Low-Carb Vegetarian – Meatless alternatives for popular low-carb diets
By Margo DeMello
At 159 pages, this slim square book with smooth white pages boasts an index, large readable text with ingredients in bold font, and helpful nutritional breakdowns for every recipe. The book includes no photos or illustrations, but DeMello does summarize the basics of low-carb dieting. In doing so, however, she commits the grave error of asserting that the Atkins diet is dangerous because it is high in saturated fat. This is incorrect for two reasons. One--there is no underlying reason Atkins’ diet should be higher in any specific type of fat—that is the dieter’s choice alone. Two--current evidence shows that certain saturated fats such as coconut oil and stearic acid are quite healthful indeed. You do not have to accept my word: please do your own research and make your own conclusions.
DeMello also throws out the myth that high protein consumption hurts the kidneys. This is misinformation and extremely unhelpful. DeMello goes on to savage the Neanderthin diet, arguing that the carb levels allowed by that plan would increase cancer, heart disease, hypertension, and stroke while imperiling the bones and kidneys. Only the fact that I know Margo believes what she’s saying keeps me from screaming in rage. It is this type of terrible misinformation from the nutrition community that left me fat and ill for years, trying to attain health by minimizing fat and maximizing carbs and allowing in the merest bites of protein.
Let me be absolutely candid: I ate abundant amounts of protein and saturated fat while losing over a hundred pounds. My bloodwork and blood pressure went from bad to stellar. I got my health back by eating sufficient amounts of healthy saturated fat and protein. But back to the text at hand…
DeMello counsels her readers to look toward The Zone or South Beach—neither of which is truly low carb—when considering which diet to adopt. She also states that soy is “the basis for the protein in most of the recipes”. As you know, I believe soy endangers human health. Since DeMello’s book wasn’t titled “Low-Carb Vegan,” I believed it would include the vegetarian proteins I believe are safe and thus do consume: dairy and eggs.
Let me be absolutely clear: DeMello does not include dairy or eggs in her recipes. As she states in the intro, almost all the protein in this text is soy. She makes minimal use of other beans.
To me this book is a risk to health and is utterly without use in my kitchen. I can only shake my head at it in dismay.
For low-carb dieters committed to vegan menus, this book might be helpful. Please understand I have great respect for the heartfelt commitment to animals’ wellbeing that most vegans share. I adore my vegan friends for their compassion and goodness. Nonetheless, I personally believe a vegan diet jeopardizes human physical and mental wellbeing and is fundamentally incompatible with optimal health.
I cannot recommend this book. Then again, I cannot recommend a vegan diet. If, however, you are vegan and want to try low-carbing: this book would likely be a welcome addition to your cookbook shelf.
Monday, March 27, 2006
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Review: Carb Conscious Vegetarian
Carb Conscious Vegetarian
by Robin Robertson
Warning: if you are in the first or second phase of a low-carb diet, this cookbook will likely be of no use to you. "Carb Conscious" was, sadly, not a synonym for low carb. These recipes have carb contents that would make them suitable as small side dishes in either a maintenance phase or the last month or two of a low-carb diet when you’re upping carb intakes to much higher levels. The bigger recipes tend to be fairly low in fat, rather low in protein, and have at least 20 carb grams if not more; the smaller recipes are super low in fat and protein and have around 5 to 10 carb grams. I haven’t the time or inclination to add up all the recipes’ macronutrients and come up with a true average, but I suspect the typical fat, protein carb ratio would work out to something like 1g fat, 3g protein, 9g carb, 1g fiber. Clearly an early to middle phase low-carb dieter using this book would fail quickly and spectacularly.
So now that I’ve gotten that warning out of the way, if you’re still interested, these are my impressions:
This text is printed on pleasant pale cream paper with sage green typeface. For someone with low vision, the text would be difficult to read and long periods spent crouched over the pages would likely bring on eye fatigue. Most people, however, don’t "read" their cookbooks. On a casual level I do find the pages warm and welcoming. I suspect most people would enjoy the book’s presentation and layout.
