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Introduction

Welcome to the 2nd edition of Low-Carb Diet For Dummies. Nutrition and medical professionals have learned a lot about low-carbohydrate eating plans since the publication of the first book. When the first edition was published, two sides — the low-fat way of eating and the low-carb way of eating — were at odds with each other. Food was looked at as grams of fat or grams of carb. No one really looked at the quality of the food source. So, any food labeled “fat free” was considered healthy on one plan and anything labeled “carb free” was considered healthy on the other plan.

In this controversy the low-fat side had the favor of the scientific community and low-carb side had their ridicule. A lot has changed since then. Today nutritionists know more about the health benefits of a low-carb diet and the importance of the quality of the carbohydrates people include in their diet. Also, nutritionists know more about the health benefits of certain fats in a person’s diet and the importance of including them in a person’s eating.

Read on for a fully integrated diet plan that you can follow healthfully and deliciously for the rest of your life. Not only does it contribute to a healthy lifestyle, it will help you lose those extra pounds you may be carrying around.

About This Book

In this second edition of Low-Carb Diet For Dummies, I continue to address the differences in carbohydrate foods: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I delve a tad deeper into the nutrition aspects of eating a low-carb diet, discussing the differences between low-carb and very low-carbohydrate diets (VLCD) and which fats are healthy and need to be included in your diet and which ones aren’t healthy and need to be excluded. Unlike many other popular low-carb eating plans available today, this plan helps you control, but doesn’t entirely eliminate, the intake of refined sugars and flour, and it encourages you to eat whole, unprocessed food. You may be surprised to see that the plan contains moderate amounts of starch, protein, and fat. The plan allows your nutrition needs to be supplied naturally.

I help you focus your eating on natural, unprocessed foods whenever possible, particularly fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meat and protein, and low-fat dairy. I give you guidelines for appropriate serving sizes of carbohydrates. This is not the eat-all-the-fat-and-protein-you-can-stuff-in-your-face plan. You’ll definitely feel full and energetic on this plan.

Carbohydrates are counted differently in the Whole Food Weight Loss Eating Plan than in other low-carb diets. Other low-carb diets count all the carbohydrate in a meal regardless of the food source. A new feature in this plan is you’re given a range of one to five carbohydrate choices per day. You choose how many you want. For example, if you want to lose weight faster, you can choose one to three carb choices per day, although five carb choices per day will also yield a weight loss. Eliminating carbs completely is dangerous, so eat at least one carb choice a day.

A carbohydrate choice is approximately 15 grams of total carbohydrate and can be a bread, cereal, starchy vegetable, pasta, chips, sugar, or sweet. In recipes, you only count the carbohydrate that comes from starch or sugar, not the carbohydrate from fruit, vegetables, or low-fat dairy foods. Because of this difference, the recipes in this book have the number of carbohydrate choices calculated for you. That information will be stated in the recipe’s Yield. The nutrition analysis of the recipes calculate the total carbohydrate, but if that carbohydrate is supplied by fruit or vegetables and not starch or sugar, the recipe is considered “free” and will be marked with a Green Light icon.

Here are a few other specs to keep in mind about the recipes in this book:

 All butter is unsalted unless otherwise stated. Margarine isn’t a suitable substitute for butter; instead you’ll find plant butters or plant oils mixed with yogurt.

 All eggs are large.

 All onions are yellow unless otherwise specified.

 All pepper is freshly ground black pepper unless otherwise specified.

 All salt is kosher.

 All dry ingredient measurements are level.

 All temperatures are Fahrenheit (see Appendix D to convert Fahrenheit temperatures to Celsius).

 All lemon and lime juice is freshly squeezed.

 All sugar is white granulated sugar unless otherwise noted.

 All flour is all-purpose white flour unless otherwise noted.

 All Greek yogurt is full-fat yogurt unless otherwise noted.

 When a recipe says to steam a vegetable, the amount of water you need to use in your pot or steamer depends on your steaming method, so I don’t include the water in the ingredients list. As a general rule, if you’re using a basket in a pot, the water level should be just below the basket.

 When a recipe says sugar-substitute equivalent, the amount of sugar-substitute you use should be equal to the amount of sugar indicated in the recipe. In some recipes, a specific low-calorie sweetener and the amount is stated. Many good natural sweeteners weren’t available when I wrote the first edition of this book.

Foolish Assumptions

When writing this book, I make a few assumptions about you:

 You’re overwhelmed by the number of dieting plans and books and just can’t make a decision about which is best for you.

 You’re busy and want a simpler and healthier way to eat that you can apply to any situation such as home, office, restaurant, or fast food.

 You want to model healthy eating for your family and serve easy and delicious meals.

 You’re tired of the stress that happens at mealtime in deciding what and/or where to eat.

 You fear having to eat differently from your family while you prepare a “regular” meal for them.

 You’re tired of being overweight and unable to join in fun activities.

 You’re fearful of never being able to eat your favorite foods again.

Icons Used in This Book

Icons are those little pictures in the margins. Here’s a key to what they mean:

The Tip icon is handy, and I use it extensively. It marks things that I’ve identified as being helpful in your journey to lifelong good health.

This icon marks important points that are reinforced throughout a section of the book. You’ll do well to remember what I point out here.

Pay particular attention to the Warning icon to steer clear of situations that can be seriously dangerous or hazardous. Exercise some extra caution.

This icon marks interesting information that isn’t essential to understand. You can even skip over the text if it doesn’t appeal to you and still enjoy the book.

This icon points out recipes that use only Green Light foods, which are free foods you can eat anytime anywhere. They’re primarily vegetables, fruits, lean meats, and low-fat cheeses. Any other recipe not marked with a Green Light icon is counted as one of your carb choices. Check the yield part of the recipe to see how much carb to count.

Beyond This Book

This book is chock-full of tips and other pieces of helpful advice you can use as you eat a low-carb diet. If you want some additional tidbits of wisdom, check out the book’s Cheat Sheet at www.dummies.com. Just search for “Low-Carb Diet For Dummies Cheat Sheet.”

Where to Go from Here

One of the best things about this book, or any For Dummies book for that matter, is the fact that you can start just about anywhere and find something that’s interesting and relevant. Feel free to start wherever you want.

If you want a little more guidance, try this handy list on for size:

 If you want to get shopping right away and need a grocery list to get you started, go right to Appendix B.

 If you’re not sure if the plan is right for you, take a look at Chapter 4. It’s full of information on discovering your own personal health history, assessing your current health situation, and helping you see why this plan can work for you.

 To go straight to the recipes, focus on Part 3. For a quick list of which recipes I include in the book, take a look at the Recipes at a Glance at the front of the book.

 If you want a quick overview of the plan, and why it’s better than any other low-carb plan out there, take a look at Chapter 2.