THE CARBOHYDRATE CRAVER'S DIET

by Judith J. Wurtman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 31, 1982

A standard low-calorie reducing diet with a portion of the daily allotment given over to a helping of goodies--a ploy devised to keep the dieting body content. Nutrition researcher Wurtman (MIT) proposes that ""carbohydrate hunger"" arises not from an emotional need to eat sweet or starchy foods, but from a very specific metabolic need: when carbohydrates are consumed, certain calming substances are released in the brain; at a certain point, the need is fulfilled and the craving for such foods will--with luck--go away. The first step is a test to see if this is truly the problem (a timed record of food consumption shows the pattern of ""carbohydrate hunger""). Then comes the diet itself. Wurtman provides for 900 calories a day in nutritious meals and 200 in carbohydrate snacks (from four breadsticks to three chocolate grahams to four large ladyfingers or one Pop-Tart). The rest of the text consists of recipes, menus, a plug for exercise routine diet tips, and, of prime importance, advice on what to do if you just can't stop after that third chocolate graham. (At the worst, you may cancel all meals and eat only snacks for a few days.) The research on ""carbohydrate hunger"" continues; meanwhile, the regimen may take considerable doing, but it won't do any harm.

Pub Date: Jan. 31, 1982

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1982

Categories: NONFICTION