The text’s introduction includes Robertson’s take on carbohydrates’ role in her weight gain and loss. Her dietary philosophy seems to combine low-fat theory (though she doesn’t state it) with an avoidance of refined/processed carbs and high GI/GL carbs such as potatoes and rice. She believes that a healthy diet is based on whole foods. A short section called “Carbology” briefly touches on the concepts of net carbs, the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load. Though she states her cookbook would be useful for a low-carb dieter in any phase of their plan, I disgree strongly. This particular cookbook is, sadly, barely more functional for my needs even at maintenance than the vegetarian classic Laurel’s Kitchen. (In fact, a quick glance at the nutritional breakdown table for Laurel’s recipes reveals that they are, for the most part, quite similar to the breakdowns for Robertson’s dishes.)
Robertson cautions against the use of Glycemic Index, pointing out that a chocolate bar has a better GI value than rice and carrots. While a carrot’s GI is high, the Glycemic Load of a carrot is low. (She actually covers the carrot GI/GL topic on page 143.) She could simply have pointed out that Glycemic Load is a better dietary reference than Glycemic Index. What worries me about Robertson’s carrot statement is the subtextual assumption that a bowl of rice is superior to a chocolate bar--so clearly superior, in fact, that she doesn’t feel a need to back the insinuated claim up with any sort of scientific data. But the scientific facts of low-carb dieting—-however unsettling this may be to us vegetarians—-show that such foods as bowls of rice are exactly what fattened our bodies and imperiled our health. In my opinion, Robertson’s brief carrot, rice, chocolate statement distills her dietary philosophy and exemplifies the content of the book. (I also believe that chocolate, without sugar, IS a better food than rice, but apparently she disagrees.)
I know she truly meant to meet the needs of LC dieters with this book. I appreciate her effort and thank her for trying, but this is not the book vegetarian Low Carb dieters need.
Nonetheless, I shall continue with the review…
A few staple ingredients she uses concern me. Robertson’s recipes are "dairy free" (though she does allow for the optional use of dairy in a few recipes), so she uses soy versions of common milk products instead. Too few vegetarians are aware of soy’s pitfalls and it worries me that Robertson didn’t mention its possible risks.
It also troubles me greatly that she advocates the use of stevia as a sweetener by saying that it is natural. The safety of stevia is by no means certain. Natural does not mean safe. Oleander, rhubarb leaves and peach pits are natural plant parts that I don’t want anywhere near my mouth. I would prefer that a low carb cookbook author present all the sweetener options out there, include the scientific data we have on each, and let dieters make informed decisions on how—and if—to sweeten for themselves.
And using agave as a sweetener as Robertson does seems, to me, terribly unwise even for non low-carb dieters. (I think it’s especially perilous for those on LC plans, but I digress…) If I understand correctly, fructose is processed differently by the liver than other forms of sugar. In high concentrations—such as in High Fructose Corn Syrup—it can lead to unhappy health consquences. Robertson acknowledges it is not low carb, but seems to believe it is nonetheless acceptable. I wouldn’t touch it with a flagpole, let alone a fork or spoon.
I’m also distressed by her use of flax, though I realize that, like soy, flax is a controversial diet topic.
Okay, so those are the iffy ingredients. Are there good ones?
Absolutely. She makes frequent use of beans such as black beans and chickpeas. I also deeply appreciate her avoidance of whole grain bread and wheat in this book. Her use of spices seems creative and her inclusion of lots of low GI veggies in many recipes makes me hold out hope that something truly lovely may arise from this book.
Realistically, the soy-based ingredients she calls for can be replaced with egg, milk or Quorn products, so those recipes may still be useful in altered form. Furthermore, just because Robertson calls for a potentially risky sweetener in a recipe doesn’t mean you must use it. You can always opt for erythritol or inulin or one of the many other low-carb sweeteners instead. Or you can do the truly prudent thing and just not sweeten your recipes. (No, heck no: I’m no dietary angel. But I believe in informed consent when it comes to dietary risk. I don’t believe in glossing over potential dangers with a wishful wave of the hand and a nod to the gods of "Natural".)
Shrug.
One more note: The book has a carbohydrate content table of common foods in the appendix. It also includes a small Glycemic Index chart.
The book lists for $18.95 US.
Since my gripes outweigh my applause, it probably seems as if I hate this cookbook. I don’t. I look forward to trying some of the recipes as side dishes in hopes that Robertson can dazzle with spices. It’s no worse than the average vegetarian cookbook—perhaps even a wee bit better—it’s just a huge disappointment when I had hopes of finding new, tasty low carg veg dishes.
