Arthur Agatston
1 Too narrowly focused!
Good book with many recipes of tasty dishes. -- The popularity of South Beach Diet cannot be overstated. It has been on the top of bestseller lists for a few years now. However, maybe it is the time to consider other approaches. Mr. Tombak in "Can We Live 150 Years?" gives simple rules for food combination that will give you same results without you feeling deprived of foods that YOU like. In addition, Dr. Tombak explains other medical reasons for obesity (outside of nutrition) and how to deal with them.
2 Bland, Bland, Bland!!
Ok, I have been following the South Beach Diet successfully for over a month now, and plan to stick with it. BUT, this book contains recipes that are mostly bland, not to mention they always advise too much time for cooking the meats,which leave them dried out as well as BLAND. I found myself dousing most entrees with hot sauce to make them edible. I will say that the sauce recipes (South Beach cocktail, teriyaki & ketchup) were very helpful, and there are occasional OK recipes in here. All in all, one could find better recipes on on-line forums than in this book.
3 Great addition to the South Beach Diet
My husband bought this for me as a Mother's Day gift, and I absolutely love it. The South Beach Diet is wonderful, but I was ready for new recipes and options to keep things interesting. This book meets those needs and then some! I've tried several recipes already, and they've been fabulous. This diet is so smart and easy, I will never NOT follow the South Beach Diet principles. With the South Beach Diet Cookbook in my collection, I have more than enough options to do at our home interesting and yummy.
I read the book and I thought, this doesn't sound too bad, but I found myself miserable. I just was frustrated after a week....it was very regimented. I did benefit by eliminating my coffee habit with the help of a wonderful coffee substitute called soyffee (www.s o y c o f f e e .com) Its made from soybeans which is a godsend for those troubled with hot flashes like myself. This book I bought was the South Beach Diet book. I read that book and found the plan to be made up of things I would eat and the items were normal grocery store items so no hunting at the health food stores or buying online.
4 An outstanding compliment to the South Beach Diet
Having lost more than 18 pounds since starting the South Beach Diet in mid-January, I'm clearly committed to the changes in eating habits Dr. Agatston promotes. This is the easiest weight-loss I've ever achieved and I only plan to lose about 5-8 pounds more. My primary motivation, however, was to improve blood chemistry.
I love cooking and love eating. While it's easy to convert most recipes to accomodate South Beach guidelines, it's great to be able to pick up a book full of well-written and nicely illustrated selections that tantalize the taste-buds but fit within the plan without modification. I bought the book yesterday and was impressed with the variety of spices and colorful ingredients melded together in recipes ranging from simple to sophisticated, with many an ethnic touch. Many fine restaurants have also contributed recipes.
This evening I made two of the selections for dinner: Zesty Crab Cakes with Creamy (Red) Pepper Sauce with a side of Overnight Slaw. My husband isn't on South Beach - so I added hot rolls for him. The meal was delicious - and it's a sign of a good cookbook when the recipe looks and tastes the way one thinks it will! Tomorrow I'm going to try Oven-Fried Chicken with Almonds.
The book clearly identifies which Phase of the diet each recipe is appropriate for. The major categories are: Breakfasts, Appetizers and Snacks, Soups, Salads, Side Dishes and Accompaniments, Fish, Shellfish and Poultry, Meats, Vegetarian Entrees and Desserts (which sound too good to be true!).
My only caution is that some of the more complex recipes require spices and items that one might not readily have in one's pantry. But I know I'm going to be making many of these meals over and over so the ingredients will be put to good use!
5 Good recipes but you have to find them
I have to say that this book has some good recipes although they are hidden among a lot of difficult and not so flavorfull foods. Most of the time I find myself modifying the recipes so that they will turn out better. However I really think the desserts are beyond help. I have tried 4 of them and they have all been duds. The book is a decent investment if you have the time to sort through the recipes and you have a family that is willing to experiment with sometimes not so good dishes.
6 And now a cookbook.
While the original SBD was interesting now we have a cookbook.
Enough already!
7 I nearly bought this book until...
... I checked it out more closely in a bookshop. I must admit I was tempted by the delicious sounding recipes and tempting photos. But then I checked the nutritional analysis of some of the dishes. There are dinners in here with 30 and even 40(!) grams of fat! I read that the South Beach Diet has been criticized for being too high in fat (albeit "good" fat) and now I know why. If you can lose weight on this diet, more power to you. But I'm going back to my Weight Watchers cookbooks.
