for diabetics.  Can of sodium-laden vegetables, pastas made from wheat flours, sugars from processed foods, fruits.  These are a disaster in the making.

Let’s talk about the serving suggestions.  Many are 1/6th or 1/8th of a recipe for the vegetarian or side dishes.  That equals to 1/3 to 1/2 cup, and in many of the menus that’s all you’re allowed to have.  Oh, plus one 8-oz cup of lemon water. I remember when I first read and studied this cookbook, the counts did not add up.  I almost wrote to Better Homes and Gardens pointing out the mathematical errors. I flipped from the suggested menus to the recipes trying to make sense of the carb counts.

This is a great cookbook but I would not call it low carb.  Maybe, somewhat-healthy recipes for already healthy people.  I could certainly not recommend with a clear conscience to diabetics, those with heart disease or those looking to lose weight.

I would give Easy Everyday Low Carb Cooking 1 star.