Should you buy this book?
If you’re in a higher-carb maintenance and either don’t mind soy or don’t mind tweaking recipes, it could be a somewhat useful addition to your cookbook shelf. If you can find it at your local library, I would suggest perusing it before committing to a purchase.
~L
by Robin Robertson
Warning: if you are in the first or second phase of a low-carb diet, this cookbook will likely be of no use to you. "Carb Conscious" was, sadly, not a synonym for low carb. These recipes have carb contents that would make them suitable as small side dishes in either a maintenance phase or the last month or two of a low-carb diet when you’re upping carb intakes to much higher levels. The bigger recipes tend to be fairly low in fat, rather low in protein, and have at least 20 carb grams if not more; the smaller recipes are super low in fat and protein and have around 5 to 10 carb grams. I haven’t the time or inclination to add up all the recipes’ macronutrients and come up with a true average, but I suspect the typical fat, protein carb ratio would work out to something like 1g fat, 3g protein, 9g carb, 1g fiber. Clearly an early to middle phase low-carb dieter using this book would fail quickly and spectacularly.
So now that I’ve gotten that warning out of the way, if you’re still interested, these are my impressions:
This text is printed on pleasant pale cream paper with sage green typeface. For someone with low vision, the text would be difficult to read and long periods spent crouched over the pages would likely bring on eye fatigue. Most people, however, don’t "read" their cookbooks. On a casual level I do find the pages warm and welcoming. I suspect most people would enjoy the book’s presentation and layout.
The text’s introduction includes Robertson’s take on carbohydrates’ role in her weight gain and loss. Her dietary philosophy seems to combine low-fat theory (though she doesn’t state it) with an avoidance of refined/processed carbs and high GI/GL carbs such as potatoes and rice. She believes that a healthy diet is based on whole foods. A short section called “Carbology” briefly touches on the concepts of net carbs, the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load. Though she states her cookbook would be useful for a low-carb dieter in any phase of their plan, I disgree strongly. This particular cookbook is, sadly, barely more functional for my needs even at maintenance than the vegetarian classic Laurel’s Kitchen. (In fact, a quick glance at the nutritional breakdown table for Laurel’s recipes reveals that they are, for the most part, quite similar to the breakdowns for Robertson’s dishes.)
Robertson cautions against the use of Glycemic Index, pointing out that a chocolate bar has a better GI value than rice and carrots. While a carrot’s GI is high, the Glycemic Load of a carrot is low. (She actually covers the carrot GI/GL topic on page 143.) She could simply have pointed out that Glycemic Load is a better dietary reference than Glycemic Index. What worries me about Robertson’s carrot statement is the subtextual assumption that a bowl of rice is superior to a chocolate bar--so clearly superior, in fact, that she doesn’t feel a need to back the insinuated claim up with any sort of scientific data. But the scientific facts of low-carb dieting—-however unsettling this may be to us vegetarians—-show that such foods as bowls of rice are exactly what fattened our bodies and imperiled our health. In my opinion, Robertson’s brief carrot, rice, chocolate statement distills her dietary philosophy and exemplifies the content of the book. (I also believe that chocolate, without sugar, IS a better food than rice, but apparently she disagrees.)
I know she truly meant to meet the needs of LC dieters with this book. I appreciate her effort and thank her for trying, but this is not the book vegetarian Low Carb dieters need.
Nonetheless, I shall continue with the review…
A few staple ingredients she uses concern me. Robertson’s recipes are "dairy free" (though she does allow for the optional use of dairy in a few recipes), so she uses soy versions of common milk products instead. Too few vegetarians are aware of soy’s pitfalls and it worries me that Robertson didn’t mention its possible risks.
It also troubles me greatly that she advocates the use of stevia as a sweetener by saying that it is natural. The safety of stevia is by no means certain. Natural does not mean safe. Oleander, rhubarb leaves and peach pits are natural plant parts that I don’t want anywhere near my mouth. I would prefer that a low carb cookbook author present all the sweetener options out there, include the scientific data we have on each, and let dieters make informed decisions on how—and if—to sweeten for themselves.