8 good, but...
I feel this book has some value, although it is much theory.
For a practical way to lose weight and one that my friends and i have used and have gotten results from I would use www.lowfatmealplans.com. it is much better. It really did work for us and its easy, fast and healthy. Check it out.
9 The cookbook that passed our road test!
We've now had over 30 patients in our cardiology practice "road-test" and try many of the recipes in Dr. Agatston's companion volume to his popular South Beach Diet. The response has been overwhelmingly favorable, both in taste as well as in weight loss.
The condiment recipes, like South Beach Barbecue Sauce and South Beach Teriyaki sauce, have gotten rave reviews from our patients, as well as some of the unique vegetarian entrees, like tofu cacciatore and baked Portobello caps with melted goat cheese. Dr. Agatston, a professed chocoholic, concludes with 20 recipes for desserts that use some clever substituting to avoid excess sugar, flour, and unhealthy oils.
The Cookbook is also a graphically-beautiful book, with full-color photos accompanying many, if not most, of the recipes.
10 Tasty food and I'm keeping my weight on target
My wife invested in this book when we tried the South Beach diet. We are both back to our target weight and enjoying the recipes. I recommend this book and the original, The South Beach Diet.
11 Excellent!
These recipes are fabulous, and quite easy to follow. This is a perfect complement to the South Beach Diet, which I'd recommend as a lifesaver.
12 Not so bad, not always so great.
I've been doing low carb for ages and checked out this book for some new recipe ideas. Most are easy enough to prepare. Some are keepers, some stinkers. My fave? Red Snapper with Avocado Salsa.
13 What were they thinking?
I think in general that this diet is something needed in this fat country of ours, and I fully support the basic principles of it. HOWEVER, I find this cookbook overly complex, and I am an accomplished cook. The recipes are complicated, require too many 'special' items, seem exotic just for the sake of making you feel like you are really doing something special, and don't taste all that great. In EVERY SINGLE recipe I have tried so far, the instructions are either incomplete, contradictory to themselves, or obviously wrong, and the ingredient list is inconsistent with the instructions. It is as if the book was written in a hurry, and no one tested them, much less proof read them for accuracy or completeness. If you othink you can hold a day job and follow these recipes you are fooling yourself. I have been getting up an hour early to prepare for the day, and I end up in the kitchen, after work, twice as long as I normally am to create these monstrous masterpieces of odd tasting entrees. Since we have moved on to phase 2, I have reverted to the Body For Life cookbook, whichi s by FAR easier to read, create, and much tastier. I would HIGHLY recommend it- it follows the basic principles of the SB diet, but it is SO much better; better thought out, better (fewer) ingredients, better tasting, and easier on those of us who don't have live in cooks. Unfortunately, like the SB Diet, the desserts are completely disgusting, but I think there is not much you can do when you cut that much out of your diet. I still advocate REAL dessert- just don't eat so much of it.
14 www.southbeachdiet.co.uk She Unlimited Magazine
There are masses of carbohydrate diets like the Atkins Diet and The Zone. Now Ham tons diet meets South Beach. I think most of us know the reason for it's creative principle of lowering cholesterol for Dr A`s patients and those with diabetes. The diets regimen is based on the consumption of complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and lean fats and proteins. It eliminates simple carbohydrates almost entirely (sweets, pasta, most bread, etc.) and aggressively restricts carbohydrate consumption during the weight loss phase of the diet, similar to Atkins.
This type of diet is simply going to lower caloric intake for those who follow it, consequently weight loss. I still think calories count, although you can eat what you want from the allowed foods list, if you overtake in calories....well, some experience no weight loss. However over time your hungry will subside and you will then naturally take in a less amount of food.
The book does focus on decreased carbohydrate consumption in a healthier manner, but the book falls into the trap of marketing itself in a similar manner as all fad diets: they clearly know what appeals to desperate, overweight people and they use the common buzzwords in this business such as, "lose weight fast", "13 Pounds in 2 weeks", "cravings were gone", "never unsatisfied." Overly optimistic claims are certainly dubious when lasting weight loss is difficult, as we all know.
