BHG recipes: the good, the bad and the just plain wrong

August 30, 8:01 PMSt. Louis Low-Carb ExaminerAmy Dungan

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Those shrimp look weird. And that fish looks way too happy.

While browsing through Borders book store I came across a shelf full of sale items that caught my eye. One of these items was the Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book Of Low-Carb Recipes. The bottom of the front cover claims "All recipes 10 grams net carbs or fewer!" (Where as my bottom claims "I've eaten way too many carbs in my lifetime!") At the price of $3.95 I figured it was a great bargain and picked it up.

I spent some time reading through the information in the front and thumbing through the recipes. While there are certainly some tasty looking recipes in this cookbook, there are also some things that were glaringly out of place or incorrect.

In the section marked "low-carb basics" you'll find 6 pages of information aimed at summarizing the rudiments of low-carb living. They clearly state that this book wasn't written to accompany any one specific plan. While they've not done a horrendous job of simplifying low-carb plans in general, they have made some statements that disturb me, which I'll discuss at length next.

The first objection I have to this area is the following statement:

"Switching to a low-carb diet is not permission to pile high-fat meats on your plate."

Really? Last I checked that was one of the great benefits to low-carbing. I can enjoy meat again! Now if you like leaner cuts of meat, then knock yourself out. But for most low-carb plans, low-fat is not a requirement. Low-fat and low-carb do not mix well and are not usually recommended together. Fat is an essential part of a low-carb plan and should not be monitored as if it's dangerous. This is obviously the mode of thinking here though because of this next sentence.

"... both ground turkey breast (which has less fat) and low-fat ground turkey make good choices"

Again, OK if that's what you like, but not necessary, or even recommended for low-carb diets. If something says low-fat on it, I tend to run in the opposite direction screaming "Help! It's after me!"

"Researchers suggest adding moderate amounts of fat back into the diet."

The last thing I want to hear about is what "researchers" say. I've lost faith in most studies because the researchers tend to find what they want to find regardless of the different variables and facts presented to them. (I'm waiting for the study, funded by Hostess, that says Twinkies are actually a health food.) But this does explain why BHG is riding the caution wagon in regards to fat consumption.

Later they discuss portion sizes…

"Eating more protein or fat than our body needs can lead to weight gain."

Now I'm afraid they are trying to make it complicated and again scare people off the very premise of low-carb dieting. Protein and fat should be the foundation of your low-carb menus. They fail to tell you how to figure your needs in these areas, which just leaves the readers hanging, and if they are new to low-carb, probably worrying.

We'll talk about the recipes on Monday... you won't want miss this. I"m talking meatballs and ladyfingers!