And using agave as a sweetener as Robertson does seems, to me, terribly unwise even for non low-carb dieters. (I think it’s especially perilous for those on LC plans, but I digress…) If I understand correctly, fructose is processed differently by the liver than other forms of sugar. In high concentrations—such as in High Fructose Corn Syrup—it can lead to unhappy health consquences. Robertson acknowledges it is not low carb, but seems to believe it is nonetheless acceptable. I wouldn’t touch it with a flagpole, let alone a fork or spoon.
I’m also distressed by her use of flax, though I realize that, like soy, flax is a controversial diet topic.
Okay, so those are the iffy ingredients. Are there good ones?
Absolutely. She makes frequent use of beans such as black beans and chickpeas. I also deeply appreciate her avoidance of whole grain bread and wheat in this book. Her use of spices seems creative and her inclusion of lots of low GI veggies in many recipes makes me hold out hope that something truly lovely may arise from this book.
Realistically, the soy-based ingredients she calls for can be replaced with egg, milk or Quorn products, so those recipes may still be useful in altered form. Furthermore, just because Robertson calls for a potentially risky sweetener in a recipe doesn’t mean you must use it. You can always opt for erythritol or inulin or one of the many other low-carb sweeteners instead. Or you can do the truly prudent thing and just not sweeten your recipes. (No, heck no: I’m no dietary angel. But I believe in informed consent when it comes to dietary risk. I don’t believe in glossing over potential dangers with a wishful wave of the hand and a nod to the gods of "Natural".)
Shrug.
One more note: The book has a carbohydrate content table of common foods in the appendix. It also includes a small Glycemic Index chart.
The book lists for $18.95 US.
Since my gripes outweigh my applause, it probably seems as if I hate this cookbook. I don’t. I look forward to trying some of the recipes as side dishes in hopes that Robertson can dazzle with spices. It’s no worse than the average vegetarian cookbook—perhaps even a wee bit better—it’s just a huge disappointment when I had hopes of finding new, tasty low carg veg dishes.
Should you buy this book?
If you’re in a higher-carb maintenance and either don’t mind soy or don’t mind tweaking recipes, it could be a somewhat useful addition to your cookbook shelf. If you can find it at your local library, I would suggest perusing it before committing to a purchase.
~L
Review: The Low GI Vegetarian Cookbook
The New Glucose Revolution Low GI Vegetarian Cookbook: 80 Delicious Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes Made Easy with the Glycemic Index
By Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller, Kaye Foster-Powell and Kate Marsh
Boasting slick paper with pleasing photographs, easy to read typeface and well laid-out informative sidebars, this is a nicely presented book.
I was so excited to see this title pop up in my Amazon recs section. The idea of other vegetarians recognizing that fast-acting carbs lead to ill health just filled me with hope for the veg community. I imagined a text full of the latest information on how to use glycemic index and glycemic load to choose the most healthful carb options, how to use such ingredients as vinegar to help extend carb-processing time, where to search for such low-GI veg ingredients as Chana Dal and Rice bran…
I also dreamed a beautiful dream of page after page of mid-level carb recipes (25 to 30 carb grams per serving max) that made use of low-GI ingredients like channa dal. I hoped this book would serve me brilliantly as I move from the middle phase of my low carb diet, to the later phase that adds carbs back in responsibly.
My optimism was premature.
The authors get credit from me for acknowledging celiac disease and for giving a sidebar nod to the healthful properties of eggs.
The authors lose almost all credibility when they dismiss the use of Glycemic Load because it would, in their opinion, lead to a low-carb diet. Well, we most certainly can’t have that!
I could have cried. Using GI without regard to glycemic load is a bit like using the standard temperature/pressure equations in physics to derive gas mass, but leaving out temperature completely and relying solely upon pressure to calculate your final number. It is, in short, utterly stupid.
I can understand the average vegetarian’s resistance to cutting back on carb consumption. It is a daunting task at first—and expensive! But avoiding the fact that—for blood sugar sensitive folks it NEEDS to be done—by scoffing at low-carb is, in my opinion, borderline unethical. These people are aware of the damage high GI diets can cause, yet the subtextual message these authors convey couldn’t be clearer: avoid low carb.