Which diet does not, how else to get the market moving without such BUZZ words. It is essential. And this diet makes diet sense. It is easy to follow, some find it hard finding the low fat ricotta cheese, but other then that it is a simple lay out plan for regular people and not geared toward the fitness enthusiastic.
Keep in mind once you reach your goal you can have your loved (no so healthy foods) in moderation..
It takes hard and adding some source of exercise into the program just helps to build you metabolism. The Cook book is just an added great feature
I did it, you can do it too.
http://www.southbeachdiet.co.uk
Gidget
http://www.cosmopoliangirl.co.uk
She Unlimited Magazine
15 50/50 Chance
I have been on the diet for about one week. I too had to tag recipes that were appropriate for Phase I since it is not organized. So far I have had about a 50/50 chance of trying a good recipe. Most recipes have been just so so, not something that I would try again. One recipe, Salmon Chowder which claimed it would be creamy, I put down the garbage disposal! I also agree that it takes a lot of ingredients, or a lot of time to plan how to buy common ingredients for a week of cooking. Not sure if I am happy yet, I will keep trying for a week or so.
16 Great book if you are wealthy enough to have a cook ...
Because that is what you will need to make most of the recepies in this book ... Any time that I see a cookbook where the ingredient lists are more than 10 items and the preparation takes 4 to 5 paragraphs I just kind of classify it as a Sunday ... special occasions book ....
I mean give mea break anyone on a diet is never going to follow this cookbook unless your name is Ophra and you have time and MONEY on your hands ....
OK so why give it 4 stars ... well .. the books weakness is also it's strength in that the recepies are fabulous unique and provide for super presentation. Many of the recepies are from the most cache' cooks in South Florida and prctically make your mouth water ........ Although way too few presentation pictures it's a good deal for those of you that want at least ONE book with meals that are so so special
17 Another Cookbook Suggestion
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.
18 diet is more difficult than expected, so cookbook helps alot
I just completed day 2 of Phase 1 - it has been more difficult in some ways than expected and easier in others. The difficulties are somewhat related to my not being able to clear out my house of foods that might tempt me. My 2 year old daughter who is a picky eater will only eat things such as Macaroni and Cheese, Pizza, Grilled Cheese, PBJ, Hotdogs... So every meal I make for her is done with envy that I am not the one about to consume that meal.
I was thin before I had my daughter, all of the eating off of her plate has gotten me into the position I find myself now: 15 to 20 pounds overweight, so despite my yearnings for her food I am committed to making changes that will help me look and feel better.
Anyway, about the cookbook, I like it (don't love it because of organization problems mentioned by other reviewers). The recipes I have tried so far have all been delicious. Our favorite so far is the Steak Kabobs with Peanut Dipping Sauce. It does not taste like diet food AT ALL. The cauliflower mashed potatoes were just okay -- I personally do not like the flavor of trans free margarine and could taste that with every bite. Rosemary Chicken was excellent.
I do feel fortunate to be a stay at home mother, otherwise I am not sure I would have the time to effectively follow this diet. I have had to run the dishwasher three times per day with all the pots, pans, cutting boards, and bowls I have had to wash. Also my initial grocery bill for stocking up for the first several days (and purchasing other pantry items that will last a while) was close to $250.
I think the premise of the diet is a good and healthy one so I will stick with it -- for that reason I am glad I purchased the cookbook as it gives more direction and recipes that will help to stave off boredom.
Good luck to anyone interested in trying the diet or the cookbook -- I hope I didn't turn you off. Hopefully the days to come will be easier - I expect they will given the feedback I have heard from others further ahead in the diet than I.
19 Has anyone but me had problems with these recipes?
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?
20 Diverse ingredients, poor organization, some bad advices
I do not know how a cardiologist turns out to become a cook that can write a Cookbook. As a physician cooking was not part of any medical education, I know. However, the book has many delicious recipes, each list its contents in grams and milligrams without giving a reference on how such measurements were calculated. The recipes start with phase 2, then phase 3, then go on haphazardly, alternating among the three phases that the author suggests for his "South Beach Diet". More frustrating, is the scattered letters from others throughout the book without reasonable relationship to the sequence of issues. In addition, the book contains many advertisements to local restaurants while it is meager on photographs of many described recipes. After browsing through the chapters you get a feeling that the author is very sloppy in organizing the book materials, no proper chapter titling, no proper theme for choosing fonts, no proper sequence for listing recipes.
