The Carbohydrate Addict's Healthy Heart Program: Break Your Carbo-Insulin Connection to Heart Disease - Hardcover

Rachael F. Heller; Richard F. Heller; Frederic J. Vagnini

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 034542610X ISBN 13: 9780345426109

Publisher: Ballantine Books, 1999

Synopsis

Compatible with the American Heart Association guidelines, The Carbohydrate Addicts Healthy Heart Program is a carb-smart plan designed to correct the cause of your carbohydrate cravings and weight gain while cutting your risk for high blood pressure, high blood fat levels, adult-onset diabetes, and heart disease--without sacrifice and without deprivation!

WITNESS THE AMAZING RESULTS FROM
THE CARBOHYDRATE ADDICT'S HEALTHY HEART PROGRAM

DR. RACHAEL F. HELLER
[show before and after photos of Dr. Heller]

                                        BEFORE                                AFTER
BLOOD PRESSURE:                220/120                                110/70
TOTAL CHOLESTEROL:        250                                        178
TRIGLYCERIDES:                385                                        98
BLOOD SUGAR:                        DIABETIC                                NORMAL
WEIGHT:                                300+ lbs.                                138 lbs.
HEART RISK RATIO:                HIGH RISK                                LOW RISK

Are you a carbohydrate addict at risk for heart disease?
Take this quiz and find out.

1. After eating breakfast, are you hungry before lunchtime?
2. Do you get tired in the middle of the afternoon and find that a snack makes you feel better?
3. Do you eat or snack when you're really not hungry?
4. Once you start eating snack foods or sweets, is it hard to stop?
5. Does stress, exhaustion, loneliness, or boredom make you want to eat?
6. Have you been told that you're overweight or have high blood pressure or adult-onset diabetes? Or do any of these disorders run in your family?

SCORING: COUNT YOUR "YES" ANSWERS:
0-1 PROBABLY NOT CARBOHYDRATE ADDICTED
2-4 MILD OR MODERATE CARBOHYDRATE ADDICTION
5-6 SEVERELY CARBOHYDRATE ADDICTED

About this title

Review:

The authors acknowledge that this book is not for everybody. It is not for the healthy eater who may enjoy second helpings of pasta but isn't compulsive or excessive about eating carbs. It is for the true carbohydrate addict who intensely craves sweets and starches and has a hormonal imbalance that can lead to heart disease if untreated.

The aim of this program is to "help balance insulin levels and reduce the insulin resistance that leads to carbohydrate cravings, easy weight gain, high blood pressure, abnormal blood fats, adult-onset diabetes, and heart disease." The program involves three basic steps: (1) reducing the high-carbohydrate foods that you eat and increasing their quality; (2) choosing supplements that balance insulin levels; and (3) choosing insulin-regulating physical activities. The writing is clear and inviting. The authors explain medical concepts such as Insulin Resistance Syndrome simply and clearly. They also narrate their own health and weight-loss struggles, adding a personal touch. About 60 recipes are included.

This program, while it does emphasize eating more protein and fewer starchy foods, does not raise the fat and protein intake to unhealthy levels, like many low-carbohydrate diets. You are encouraged to eat one "Reward Meal" that is one-third high-carbohydrate (preferably a high-fiber rather than sugary choice); the other meals include "low-carbohydrate vegetables" that are fibrous but not starchy. An appendix explains how to make this program compatible with the dietary guidelines of the American Heart Association and other health organizations. --Joan Price

From the Inside Flap:

king discovery in heart disease prevention led the American Heart Association to hail this landmark research that pinpointed insulin as "the most statistically significant predictor of heart attack risk"--more than smoking, body mass index, triglyceride levels, and physical inactivity--and equal to cholesterol levels.

After years of medical research, the truth is out: too much insulin in your body can lead directly to heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and excessive weight gain. What causes insulin levels to rise? Foods rich in carbohydrates--not just starches, salty snacks, and sweets--but even low-cal foods once thought to be good for you, such as salad with low-fat dressing, pita bread, diet soda, and vegetarian lasagna. Like millions of Americans, you, too, may experience intense and recurring carbohydrate cravings--a compelling hunger for foods that, in time, will wreak havoc on your body, drive up your insulin levels, and seriously compromise your health.

About this edition

• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 034542610X
• ISBN 13: 9780345426109
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 368