And boy howdy, you’ll sure be avoiding low carb if you cook according to the Low GI Vegetarian Cookbook. I saw single servings of foods whose carb counts were over 70g. There were some that were much lower, of course, but the accompanying fiber, fat and protein rarely justified the carb count in most of the authors’ recipes. Even assuming you were on long-term maintenance, these carb counts just seemed much too high for me. These recipes were pasta, rice, bean and legume-heavy. I’m not saying there’s anything inherently wrong with whole-grain pasta, low-gi rice, and beans and legumes. I adore beans and legumes, but the quantities called for in these recipes were, at least for my dietary purposes, far too high.
They recommend that an average person eat approximately 275g of carbs a day. They also advise that not all foods consumed need be low GI and that consuming low GI foods with higher ones will help mediate the overall rise in blood sugar. Of course that’s somewhat true—but disappointingly inadequate for the needs of folks who are sensitive to sugar and insulin swings in their blood. And who, really, is likely to purchase a cookbook with Low GI in its title? I think the authors are doing their most-likely target audience a tremendous disservice. I can’t imagine these fairly high-carb recipes aren’t going to affect the blood sugar of souls suffering from insulin resistance or, worse, diabetes. But to each his own—and to some of those, a blood glucose monitor.
This book emphasizes whole grains to the point that it becomes nearly an irrelevant addition to any celiac’s bookshelf. For a celiac who also avoids soy and tries to keep carb counts under 30 for any given dish, the book is pretty much useless.
I’m also quite concerned by their fairly blanket embrace of non-saturated fats—including “soft” margarine—without mentioning the troubling existence of trans-fats. “Soft” margarines can still be loaded with trans fats. It also looks as if the authors are among those who still believe fat is a dietary bogeyman.
There were only two recipes that I thought I might be able to use, and one would have to be heavily tweaked in order to fit within my dietary parameters.
The first was Vietnamese Spring Rolls in rice paper, and the recipe was similar to this one. There are photos of rolling rice papers around a similar concoction here.
The other recipe that enticed me was the baked ricotta. It was somewhat akin to this one.
Alas, this book also encourages readers in a colourful sidebar to eat phytoestrogens.
Imagine me hanging my head in utter frustration and sorrow.
I realize that many people cling to the idea that soy is a health food. I also realize that we need more studies to be certain it truly is detrimental to the aging brain. BUT, I think the Hawaiian study is persuasive enough—and alarming enough in the evidence presented—to make any rational soul pause before putting soy in his/her mouth on a regular basis.
Darnit, I love tofu. I adore it! But my taste for the stuff and my whimsical wish for the universe to fall neatly in line with my philosophical preferences makes not one bit of difference to scientific reality.
Argh, the quixotic naivete of my fellow vegetarians wears on me at times. Honestly, folks. You’re among the brightest and kindest out there. Use your grey matter. This is NOT rocket science. When there’s a linear correlation between tofu consumption and brain atrophy, SOMETHING IS REALLY WRONG. Oh, nevermind. If you want to eat the bean, eat the bean. You have every right. You also have every right to smoke tobacco and guzzle high-fructose corn syrup-based soft drinks. You also have full right to munch on trans-fatty snacks—so long as you’re not in New York City.
So have at that tempeh. Just please understand that you’re choosing willfully to eat something that is probably damaging your brain. Don’t let the amazingly powerful soy industry deceive you. And question what you’re reading—yes, that applies to me as well.
Are you reading something written by a scientist who has done studies on soy? Or are you reading something by a nutritional philosopher who is basing statements on ideology rather than science? Are there citations in the paragraphs? Or just happy reassurances that soy-is-good, soy-is-safe, soy-will-make-us-all-get-along….
It’s not okay for personal philosophy to interfere with our acceptance of scientific evidence. It wasn’t okay for people in power to dismiss global warming because it didn’t fit their economic agenda and personal view of the way the world OUGHT to be. Likewise, it isn’t okay for vegetarians and vegans to dismiss alarming evidence about soy just because it doesn’t fit the way we’d like the world to be.
Please.
Come on guys. I need your brains to be fully functional forty years from now.
There seems to be an underlying contempt for low carb dieting in this book. They even state that carbs (low GI ones) are a superior appetite suppressant to fat. This makes me laugh…
Not in a good way.
They say people don’t need more than 2 – 4 servings (and by serving they mean 2 tsp) of fat a day. And even though they acknowledge that many vegetarians get too much Omega 6 and too little Omega 3, they don’t touch on the fact that the Omega 3 in flax is fairly useless in terms of what our bodies need from that category of fat. Instead, they encourage people to consume flax.