The author does not explain the rationale of choosing two weeks for the starch-free phase One. Although, the book claims to reverse the epidemic of obesity, it contains meals that have over 500 mg cholesterol per servings (the U.S. recommended daily allowance suggests no more than 300 milligrams of cholesterol), completely overlooks caloric counting, and condones drinking wine (one or two cups of red or white wine per day in phase Two).
The author expresses his apology for banning alcohol in phase One, then condones drinking wine in phase Two. This is a serious flaw on the part of a physician who claims to reverse the epidemic of obesity. Wine drinking will interfere with the ability to exercise actively and vigorously in a matter that promotes health rather than barely maintains minimal strength. The author seems to limit his scope of dealing with obesity to the quality of dieting alone without serious consideration to exercise planning for healthy lifestyle.
Since the author bases his approach to healthy dieting on stabilizing the blood sugar level, then why limit that to merely two weeks? If that is meant to appease readers by offering delicious and fattening recipes then the book defeats its purpose of reversing the epidemic of obesity.
21 Cookbook gives you more info
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!
22 Not a fad
Please ignore the useless review about hitting the gym by a guy who clearly hasn't read the SBD books. I've worked out in the gym regularly for 8 years (45 min. cardio plus weight training 4-6x week) but always carried around extra weight because I was addicted to starchy, sugary foods! Once I turned 30, it became clear that exercise wasn't enough anymore, I had to address my eating habits too. This diet is all about breaking that addiction and learning about which foods create healthy blood chemistry, thus causing you to lose weight. It is not low carb, but good carb. I lost 10 lbs the first two weeks.
23 Yes but there are drawbacks
Some the recipes in this book are very tasty, but they take a long while to make. I end up eating more than I would normally after all that fixing.
What the South Beach and other high protein diets have neglected to mention are the acne, bad breath, PMS, or irritibility that result from increased meat proteins. After I read Healthy Beauty by Hadady, I found some better options for fast, effective weightloss without those unpleasant and embarrassing side-effects.
24 Buy it NOW!
This cookbook is incredible, even if you aren't on the South Beach Diet. It just has healthy, sensible recipes that are DELICIOUS!! I've made many of the recipes, and they have been hits with my husband, which is saying a lot! He loves his carbs!!
I will agree with other reviewers that this book does involve a lot of chopping. But, that's to be expected when you are cooking with fresh ingredients and avoiding processed foods. However, I have three kids, one of which is a 6 week old, and I've been able to cook the recipes. It's worth the work, trust me!
25 This is no fad diet...it works and makes you healthier
My mother in law was on South Beach and lost a lot of weight, so I got the original book and read it cover to cover. My husband and I have lost a lot of weight on it and it's not that complicated even for people who do work out 2-3 times a week and just can't get rid of that belly fat. It's not a fad diet, that I can assure you. It modifies all those things that 30 plus folks like us tend to find as comfort food that has comforted us for far too long. I got this recipe book as a supplement to the original book and it widens the scope of what is possible and modified. In a fat consious world, that is obsessed with diet pills and fad diets that don't do more than help you lose weight only to gain it all back and more,it's nice to know that there is something out there that does work and doesn't mean you have to give up everything you love. I disagree with the reviewer that called this a fad diet...it's not. It's a way that you can live with subtle changes to your eating habits and live longer because of it. It is a very healthy alternative to yo yo diets and hazardous pills...And it really does work.
26 more bogus diet garbage
If people would just eat right and hit the gym four times a week, they would lose weight.
Instead, people are bypassing normal common sense and going for these fad diets.
It makes the authors rich, and the readers fatter.
27 Love the Recipes
This cookbook is exciting because the recipes are simply delicious. These recipes are for a lifetime of eating well, being delightfully satisfied at mealtime and looking great.
I never felt or ate better!
28 Warning - Not "Quick and Easy" Recipes!
If you have a lot of time to cook I'm sure these are tasty dishes. However, none of the recipes are as simple to put together as the ones in the South Beach Diet book. They call for hard-to-find items (one ingredient, for example, can only be found at a specialty store) and require a lot of preparation. Not suitable for someone like me - a mother of two little ones with a full time job. This book went back for a refund.
