The South Beach Diet Cookbook
by Arthur Agatston MD
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Book Reviews of The South Beach Diet Cookbook
Book Review: Has anyone but me had problems with these recipes?
Summary: 4 Stars
I thank Dr. Agatston for an alternative to a low fat diet. My husband and I have both lost weight. I have tried several of these recipes and some of these are a disaster. The Zesty Crab Cakes fell all apart and the cooking time was much more than stated. I have made the Peachy Walnut Torte twice with bad results both times. The instructions aren't clear whether it is to be stored in the freeze or what. The Sesame Baked Chicken is wonderful but it takes 3 times the amount of coating for the amount of chicken called for. Some of these recipes use every bowl in the kitchen. The amounts of ingredients called for are split up when you read the instructions. It seems to me, this was put together way to fast and the recipes not tested well. I also don't understand how they divided the Class 2 and 3 recipes. There is one class 2 recipe, Aruglua and Basil Pesto Linguine, that is a class 2 with 520 calories, 21 g. fat and 65 g. carbs. Should this one even be in the book? Recipes I have tried with good results are the Chicken Salad, Mexican Lasagna, Pizza Meat Pie, Chocolate Swirled Cheescake, (With FF cream cheese, not Ricotta that never gets smooth),Flourless Chocolate Cake, Breakfast Cups and the Oven Fried Chicken with Almonds. This is not a cookbook for beginers. Recipes have to be read carefully. I was curious if anyone had had the same problems?
Book Review: Another Cookbook Suggestion
Summary: 3 Stars
I really like South Beach by design. I have lost 40 pounds and love the fact it is a "healthy" low-carb alternative. It was great to see them (though not a suprise considering book sales) to come out with the cookbook. Overall the recipes I have made were good BUT 1) They use a lot of ingredients I don't - aspaagus for breakfast, expensive seafood like seabass, sole and lobster and interesting but umcommon vegetables like choyote squash and fava beans
2) They take a long time to make - and I am an accomplished cook
3) The desserts are too limited and so-so
The point is they worked hard to make pretty, chef like food so you feel you can eat well, but forgot how many of us love the basics - easy to follow recipes with easy to find ingredients for "regular" food.
I highly suggest Fantastic Food with Splenda - 160 Recipes Low in Sugar, Carbs, Fat and Calories. It is compatible with SB and I love the Chai Tea, the Breakfast Cheesecake Cups (high in protein), the Three Bean and Spinach Salads, Sweet and Sour Chicken and Barbequed Pork Tenderloin. Better yet the Frozen Peach Yogurt and Key Lime Pie will truly make you forget you are on a diet. I have suggested it to many friends and they are also hooked. Delicious everyday recipes that are healthy - that's dieting made easy.
Book Review: Pretty Pictures
Summary: 4 Stars
Okay, having read the basic bible to the South Beach Diet (ISBN: 1579546463), which I would recommend to you if you are interested in this cookbook, I wanted to try some of the meals Agatston referred to in his book.The author divides the cookbook into the following sections: breakfast, snacks, soups, salads, side dishes, fish and poultry, meats, vegetarian, and desserts. Each section has approximately 20 recipes, that appear easy enough to prepare and follow the 40% protein, 30% carb, and 30% fat you would expect on a diet plan like this. Also, most of the recipes included carb counts, protein grams, etc. I noticed in the dessert section (my personal favorite of any cookbook) that the recipes employ yogurt, almonds, and fresh fruit extensively. Some sugar substitutes were noted, but not a lot.
The author also dedicates 8 pages of the book to summarizing the diet plan, a long chapter on shopping in accordance with the diet plan, and 5 pages of question and answer type stuff that addresses general questions relevant to the diet. Color photos were available for about 50% of the recipes, which is why I titled this review "Pretty Pictures." I would recommend this book to any reader who enjoyed and plans to use the SouthBeach Diet.
Book Review: Cookbook gives you more info
Summary: 3 Stars
For all of you who think SBD is a fad, not good nutrition, etc., I would like to say that I have been on every diet plan ever, including Optifast, lost 150 lbs. twice, kept it off for a couple of years, then went back to my lazy ways. Since hubby and I have been doing SB, it has been wonderful. I feel that the food plan is completely nutririous compared to all other diets out there, including WW. For those of us obsessive/compulsive eaters who cannot make choices well, the diet is laid out so we don't have to, but we can make substitions in accordance with the cookbook, which gives us more recipes, rounding out that nutritional balance. It isn't about the carbs and the fats; it's a completely healthful way of eating lowfat, low carbohydrate foods that will help keep you heart healthy and help you lost the weight in a well balance manner. AS for the recipes being complicated, well, when you are making something for the first time, yes, it is complicated, but if you love and enjoy eating the food you prepare, it becomes easier. WE cook and freeze/store on the weekends, which makes it much easier to enjoy a variety of foods. I lost 38 lbs. in the first 3 wks. and hubby lost 20. And we ate so much food, it was terrible!Book Review: IMPRESSIVE RANGE OF EASY TO MAKE, DELICIOUS, HEALTHY RECIPES
Summary: 5 Stars
If you've read the South Beach Diet, it did include some preliminary recipe ideas, but they were few and far between. This follow-up cookbook is being marketed as if it were looking to dovetail on the popularity of its predecessor, but I believe if you have this, you don't even need the original. The variety of recipes is fascinating, and the diet phase they correspond to in the original diet (which you can easily comprehend from this book alone) is clearly marked.
Mind you, this is not a "low carb" book. It is about lowering "bad" carbs while allowing "good" carbs. The South Beach idea veers around keeping the Glycemic Index low and Agatston does a pretty good job of explaining the nutritional logic for doing so.
The recipes that I have tried so far are quite good in terms of taste. The best thing for me is that none of the recipes includes any fancy condiments that you'd only find in some super-elite department stores on the other side of town. Very handy for a health-conscious bachelor.
Give it a try. Healthy *and* tasty recipes can't be a bad investment anyway!