They also warn subtly and gently against high protein diets.
Basically, they want people to eat a high carb diet. And in this high carb diet, they include lots of pasta, rice, corn and whole grain bread.
Okay, this may be a step above white bread, corn flakes and instant mashed potatoes, but I fear it’s still hitting the pancreas harder than it needs to.
Oh well.
I am, overall, pretty disgusted by this book. I suppose it may look impressive or helpful to a vegetarian who knew nothing about GI/GL, carbs, fat, protein, blood sugar and insulin, but as one who has not only researched the topic but used her body as a living petri dish for these macronutrients and observed the effects: I am deeply disappointed that the authors advocate such a huge proportion of daily calories come from carbs and so few from fat. But what do you do? The culture we live in right now fears fat on the basis of philosophy rather than science. It’s a hard belief to counter.
I couldn’t recommend this book to anyone other than a vegetarian absolutely determined to avoid lowering their carb intake. This book is a bit like giving a car passenger a bike helmet to wear instead of a seatbelt. It does a little bit of good and certainly cannot hurt, but it sure doesn’t help as much as just using the darned seatbelt.
Sigh..
By Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller, Kaye Foster-Powell and Kate Marsh
Boasting slick paper with pleasing photographs, easy to read typeface and well laid-out informative sidebars, this is a nicely presented book.
I was so excited to see this title pop up in my Amazon recs section. The idea of other vegetarians recognizing that fast-acting carbs lead to ill health just filled me with hope for the veg community. I imagined a text full of the latest information on how to use glycemic index and glycemic load to choose the most healthful carb options, how to use such ingredients as vinegar to help extend carb-processing time, where to search for such low-GI veg ingredients as Chana Dal and Rice bran…
I also dreamed a beautiful dream of page after page of mid-level carb recipes (25 to 30 carb grams per serving max) that made use of low-GI ingredients like channa dal. I hoped this book would serve me brilliantly as I move from the middle phase of my low carb diet, to the later phase that adds carbs back in responsibly.
My optimism was premature.
The authors get credit from me for acknowledging celiac disease and for giving a sidebar nod to the healthful properties of eggs.
The authors lose almost all credibility when they dismiss the use of Glycemic Load because it would, in their opinion, lead to a low-carb diet. Well, we most certainly can’t have that!
I could have cried. Using GI without regard to glycemic load is a bit like using the standard temperature/pressure equations in physics to derive gas mass, but leaving out temperature completely and relying solely upon pressure to calculate your final number. It is, in short, utterly stupid.
I can understand the average vegetarian’s resistance to cutting back on carb consumption. It is a daunting task at first—and expensive! But avoiding the fact that—for blood sugar sensitive folks it NEEDS to be done—by scoffing at low-carb is, in my opinion, borderline unethical. These people are aware of the damage high GI diets can cause, yet the subtextual message these authors convey couldn’t be clearer: avoid low carb.
And boy howdy, you’ll sure be avoiding low carb if you cook according to the Low GI Vegetarian Cookbook. I saw single servings of foods whose carb counts were over 70g. There were some that were much lower, of course, but the accompanying fiber, fat and protein rarely justified the carb count in most of the authors’ recipes. Even assuming you were on long-term maintenance, these carb counts just seemed much too high for me. These recipes were pasta, rice, bean and legume-heavy. I’m not saying there’s anything inherently wrong with whole-grain pasta, low-gi rice, and beans and legumes. I adore beans and legumes, but the quantities called for in these recipes were, at least for my dietary purposes, far too high.
They recommend that an average person eat approximately 275g of carbs a day. They also advise that not all foods consumed need be low GI and that consuming low GI foods with higher ones will help mediate the overall rise in blood sugar. Of course that’s somewhat true—but disappointingly inadequate for the needs of folks who are sensitive to sugar and insulin swings in their blood. And who, really, is likely to purchase a cookbook with Low GI in its title? I think the authors are doing their most-likely target audience a tremendous disservice. I can’t imagine these fairly high-carb recipes aren’t going to affect the blood sugar of souls suffering from insulin resistance or, worse, diabetes. But to each his own—and to some of those, a blood glucose monitor.