29 Betty Swollocks
This book was useless, I still weigh exactly 1 ton. It didnt taste very nice either, I thought by consuming it and all its dieting knowledge, it would make one thin.
30 Searching for the good ones
I'm a long time (as these things go) south beach dieter: I started in January 2003, lost 30 pounds by July 2003, and have kept it off. I bought this cookbook because of the initial buzz that there would be some really interesting new recipes. Unfortunately, the first two I tried were bombs. The oven roasted chick peas had very little flavor and a really odd texture (maybe I didn't roast long enough? Perhaps, but they still could have used some kick to the flavor.) Based on reviews here, I next tried the salmon in creamy lemon sauce, billed as having a remarkably rich and creamy taste. It was average at best; the sauce was thin and the flavor one-dimensional. At this point, I actually printed out an Amazon lable to send the book back. However, I had tagged one last recipe to try--the oatmeal pancakes. These were dynamite! I had tried some VERY expensive lo-carb pancake mixes that yielded odd little things that tasted like bad synthetic omelets, and had sort of resigned myself to no pancakes. But the oatmeal pancakes recipe here? Beautiful cakes, fabulous flavor, good texture. I made a whole recipe, ate 3, and put the rest in a bag in the frig. Then every morning, I popped some in the toaster oven, where they heated up beautifully. Re-inspired, I went back to the cookbook and made escarole with white beans. Another hit! Tonight I will try the salmon with 5-spice seasoning and lime juice, and see how that is. I think now that I will keep the book, and see what other jewels I can come up with.
31 This isn't an everyday cook book.
I purchased this cook book so that my wife and I would have a variety of recipes to chose from. There are a good variety of recepies. The recipes are labeled to indicated what phase of the diet each receipe is suited(PhaseI, Phase II and Phase III). The problem with the recipes are that they usually require many steps and many ingredients. If you work or have a hetic schedule than these recepies won't fit your life style. I hope that Dr. Agatson will sponsor a cook book that uses fewer steps and fewer ingredents. Not all of us have time to prepare gormet type meals. A "South Beach Everyday Cook Book" would be a hit with me.
32 Practical and smart
There is so much variety of great food in this cookbook. You can lower carbs and keep the fat down and still eat really well. There is an abundance of delicious choices whether you're following the diet rigidly or just want to keep the carbs and calories down. My favorite recipes are Sesame Baked Chicken and Couscous Salad.
33 Worked for Me
Easy to do. You don't hungry. And it worked for my husband and I. I recommended it to all my friends.
34 I agree, VERY poor organization...but GREAT recipes!
The books sectioned into Breakfast, Appetizers & Snacks, Soups, Salads, Side Dushes, Fish & Poultry, Meats, Veggies, and Desserts. The majority of the recipes call for easily found ingredients while some call for ingredients I've never heard of let alone know where to find. I'm sure they there can be substitutions.
My only complaint is the lack of organization. Instead of starting with phase one it jumps around making it a little frustrating when I'm looking for a phase one recipe or phase two or three. The best thing to do would be to bookmark all of them which is a waste of time in my opinion.
There's a lot of variety from Fried Green Tomatoes and Mashed Potatoes to Mexican Lasagna. Plenty of meat and fish dishes too. There's also Lemon cookies, Cheesecake and Chocolate Pie for the sweet tooth!
The carb count looks to be under 25 grams (a lot under 10) for most of the dishes and fat is low too.
It's worth it's weight in gold!
35 Poor organization
Recipes in this book are helpful in fighting boredom if you are following the South Beach Diet. However, it is poorly organized...recipes are grouped by types (appetizers, main dishes, etc.) but not by stages. I am currently in stage two...do I want to look at appetizers and desserts for stage three right now? NO! To solve the problem, I had to go through the recipes and flag the recipes I can use at this stage...very time consuming.
As for the sodium issue, many products are available that are lower in sodium...as long as you are willing to accept lower in flavor as well...
36 good recipes but too high in sodium
The recipes are excellent and help to stave off boredom from eating the same foods; providing good variety. However, they are very high in sodium. I do not have to watch my salt intake but I have been very thirsty using these recipes.
