Low-carb cookbook

November 20, 2022 10:49 AM

A friend has been given medical advice to reduce most carbs in her food intake. I want to buy her a good low-carb cookbook that isn't super "diet"-y.

Looking for a good cookbook with recipes that are low-carb and not super complicated. I would also prefer it if it wasn't heavy into weird keto/paleo dieting messages, since there seems to be a lot of overlap there. I'm considering one of the Nom Nom Paleo cookbooks since I've had good results with her recipes and the cookbooks I own don't seem too evangelical about the paleo diet - mostly only in the intro. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

posted by skycrashesdown to Food & Drink (2 answers total)

Dietitian/chef chiming in here... Check out resources from the American Diabetes Association or Cooking Light. And I'd recommend she get in touch with a nutrition professional if possible, depending on why she has been advised to reduce carbs there are ways to adapt what she already likes to eat/cook. A lot of folks go harder than they need too when they first get this advice! For many people, a "consistent carb" approach that includes high fiber and adequate protein intake can help them reach their health goals and be more aware of what their carb intake actually is. Portion control and awareness takes a minute to get good with!

There are some great folks out there who also help people manage a consistent carb intake while still enjoying culturally important foods (ex: plantains, white rice). Typing this one-handed, but MeMail me and I'm happy to send you the list I wrote out on a previous post. Not sure if any of them have cookbooks, but many of them have websites with recipes!
posted by OhHaieThere at 11:05 AM on November 20, 2022 [8 favorites]

A good search keyword is "lazy keto" - keto that does not count or restrict fat or protein calories.

Those cookbooks will still have some weight loss stuff, because one part of the science / pseudo science of lazy keto is that some people for at least some time can lose weight regardless of their total calorie count as long as very little of it is sugar.

(Your friend may want to steer clear of the laziest of lazy keto recipes which can blow your mind with the amount of butter, eggs and bacon employed!)
posted by MattD at 11:05 AM on November 20, 2022 [1 favorite]