This book emphasizes whole grains to the point that it becomes nearly an irrelevant addition to any celiac’s bookshelf. For a celiac who also avoids soy and tries to keep carb counts under 30 for any given dish, the book is pretty much useless.
I’m also quite concerned by their fairly blanket embrace of non-saturated fats—including “soft” margarine—without mentioning the troubling existence of trans-fats. “Soft” margarines can still be loaded with trans fats. It also looks as if the authors are among those who still believe fat is a dietary bogeyman.
There were only two recipes that I thought I might be able to use, and one would have to be heavily tweaked in order to fit within my dietary parameters.
The first was Vietnamese Spring Rolls in rice paper, and the recipe was similar to this one. There are photos of rolling rice papers around a similar concoction here.
The other recipe that enticed me was the baked ricotta. It was somewhat akin to this one.
Alas, this book also encourages readers in a colourful sidebar to eat phytoestrogens.
Imagine me hanging my head in utter frustration and sorrow.
I realize that many people cling to the idea that soy is a health food. I also realize that we need more studies to be certain it truly is detrimental to the aging brain. BUT, I think the Hawaiian study is persuasive enough—and alarming enough in the evidence presented—to make any rational soul pause before putting soy in his/her mouth on a regular basis.
Darnit, I love tofu. I adore it! But my taste for the stuff and my whimsical wish for the universe to fall neatly in line with my philosophical preferences makes not one bit of difference to scientific reality.
Argh, the quixotic naivete of my fellow vegetarians wears on me at times. Honestly, folks. You’re among the brightest and kindest out there. Use your grey matter. This is NOT rocket science. When there’s a linear correlation between tofu consumption and brain atrophy, SOMETHING IS REALLY WRONG. Oh, nevermind. If you want to eat the bean, eat the bean. You have every right. You also have every right to smoke tobacco and guzzle high-fructose corn syrup-based soft drinks. You also have full right to munch on trans-fatty snacks—so long as you’re not in New York City.
So have at that tempeh. Just please understand that you’re choosing willfully to eat something that is probably damaging your brain. Don’t let the amazingly powerful soy industry deceive you. And question what you’re reading—yes, that applies to me as well.
Are you reading something written by a scientist who has done studies on soy? Or are you reading something by a nutritional philosopher who is basing statements on ideology rather than science? Are there citations in the paragraphs? Or just happy reassurances that soy-is-good, soy-is-safe, soy-will-make-us-all-get-along….
It’s not okay for personal philosophy to interfere with our acceptance of scientific evidence. It wasn’t okay for people in power to dismiss global warming because it didn’t fit their economic agenda and personal view of the way the world OUGHT to be. Likewise, it isn’t okay for vegetarians and vegans to dismiss alarming evidence about soy just because it doesn’t fit the way we’d like the world to be.
Please.
Come on guys. I need your brains to be fully functional forty years from now.
There seems to be an underlying contempt for low carb dieting in this book. They even state that carbs (low GI ones) are a superior appetite suppressant to fat. This makes me laugh…
Not in a good way.
They say people don’t need more than 2 – 4 servings (and by serving they mean 2 tsp) of fat a day. And even though they acknowledge that many vegetarians get too much Omega 6 and too little Omega 3, they don’t touch on the fact that the Omega 3 in flax is fairly useless in terms of what our bodies need from that category of fat. Instead, they encourage people to consume flax.
They also warn subtly and gently against high protein diets.
Basically, they want people to eat a high carb diet. And in this high carb diet, they include lots of pasta, rice, corn and whole grain bread.
Okay, this may be a step above white bread, corn flakes and instant mashed potatoes, but I fear it’s still hitting the pancreas harder than it needs to.
Oh well.
I am, overall, pretty disgusted by this book. I suppose it may look impressive or helpful to a vegetarian who knew nothing about GI/GL, carbs, fat, protein, blood sugar and insulin, but as one who has not only researched the topic but used her body as a living petri dish for these macronutrients and observed the effects: I am deeply disappointed that the authors advocate such a huge proportion of daily calories come from carbs and so few from fat. But what do you do? The culture we live in right now fears fat on the basis of philosophy rather than science. It’s a hard belief to counter.