37 Weighty on attraction; thin on recipes
I've been following the South Beach Diet (SBD) for several months, and it's my own fault if I fall off the wagon. Thank goodness the SBD makes it easy to get back on track. So, when the SBD cookbook arrived, I was looking forward to seeing enough recipes to carry us from Phase I through III. However, there appears to be an imbalance in the number of recipes offered for each phase, being very thin on Phases I and III. While the color-coding for each phase is nice, perhaps it would have been better to organize them in chapters, like the original book.
Not a complete disappointment, the SBD Cookbook is attractively presented. So, are we to expect a sequel: Phase III - SBD for Life?
38 This will help!
This book will help you more effectively take part in the South Beach diet revolution. Also, there are some great products that one could purchase to aid in their efforts at www.totalbodywellness.net password: healthybody
It is quite neat.
39 Great recipes but...not so great on recipe organization
I have been on the South Beach Diet for a few months now (and have lost 20+ pounds!) so I was eager for the day that this book would be released.
I am happy with all of the recipes but was disappointed in the way they were organized. They are organized into different categories such as breakfasts, appetizers, side dishes, etc. which is wonderful but under each of these categories, they should have grouped recipes for each phase together.
Bottom line: Great book but a little clumsy to use.
40 A Great Follow Up
A Great Follow Up..to the South Beach Diet....although it is a cook book ..It is much more..It continues with medical ideas and suggestions from both the writers and dieters following The South Beach Diet...Both books give reasons WHY a diet is needed for other than "Good Looks" . The meals require thought and preparation before the cooking which adds to the satisfaction and as calories are not the only "message" one can eat a good size meal without feeling guilty.A vsiting friend was very surprised when we told her that that the South Beach mashed potatoes were realy cauliflower !!!!!!A Good Read and Very Informative !!!
41 200 Aids to Keep the Healthy Diet Going
Many of us are SB fans, but needed and sought relief for more recipe variety from other sources. Now Dr. Agatston provides more aid, two-hundred of them.
This is worthy collection of "for sure" SB diet met winners for all three phases. Some here are so good, for example in Phase 1 that I continue to make them even now in Phase 3, e.g. Baked Tomatoes with Crab and Smoked Ham Souffle.
There are included special dishes created for the SB diet by famous chefs such as "Joe's Stone Crab" of Miami Beach who offers an unbelievably good "Sweet Onion Dressing" which works on not only salads, but I use it on veggies, fish, chicken, etc.
The desserts are even appetizing and satisfying, such as Peachy Walnut Torte, Apple and Almond Souffle, and even NY Cheesecake.
It covers the menu gamut, from Appetizer to dessert, with great sidebars on questions with answers given from diet users.
This is huge incentive to stay on the menu and shows one how to mix and match ingredients and techniques to even go on and create your own SB masterpieces.
42 MY NEW BRIDE AND I GOT FAT ON OU HONEYMOON
We put on 15 pounds (...), and that was a big problem. She is a bikini model and I am a fitness trainer, so it's important to both our jobs that we look great. This book made it real easy to stay with the South Beach program, and we just dropped that weight right off with no problem. Now we eat these recipes just because they tast good. This was one of the best books we ever got from our wedding -- every bit as great as the "Wedding Dance" and "New Sex Now" dvds.
43 what your doctor won't or can't tell you
now that is a real book by a real practicing heart doc. I liked this book for weight loss but loved that book for finding out about medicine
44 IMPRESSIVE RANGE OF EASY TO MAKE, DELICIOUS, HEALTHY RECIPES
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!
45 Yum and good for you too!
"The Southbeach Diet Cookbook" was written to provide a number of recipes to complement the original "The Southbeach Diet" book.
The cookbook opens with an overview of the diet program. It describes the diet though not in the detail of the original book. It explains what you need to do to get your fridge and pantry 'southbeach' friendly. It explains what is allowed in terms of diary, meat, oils, pasta, snacks, beverages and more.
Next the book has a question/answer session with Dr. Agatston. In this section he updates some of the information from the original book (milk and yogurt are now allowed in phase 1 for example) and he gets into more detailed regarding different types of food.
Then comes the core of the book. The recipe categories include breakfasts, appetiziers and snacks, soups, salads, side dishes and accompaniments, fish shellfish and poultry, meats, vegetarian entrees and desserts. Each recipe indicates what phase it is appropriate for and many of the recipes are pictured in mouthwatering photographs!
Sample recipes include Vegetable Salad with Feta, Homestyle Green Bean Casserole, Pan Seared Pecan Grouper, Whole Wheat Vegetable Lasagna, and Apple and Almond Souffle. Over 200 recipes.
One very nice feature is the inclusion of recipes so you can make many of your own condiments. Unfortunately ketchup, barbeque sauce and many other "toppers" are laden with high fructose corn syrup. So Dr. Agatston includes the details on how you can make your own.
Overall the quality of recipes is very good. The one negative I have is the total avoidance of sugar and reliance on sugar substitutes. I would rather use real sugar in moderation than sugar substitutes like aspartame. He has a recipe for strawberries with velvety chocolate dip and suggests you use sugar free chocolate syrup. Instead why not use a high quality cocoa bar and melt it down. This is healthier than the faux sugars like malitol,which are in sugar free products and so much more satisfying.
Dr. Agatston has some wonderful recipes in this book from top chefs and restaurants and they are worth buying the book for. But many of the desserts with the fake sugars and fat free sour cream fall flat. Moderation is key. Use the real deal in a tiny quantity like the French do.
46 An outstanding compliment to the South Beach Diet
Having lost more than 18 pounds since starting the South Beach Diet in mid-January, I'm clearly committed to the changes in eating habits Dr. Agatston promotes. This is the easiest weight-loss I've ever achieved and I only plan to lose about 5-8 pounds more. My primary motivation, however, was to improve blood chemistry.
I love cooking and love eating. While it's easy to convert most recipes to accomodate South Beach guidelines, it's great to be able to pick up a book full of well-written and nicely illustrated selections that tantalize the taste-buds but fit within the plan without modification. I bought the book yesterday and was impressed with the variety of spices and colorful ingredients melded together in recipes ranging from simple to sophisticated, with many an ethnic touch. Many fine restaurants have also contributed recipes.
This evening I made two of the selections for dinner: Zesty Crab Cakes with Creamy (Red) Pepper Sauce with a side of Overnight Slaw. My husband isn't on South Beach - so I added hot rolls for him. The meal was delicious - and it's a sign of a good cookbook when the recipe looks and tastes the way one thinks it will! Tomorrow I'm going to try Oven-Fried Chicken with Almonds.
The book clearly identifies which Phase of the diet each recipe is appropriate for. The major categories are: Breakfasts, Appetizers and Snacks, Soups, Salads, Side Dishes and Accompaniments, Fish, Shellfish and Poultry, Meats, Vegetarian Entrees and Desserts (which sound too good to be true!).
My only caution is that some of the more complex recipes require spices and items that one might not readily have in one's pantry. But I know I'm going to be making many of these meals over and over so the ingredients will be put to good use!
47 Highly recommended
The South Beach Diet Cookbook will entice your culinary skills, and bring you some of the best recipes provided by some of the world's greatest chefs.
I'm not a big fan of cooking, but this is one cookbook I will definately use. Highly recommended for its wonderful recipes! Debbie Farmer author of 'Don't Put Lipstick on the Cat'
48 Incredible Delight for the Palate
If you are looking for great recipes, healthy foods, sumptuous desserts, and extraordinary cuisine to help you stay healthy and fit, The South Beach Diet Cookbook will entice your culinary skills, and bring you some of the best recipes provided by some of the world's greatest chefs.
From snacks, appetizers, and full course meals, to new ideas for mixing fruits and vegetables, this is one cookbook that will bring a treat both to yourself, and your guests. Highly recommended for its exceptional recipes! Barbara Rose, author of, `Individual Power' and `If God Was Like Man'
49 Pretty Pictures
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.
50 I WILL HAVE A GREAT BODY BY SUMMER
I LOVE THESE RECIPES, I JUST GOT IT TODAY AND I ALREADY TOLD MY HUBBY TO GO SHOPPING FOR THE INGREDIENTS. WE ARE COOKING SOME SOUTH BEACH FOOD TODAY.
WHAT A GREAT BOOK!
51 MY MOUTH IS ALREADY WATERING!!!!!!!
Man, these recipes look gooooooooooooood!!!