I couldn’t recommend this book to anyone other than a vegetarian absolutely determined to avoid lowering their carb intake. This book is a bit like giving a car passenger a bike helmet to wear instead of a seatbelt. It does a little bit of good and certainly cannot hurt, but it sure doesn’t help as much as just using the darned seatbelt.
Sigh..
Review: Bo Sebastian's The Protein-Powered Vegetarian
The Protein-Powered Vegetarian, From Meat To Vegetable Protein
By Bo Sebastian
This 188 page book is bound with a bright glossy cover depicting veggie hot dogs and a char-broiled veggie hamburger nestled between two buns. The text itself is black and white on reasonably thick, even-edged paper. The font size and style allow for easy reading even when the book is sitting on a counter far below tired eyes. The book includes no photos or illustrations; nor is there an index.
The book offers up its recipes in an orderly fashion with neat lists of ingredients and easy, descriptive instructions. There are no nutritional breakdowns given for the dishes.
Mr Sebastian is a good-looking man who seeks to share his personal philosophy and recipe trove out of a desire to improve the health and well-being of others. I respect that. Nonetheless, for my purposes, his cookbook is not useful.
Bo does acknowledge the risks of margarine, but he supports the use of questionable oils like canola. He also suggests using Braggs Liquid Aminos which are, in effect, pure MSG in water. I realize monosodium glutamate may not be harmful-—the jury is still out--but the fact that it may be affecting people’s appetites and nerves rather badly shouldn’t be completely ignored. At the least I believe a cookbook author has the duty to inform readers of potential risks and allow cooks to choose for themselves based on the latest information.
More disastrously, Mr Sebastian bases the majority of his recipes on soy products and vegetarian processed fake meats such as Harvest Burgers and Morningstar Breakfast patties. Since I believe soy is harmful and I cannot eat 99% of the veggie fake meats on the market (due to the inclusion of wheat gluten), his recipes were useless to me.
He did introduce me to the existence of the Italian bean lupini, but since I’ve learned soy itself is likely harmful, I am not prepared to trust this other bean.
I couldn’t recommend this cookbook to anyone, vegetarian or low-carb dieter. It doesn’t offer good or novel ideas for dishes. Rather, it’s just different presentations of processed fake meats. I’m sure Mr Sebastian intended to help others with this text. I thank him for that. Still, this book is the worst of the many veggie high-protein books I’ve read.
I still wish him the best of health, peace and happiness in this life.
~L
By Bo Sebastian
This 188 page book is bound with a bright glossy cover depicting veggie hot dogs and a char-broiled veggie hamburger nestled between two buns. The text itself is black and white on reasonably thick, even-edged paper. The font size and style allow for easy reading even when the book is sitting on a counter far below tired eyes. The book includes no photos or illustrations; nor is there an index.
The book offers up its recipes in an orderly fashion with neat lists of ingredients and easy, descriptive instructions. There are no nutritional breakdowns given for the dishes.
Mr Sebastian is a good-looking man who seeks to share his personal philosophy and recipe trove out of a desire to improve the health and well-being of others. I respect that. Nonetheless, for my purposes, his cookbook is not useful.
Bo does acknowledge the risks of margarine, but he supports the use of questionable oils like canola. He also suggests using Braggs Liquid Aminos which are, in effect, pure MSG in water. I realize monosodium glutamate may not be harmful-—the jury is still out--but the fact that it may be affecting people’s appetites and nerves rather badly shouldn’t be completely ignored. At the least I believe a cookbook author has the duty to inform readers of potential risks and allow cooks to choose for themselves based on the latest information.
More disastrously, Mr Sebastian bases the majority of his recipes on soy products and vegetarian processed fake meats such as Harvest Burgers and Morningstar Breakfast patties. Since I believe soy is harmful and I cannot eat 99% of the veggie fake meats on the market (due to the inclusion of wheat gluten), his recipes were useless to me.
He did introduce me to the existence of the Italian bean lupini, but since I’ve learned soy itself is likely harmful, I am not prepared to trust this other bean.
I couldn’t recommend this cookbook to anyone, vegetarian or low-carb dieter. It doesn’t offer good or novel ideas for dishes. Rather, it’s just different presentations of processed fake meats. I’m sure Mr Sebastian intended to help others with this text. I thank him for that. Still, this book is the worst of the many veggie high-protein books I’ve read.
I still wish him the best of health, peace and happiness in this life.
~L
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